Riding Safe

Brian Hopkins just returned from a sport bike trip to Arkansas and unfortunately lost an acquaintence there on the Talamena Drive.

"I spent this past weekend at the second annual Eureka Springs ZZR1200 Rally. Sadly, a ZZR rider from Missouri crashed on Talimena Scenic Byway Friday afternoon. He and his motorcycle left the roadway and struck a tree. Despite him wearing all the right safety gear and aggressive and immediate CPR administered by those riding with him, he died on the scene."

More here.

May issue of Ride Oklahoma is out

The May issue of Ride Oklahoma Magazine goes in the mailbox on Monday. This month features our most content every in one month. We have stories about observed trials, MotoGP, a great ride destination in Mulhall, plus product reviews, Scooter Corner, a new column about trikes, and the usual columns from Bill Dragoo and James Pratt. You can pick them up at nearly any Oklahoma motorcycle dealer, Barnes & Noble, Hastings, and 7-11 stores. Of course the best way is to get it delivered directly to your doorstep via subscription.

Enjoy. And don't forget, we love reader feedback.

Thunder Run IV

Once again the folks at OKC Thunder Cycles put on an outstanding motorcycle rally and event. This year was the largest yet, with an overflow crowd, lots of vendors, great music and a fun poker run. I always enjoy the vintage bikes.
This year the poker run was much better than last year. I was complaining to Kay that we drove 35 miles per hour down Broadway Extension last year, but the 2008 version should be called the Cannonball Express! Whoever was leading at the front of 5,000+ motorcycles was moving. We ran at least the speed limit all the way down I-35 to the Riverwind Casino. The only negative of the entire event was the line at Riverwind to get your poker hand. Luckily Kay and I were one of the first in line, but as we left the rides were pouring in and the line stretched for over an hour out the door. Hopefully they will make this much better in 2009.

We had a great time and met lots of old friends at the rally. I am normally not much for poker runs but this event is always one of my favorites. It is even better that lots of money was raised for a great charity!

My good friends at the Wind & Fire Motorcycle Club raise money for charity by selling beer and shirts at their tent.



An estimated 5,000 bikes per day filled every available parking location at OKC Thunder Cycles.



My favorite part of the show was the antique motorcycle display.

Repsol Busa?

Its not often you see a Hayabusa dressed up in Repsol Honda colors. But Carl Shelton from Blanchard is both a big Nicky Hayden fan as well as a Suzuki Hayabusa fan. Combine those passions with a bit of help from Tommy Bolton of Tombo Racing and Complete Cycles in Del City, and you get the picture we took last week in Oklahoma City.



This 'Busa is tricked out with a 330 big wheel kit, Brock's Performance pipe and exhaust, a custom paint job, a rear view backup camera, and so many custom billet parts it is hard to count. Carl's plans with this bad boy? "When I get finished, I plan to ride it a bit, sell it, and start on another one."

Ride Oklahoma Magazine April issue

The April issue of Ride Oklahoma Magazine should be hitting your mailbox and dealers across Oklahoma next week. We have a lot of interesting and fun articles. Bill Dragoo has been very busy riding and working on his beloved Harley. We also have a new writer who is also featured in our Rider Profile - George Dotson. He raced OCCRA back when I did in the mid 80's, but I didn't know him back then. Now he rides his Harley, has a bunch of old bikes he collects, and still rides off-road. And he is on the cover!

The best way to make sure you don't miss a single issue is subscribe either by sending in a reply card from the magazine, or subscribing through Paypal.

Sooner Cup

Sunday morning saw me up well before daylight, driving my new Toyota FJ Cruiser to Tishomingo for the Sooner Cup observed trials event. This annual competition was livened up this year with the addition of a $6,400 pro purse, which attracted the top riders in the country to Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma.



If you have never been to one of these observed trials events, you really need to make time to go watch. It is jaw-dropping to watch what kind of terrain these riders clamber over, especially the professionals. I cannot even walk or crawl over that stuff to do photos, and they ride their bikes over it! Amazing. Watch for coverage in the May 2008 issue of Ride Oklahoma Magazine.

Monte Frank's custom chopper

Those of you who were at the OKC Motorcycle Show a couple of weeks ago had an opportunity to feast your eyes on a really cool, very unusual custom motorcycle built by Tony at www.tfabmetal.com for AMA Pro racer Monte Frank. A mix between a dirt bike, flat track racer, supermoto and a chopper, you won't be seeing a bike anything like this at a local bike night. We will be writing a story about this bike with all the build details in a future issue of Ride Oklahoma Magazine.

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