Ride Oklahoma Magazine March 2008 Issue Available Now

The March 2008 issue of Ride Oklahoma Magazine was sent out to all subscribers yesterday, and will be available in newstands, Barnes & Noble, Hastings, 7-11 stores and Oklahoma motorcycle dealers early next week.

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This issue features a Ducati Hypermotard on the cover. Thanks to our friends at BMW/Ducati of Oklahoma City, we were able to test a beatiful example for this issue. They are fantastic to work with and their service is second to none.

In addition we have a rider profile on drag bike racing legend Sam Wills, the first rider to go over 200 mph in a quarter mile on a bike. And Susan Dragoo writes about finding just the perfect motorcycle for her - a yellow BMW F650GS with lowering links.

The April issue goes to press next week and we are already working on May and June issues. We look forward to another exciting year in Oklahoma motorcycling!

Motorcycle Events Feb 23-24

Despite the cold weather of the last few days, there are plenty of motorcycling related events going on this weekend in Oklahoma.

First off is the Jeff Williams Motorcycle show in Oklahoma City. This is not the normal "swap meet". This time they have lots of custom motorcycles on display and Ride Oklahoma will be bringing several of the bikes on display and photographing in the studio as future bike profiles.



Shawnee Honda has their 1 year anniversary celebration going on this weekend. As America's largest Honda-only dealer, they have a huge selection of products. This weekend they have free food, live radio remotes, and plenty of prizes and special pricing.

BACA is holding a chili cookoff in El Reno to raise money for their worthy cause. You can drop in to warm up if you are out riding, or jump in the car, stop in and say hi.



In Kellyville they are holding indoor flat track races. These are fun to visit when the weather is a bit too cold for outdoor racing. The action is fast and furious.

Our friends at Northeaster Oklahoma Trials Team are playing in the rocks at the Camp Gruber ORV area near Muskogee on Sunday. If you like watching highly skilled riders performing amazing feats on motorcycles, stop in for a bit.



If you want to ride a bit faster and jump a bit higher, load up the dirt bike and head to Bartlesville, where the Sand Valley Motocross track will be holding practice and riding this weekend.

For a complete calendar of motorcycling events across Oklahoma, be sure and check out our Ride Oklahoma Calendar each week.

NSU Max

Gerald Tims at Performance Cycle in Bethany has a huge collection of old motorcycles, and I have been fortunate to have the fun of photographing some really cool old bikes. I had never heard of the NSU Max before. It is a 250cc faired motorcycle and is VERY heavy. Looks cool however.

Warm Weather

What a beautiful day today! I saw several bikes out and around, taking the opportunity to enjoy our springtime weather. Now is the time to check the battery, air up the tires and fire up the bike for a warm up ride. March is fast approaching, which means the start of the 2008 riding season.

Daytona Bike week is just around the corner. Anyone planning on attending?

Performance Cycle 2008 Calendar

Ride Oklahoma Magazine has teamed up with Performance Cycle to produce a 2008 motorcycling calendar. Gerald Tims, owner of Performance Cycle, owns dozens of old, rare motorcycles. We decided to team together and bring you this cool calendar featuring beautiful girls and wonderful old motorcycles.

To purchase a copy, stop by Performance Cycle in Bethany to pick up your copy for $10. Supplies are limited and this is sure to be a collectors item.

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Back Cover

Oklahoma Superbikers Spec Bike class

This year the Oklahoma Superbikers have implemented a spec bike class that makes supermoto racing fun, easily affordable and very competitive. This new class is based on identical supermoto bikes that can be purchased from The House of Kawasaki for $1,620. You get a bike already track-ready with safety wire, tires, and identical graphics. All you need is to throw on some frame sliders and a fluid catch can, put on your riding gear and head to the races. The motors are sealed so they cannot be modified and must remain sealed at tech inspection. Tires must be DOT approved. No aftermarket exhaust, intake, suspension or engine components allowed.

This should make for fun, exciting racing!

Rider Profile - Sam Wills

Seven time national motorcycle top fuel rider Sam Wills of Oklahoma City is the featured rider profiled in the upcoming March issue of Ride Oklahoma Magazine. Sam is now owner of Racing Innovations in north OKC, as well as General Manager of OKC Thunder Cycles, which hosts the upcoming Thunder Run IV motorcycle event, the largest in Oklahoma.



Be sure and pick up your copy of Ride Oklahoma Magazine at newstands, 7-11 stores, Barnes & Noble, or Hastings Bookstores. This story and more are in the upcoming issue, due on newstands March 1.

Make it Stop!

Bill Dragoo and George Dotson recently upgraded the brakes on Bill's Harley Davidson Dyna Sport to top-of-the-line Brembo brakes, the same type found on high performance sport motorcycles such as the Ducati 1098 Superbike. According the Bill, this breathed new life into his beloved Harley and provided added confidence when hammering through the twisty roads.



Spring is just around the corner and we are working on this story and others in the April edition of Ride Oklahoma Magazine. The March issue will be on newstands across Oklahoma on March 1.

ABATE call for legislative action

Legislature urged to pass Motorcycle Stoplight Bill SB 1700



ABATE of Oklahoma recently sent out an urgent ACTION NOTICE. They are working to pass a Motorcycle Stoplight Bill that allows motorcyclists to proceed through a "stuck" stoplight without penalty. We have all been faced with the situation where we pull up to a stoplight and it won't change, and we are forced to either wait for a LONG time or basically run the red light, which most of us do after cautiously checking for traffic in all directions. Now it is illegal to proceed and a motorcyclist is subject to a traffic citation for making this common sense move. Senator Bass has authored a bill making it legal for motorcyclists to proceed through these "stuck" stoplights after checking for traffic and proceeding safely and cautiously through the light.

The bill is currently being heard in the Oklahoma Senate. Last year it failed to make it out of the Senate because only a couple of motorcyclists called to encourage their Senators to vote "DO PASS" for this bill. ABATE is urging all Oklahoma motorcyclists to call their State Senator and urge them to pass this important bill SB 1700.

If you do not know how to contact your Senator, or even who your Senator is, you go click here to go to the Oklahoma Senate web site ---> Oklahoma Senate