Motorcycle Blog: The Sidecar » Charity

Completing the Journey of United Flight 93

Joe Magro — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:33:31 +0000

Motorcyclists are a charitable bunch and this is another great example. The “Ride with the Forty” has been organized to remember and honor the forty women and men who were killed when their plane crashed near Shanksville, PA on September 11, 2001. Another goal is to raise $250,000 for the Flight 93 National Memorial, 100% of all donations will go directly to building the memorial.

On September 3, 2009, the five core motorcycle riders will depart from Newark International Airport at 8:42 a.m., the actual departure location and time of United Flight 93, and will be joined by hundreds of other riders along the approximate 3,000-mile journey.

More details after the jump.

Ride with the Forty, will finish what the 40 heroes could not. We hope that people will join us as we ride to complete their intended flight path and remember their great sacrifice,” said Ken Nacke, member of the Families of Flight 93.

After leaving the Newark International Airport on September 3, the group will stop in Shanksville at the temporary memorial site and will end in San Francisco on September 11. Some of the expected stops will be:

Joliet, Illinois (Sept 4)
Omaha, Nebraska (Sept 5)
Cheyenne, Wyoming (Sept 7)
Reno, Nevada (Sept 9)
Union City, California (Sept 10)

The group will be traveling with a temporary memorial, a 6′ by 8′ section of chain link fence where people can attach tribute items. To join the riders, monitor their progress, or donate to the construction of the permanent National Memorial, visit www.ridewiththe40.org. Look for updates from the road and the specific locations of the convoy and traveling temporary memorial.

Harleys Behind the Scenes at The Art of Rebellion

Mark Prociw — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:57:56 +0000

On February 7th, 2009, at the Robert Berman Gallery in Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station Arts Center, Harley-Davidson gathered 11 of today’s most relevant and exciting artists to present their take on the theme of rebellion.

Because the event was so popular, The Art of Rebellion one-night only event quickly became a month long showing. Artwork was for sale and the proceeds were donated to Art Matters, a foundation that assists socially and aesthetically groundbreaking artists.

Man Builds Sidecar from Bathtub

Dustin Woods — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:51:01 +0000

Back in 1997, an unusual motorcycle appeared on the front page of the Bristol Evening Post. Unable to afford a costly traditional sidecar, bus driver Alan Iles of Bedminster opted to build his own, using a bathtub. Twelve years later, the 1959 650cc BSA is still going and has been ridden all over Europe to help raise money for Cancer research and various charities, for which he has raised thousands of British pounds. Over the last dozen years, the only modifications made have been a splash of new paint and the addition of a seatbelt, so that his grandchildren can come along for the ride.

Most often riding with his long-time friend, 55-year- old Tom Collingwood, Iles has also taken part in a motorbike funeral procession for friend, local tattoo artist and biker Dave Ayres including his travels across Europe with friend Christopher Thomas that included, Austria, Poland and France, a trip consisting of nearly 3,800 miles.

Iles commented that throughout all of his travels, he tries his best to avoid highways, since it seems to distract drivers from the task at hand – driving. “I saw one person the other day leaning out the car window with his mobile phone trying to take a picture.” Iles even used the bathtub sidecar to drive a friend to his wedding who requested the rather unusual wedding day transport to meet his bride and Alan was more than happy to oblige.

Motorcycle Ambulances

Mark Prociw — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:18:51 +0000

A motorcycle and sidecar are put to wonderful use in Southern Sudan by providing a free ambulance service for pregnant woman. Southern Sundan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world with only 10% of all deliveries being done by skilled health workers.

Using a motorbike instead of a heavier four wheeled vehicle will be cheaper to run, easier to maintain, and can easily find new routes around roads that are flooded, muddy, or in very poor condition.

The five $6,000 USD motorcycles were donated by Unicef as a pilot project but will be expanded to other remote parts of the country if it is successful.

Hit the jump to see the ambulance in action.

Source: [ Reuters UK ]

Bikers Against Child Abuse Good Cause, Funny Commercials

Eric Schmidt — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:18:05 +0000

If you’re interested, visit these following sites:
The Official B.A.C.A Radio Website
More B.A.C.A Videos on Vimeo

MX for Children Sets Three Dates for 2009

Dustin Woods — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:16:32 +0000

MX for Children is running three locations for their 2009 Inside Line Experience. The behind the scenes Supercross experience will visit three cities this year including Houston, Toronto and Seattle benefiting local children’s hospitals.

The Inside Line Experience is a reward for those who raise funds for their local children’s hospital and their research to prevent hydrocephalus – the number one cause of brain surgery in children. To qualify, participants must raise at least $500 in pledges or donations to the designated hospital prior to the pledge drive close date.

Winners get an exclusive behind the scenes look at Supercross, including a meet and greet with top Supercross racers for autographs, pictures and an open Q&A session the day before the event. Then participants witness the pre-race press conference and private practice from the front row. Race day, they will get to tour a factory rig, walk the supercross track and pits then watch the race from great seats.

The Houston Supercross, which benefited the Texas Children’s Hospital took place on Jan. 24, while the Toronto Supercross supporting SickKids hospital and Seattle Supercross benefiting Seattle Children’s hospital are set to take place March 28th and April 16th respectively.

For more information, visit:
http://www.mxforchildren.org/inside-line-experience/