One of our favorite stories from 2012 was our coverage of the Kenny Roberts American Heroes Benefit Dinner. Hosted by King Kenny at his storied California ranch, it was an incredible opportunity to get close to the three-time world champ and other racing glitterati like Kenny Roberts Jr., Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and renowned dirt-tracker Mert Lawwill. If those names resonate with you, it’s worth reading our story that includes a video and coverage of the Cpl. Michael D. Anderson Jr. Memorial Ride in which we got to share the road with some of the most legendary names in motorcycle racing.

And now it’s time for the second-annual charity event, again hosted at Kenny Sr.’s ranch in Modesto, CA. Proceeds from the May 10 event will benefit the “Welcome Home Heroes” foundation, while the group ride the following day supports the Cpl. Michael D. Anderson Jr. Memorial Foundation. For the second year in a row, Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., lends a hand as the title sponsor for the dinner. 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.

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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 »

The modified Honda CRF450R ridden by Daniel Craig in the James Bond film “Skyfall” was sold at auction, raising 101,400 British pounds (US$162,440) for charity.

Featured in the opening chase scene of “Skyfall”, the heavily modified Honda CRF450R received 67 bids from 40 potential suitors by the time the auction ended Nov. 22. The sale price of £101,400 is nearly 15 times the retail value of a brand new 2013 Honda CRF450R in the U.K. The sale price exceeded expectations, with organizers expecting it to sell for “tens of thousands of pounds”.

All of the proceeds from the sale of the “Skyfall” motorcycle will benefit BBC Children in Need, a charity providing aid to disadvantaged children. Continue Reading »

Television personality and motor vehicle enthusiast Jay Leno is reprising his role as grand marshal for Love Ride.

Love Ride 29 (though this is actually the 28th time the event has been held after the 2009 event was canceled due to the economic downturn) takes place Oct. 21 at Castaic Lake, Calif. Since 1984, the fundraiser has raised over $24 million for charity.

In the past, the fundraiser has raised money for causes such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Special Olympics of Southern California. Love Ride 29 will benefit the USO and its veteran programs located in 27 states. Continue Reading »

Motorcycle aficionado and owner of GP Motorcycles, a San Diego dealership specializing in European manufacturers, Paul Lima, suffered a paralyzing crash while riding an MX bike on April 4th. Following a 9-hour surgery to realign and stabilize his back, Paul is recovering well and undergoing rehabilitation. Paul has health coverage, but the costs not covered by insurance are mounting and the Lima family can use any help benevolent motorcyclists can afford.

A PayPal account has been setup to accept donations and you can follow his and the family’s progress on the their Facebook page.

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