In case you haven’t heard, at the recent MotoGP test at the new Circuit of the Americas (CotA) track, 1993 500cc world champion Kevin Schwantz was unceremoniously removed from the property. In protest to this rude (and in our opinion unwarranted) treatment of a motorcycling icon, a group of motorcycle racing enthusiasts have organized the FreeKevin34 movement, culminating in the FreeKevin34 weekend, April 19-21, the same weekend as the CotA round of MotoGP. Continue Reading »
Hollywood memorabilia dealer Profiles in History is auctioning off a prop from the upcoming film The Place Beyond the Pines. In an effort to benefit Variety, The Children’s Charity of Southern California, Focus Features has offered up the Firstgear red leather motorcycle jacket that Ryan Gosling’s stuntman-turned-outlaw character wears in the film. Adding to the authenticity is the lack of the jacket’s lining, which was removed due to its use during the extensive motorcycle sequences seen in the film.
North Irish brothers and Tourist Trophy racers Michael and William Dunlop showed their support – and nearly everything else as well – for an upcoming event raising funds to fight testicular cancer.
The nephews of all-time Isle of Man TT wins leader Joey Dunlop and sons of another accomplished TT racer, Robert Dunlop, stripped down to their racing boots and gloves, not to mention two strategically placed helmets, for a photoshoot with Northern Irish model Laura Lacole in support of the Belfast Strut, a sponsored walk on March 16.
The event will have 100 participants dressed up as the campaign’s mascot, “Mr. Testicles”, walking 10 miles through Belfast. Continue Reading »
Harley-Davidson donated more than $4.5 million to support various charitable groups in 2012.
The donations, which include both grants and merchandise, went to several organizations, including those around Harley-Davidson‘s bases in Milwaukee, Wis., York, Pa., and Kansas City, Mo., but also to groups across the nation.
The Milwaukee chapter of Habitat for Humanity received a $200,000 grant for its Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, helping fund housing projects in the Washington Park community. Another $284,000 went to the United Way of Greater Milwaukee to fund outreach and support programs. More than $1 million in discontinued Harley-Davidson apparel and accessories were donated to Milwaukee-based Threads of Hope, which will distribute the donation to various agencies in southeastern Wisconsin. Continue Reading »
The second of five motorcycles from the private collection of actor Bruce Willis has gone up for auction to raise funds for the non-profit military support group The Boot Campaign.
Bidding is now open on CharityBuzz.com for the “Die Hard” star’s 1988 Yamaha TW200 Trailway. It follows Willis’ 2005 Ducati Multistrada 1000DS which sold for auction for $6,250, just a few hundred dollars higher than its list price in Kelley Blue Book.
The TW200 is listed as being in “good” condition with 1,485 miles on the odometer. CharityBuzz.com lists the TW200 as a $1,400 value and as of this posting, bidding is at $1,000. Continue Reading »
A 2005 Ducati Multistrada 1000DS belonging to actor Bruce Willis has been auctioned off for $6,250. The Multistrada was the first of five motorcycles from the “Die Hard” actor’s personal collection that will be sold to benefit the Boot Campaign, a non-profit organization supporting active and retired members of the U.S. military.
In excellent condition with just 285 miles on it, the Multistrada sold for close to market price. Kelley Blue Book lists the 2005 Ducati Multistrada 1000DS at $6,045, so the fact it was owned by Willis didn’t increase the value as much as we expected it might. Continue Reading »
Actor Bruce Willis is auctioning five motorcycles from his personal collection to benefit the Boot Campaign, a Texas-based non-profit organization supporting active and retired members of the U.S. military.
The motorcycles will be auctioned off every two months, starting from December 2012 to August 2013, with each auction running for up to 30 days at CharityBuzz.com. The first auction is for Willis’ 2005 Ducati Multistrada 1000DS, listed as being in great condition with just 285 miles on the odometer. The Multistrada has an estimated value of $5500 and the auction, as of this writing, has reached $1750 but there’s still a lot of time remaining before the auction ends Dec. 20.
The other motorcycles Willis has donated are a 1991 Yamaha XT350, a 1988 Yamaha TW200, a 1972 Harley-Davidson Ironhead Sportster XLH and a 1962 Cushman Eagle. Continue Reading »
During the eighth annual Roadracing World Action Fund (RWAF) at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, Team M4 Hammer GEICO Suzuki rider Chris Ulrich felled every existing record for a two-up track riding charity event
During the course of the two-day event Ulrich, on his GEICO Suzuki GSX-R1000, carried 71 passengers around the Speedway 213 times for a total of 489.9 miles. This beats previous RWAF records for most two-up rides and also sets new fund-raiser records for most laps completed in one day with a passenger (114) and over two days (213), plus the most miles ridden in one day with a passenger (262.2 vs. 248.4) and over two days (489.9 vs. 432.2 miles).
The most important record Ulrich broke is for most money raised in the history of the event: $6,314, surpassing last year’s total by $1,499. Since beginning eight years ago, Ulrich has raised a total of $27,069. The money is used to deploy Airfence soft barriers at AMA race events. The Roadracing World Action Fund has provided AMA Pro Racing with more than 130 30′-sections of inflatable Airfence-brand soft barriers for deployment at road races and dirt track events.
Troy Bayliss may have retired from World Superbike competition but he hasn’t completely freed himself from the racing bug. The three-time WSBK Champion is returning to the track to take part in a 24 hour endurance race – on scooters.
Bayliss will team up with the recently-retired Speedway racer Jason Crump to take part in the Le Minz 24 Hour Scooterthon, a charity event in Australia, on Dec. 8-9 at Gold Coast Parklands. They will be teaming up with an as-yet unnamed rider and Mark Brown, a multiple-time Scooterthon winner and Guinness record holder for completing 1189.685 km (739.236 miles) in a 24 hour period on a 50cc TGB Tapo scooter at last year’s event.
All of the gate money from the Le Minz 24 Hour Scooterthon will benefit Give Me 5 for Kids, a charity that provides medical equipment for sick children, and the RaceSafe Medical Team which provides medical support for various Australian racing series. Continue Reading »
Honda is donating the modified CRF250R ridden by actor Daniel Craig in the James Bond thriller “Skyfall” to a charity auction benefiting disadvantaged children in the U.K.
The modified Honda CRF250R is one of several lots in this year’s BBC Children in Need auction. The BBC‘s UK Corporate charity provides grants to programs across the U.K. to help improve the lives of needy children and young adults. The auction begins begins Nov. 16 with the airing of the BBC One show with bids accepted until midnight (GMT) on Nov. 22.
The CRF250R is one of two motorcycles heavily featured in the opening chase scene for “Skyfall”, the 23rd entry in the 007 James Bond film franchise. Bond, played by Craig, commandeers the bike from a Turkish street merchant to chase after the villain Patrice (played by Ola Rapace) who rides another CRF250R dressed to look like a police bike. Continue Reading »
