April is AMA Go Ride! month, and as part of the month’s activities, the American Motorcyclist Association is shining a spotlight on different issues every week in a promotion called “Freedom Friday“. Starting things off with the April 5 Freedom Friday is the topic of health insurance discrimination against motorcyclists.

“With the current U.S. economic situation, we are hearing of more employers refusing to pay for health care for injuries suffered in a motorcycle crash,” says Danielle Fowles, AMA grassroots coordinator. “Imagine getting seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident and then having your health insurance company refuse to pay the medical bills because you were riding a motorcycle.

“The AMA has been fighting this type of health-insurance discrimination for years and is now on Capitol Hill lobbying to change the law so that this form of discrimination no longer exists,” Fowles adds. Continue Reading »

Given the choice of what motorcycle to ride when surrounded by bikes including the VMAX, Raider SCL and the rest of the 2012 Star model line-up will usually leave the V Star 250 unchosen. An ingenious idea at a recent Star press junket, however, ensured a journalistic derriere in the 250’s seat by making it the most valuable bike available.

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Triumph is celebrating the 500,000th motorcycle produced in the John Bloor era with a tour across the United Kingdom with English stand-up comedian Ross Noble.

The landmark motorcycle, a one-off Triumph Speed Triple, is the 500,000th unit produced by the modern Triumph Motorcycles company since Bloor revived the brand in 1990.

Carrying VIN number 500,000, the milestone Speed Triple features a special red, white and blue color scheme with the triple-cross of the Union Jack on the fuel tank. The paint was applied with a new production technique Triumph says it will begin adopting for other production models in the autumn. The special edition Speed Triple is also equipped with a matching fly screen, belly pan and seat cowl.

Noble, a popular British comic, will ride the 500,000th Triumph across the United Kingdom as part of his Sit Down Tour May 24-30. Noble will document the tour on his Twitter page, @realrossnoble. Following the tour, Noble will take the Speed Triple to the July 1 Goodwood Festival of Speed where it will be auctioned to benefit Riders for Health to help provide motorcycle transport to medics in rural Africa.

“Reaching the 500,000th bike in just twenty years is a terrific achievement and a credit to the hard work of everyone at Triumph and our dealer partners globally,” says Guy Masters, general manager of Triumph U.K. “To mark the occasion and also to celebrate our British roots, we wanted to do something that gave our customers a chance to get involved. We were delighted when Ross agreed to help us mark the milestone with his Sit Down Tour, which will involve dealers, riders and fans across the UK.”

More pictures and the official press release after the jump. Continue Reading »