Venue Riverfront Festival Park Address Riverfront Festival Park Jefferson Street Lynchburg, VA 24504 Region Central Virginia Locality Lynchburg City Date(s)/Time: Saturday, April 28, 2012 (11:00 AM-7:00 PM) Phone: (434) 401-3366 Website www.lynchburgshows.com

The Big Boys Toys Show will be Central Virginia's largest and most exciting male lifestyle event, combining the coolest gadgets, the latest technologies and the biggest brands along with high impact entertainment features, all packed into one day of non-stop action and sheer excitement. This is a must-visit-event for people from across the Central Virginia area.
To satisfy all that guys love to see and do, The Big Boys Toys Show is coming to downtown Lynchburg on Saturday, April 28, 2012 with the coolest toys a grown up boy could want.

Meet Tim Smith and Cast from the show Moonshiners on the Discovery Channel   

RELAY FOR LIFE - YARD SALE
WHERE:  Madison Heights - Randolph Memorial Church on Route 29
 WHEN:  SAT 4-21-12   7 AM to 1 PM
 Two storage bins and SUV's  fulls of goodies to shop through not to mention the other teams'  treasures.  Always some tasty food too to keep the shoppers strong.  

 Great way to help an awesome Relay Team and donate much needed funds to fight Cancer.

 Come out and help Gwen, Paul, and Kitty at the Randolph Memorial Church on Route 29 in Madison              Heights from 7 -1.   Of course  we will be there unloading at 6am  if anyone desires some heavy and/or  light lifting.

Willie G. Davidson Announces Retirement

MILWAUKEE, March 16, 2012 USRiderNews:  After nearly 50 years as head of styling, Willie G. Davidson is retiring from Harley-Davidson HOG +0.01%April 30, 2012. 

Willie G., Senior Vice President and Chief Styling Officer, is widely recognized as a legend in the world of motorcycling and motorcycle design. He will continue his involvement with the company as an ambassador at motorcycle rallies and events, and through special design projects as Chief Styling Officer Emeritus.

“Throughout my life, I have been truly fortunate to have the opportunity to marry my passion for design with my love for this amazing brand that runs so deeply in my veins,” Willie G. said. “What’s most rewarding has been to see the impact our motorcycles have on the lives of our customers. Everything we do in styling is based on the notion that form follows function, but both report to emotion.”

Over the course of his career, Willie G., 78, built a design team at Harley-Davidson that established the company’s unrivaled leadership in custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles. Today, the styling department is led by 19-year company veteran Ray Drea, Vice President and Director of Styling, who has worked collaboratively with Willie G. in the development of numerous milestone vehicles.

“It has been my privilege to work alongside many incredibly talented people at this company and I have great confidence the future of Harley-Davidson’s design leadership will continue to grow in its pre-eminence,” Willie G. said. “I look forward to spending time with riders at rallies and to my involvement in special design projects.”

“Few individuals have the kind of impact on an organization, a brand and a lifestyle that Willie G. has had,” said Keith Wandell, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Everyone with a love for motorcycles owes a great deal to his vision and talent, and all of us have been blessed by his presence. His legacy will continue to grow, thanks to the talent he has nurtured in the Harley-Davidson styling studio.”

Willie G. has long served as ambassador of Harley-Davidson at rallies around the world – meeting riders, talking to customers, lending his famous signature to jackets, and setting an example of being close to the customer that has become one of the hallmarks of the company.

Grandson of one of the company’s founders, William A. Davidson, and son of William H. Davidson, its second president, Willie G. joined the company as its first head of styling in 1963. With responsibility for the look of all Harley-Davidson motorcycles, landmark motorcycles to emerge from Willie G’s styling studio team include the Super Glide, which established the factory custom category in 1971, Low Rider, Heritage Softail Classic, Fat Boy, V-Rod and Street Glide. He is one of 13 Harley-Davidson executives who purchased the company from AMF, Inc. in 1981.

Maine Adopts Practical Test for Measuring Motorcycle Sound

Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of   motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle.

Maine has adopted a simple yet reliable testing procedure that allows motorcyclists to prove their bikes don’t violate Maine’s motor vehicle sound law, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.
Under a new law that went into effect on May 26, motorcyclists ticketed for excessive sound emitting from their motorcycle exhausts can go to a certified inspection station for sound testing.
There, the exhaust system would be tested using the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J2825 stationary sound testing procedure — “Measurement of Exhaust Sound Pressure Levels of Stationary On-Highway Motorcycles” — which the SAE developed and adopted with support from the Motorcycle Industry Council in May 2009.
Under the SAE J2825 standard, which the AMA has endorsed, decibel limits range from 92 dBA at idle for all motorcycles, to 100 dBA at certain RPMs for various motorcycles, depending on the type of engine. If a motorcycle meets these limits during the certified testing, then it is evidence that the motorcycle doesn’t violate the state’s sound law.
“This new law is good news for responsible motorcyclists who ride in Maine because it provides an objective way to prove that a motorcycle doesn’t violate the state’s sound law, rather than relying on subjective judgments,” said Imre Szauter, AMA government affairs manager. “We applaud the state of Maine — the first in the nation — for adopting the SAE J2825 standard.”
The AMA has long maintained a position of strong opposition to excessive motorcycle sound. The SAE J2825 standard is at the heart of model legislation developed by the AMA for use by jurisdictions seeking a simple, consistent and economical way to deal with sound complaints related to on-highway motorcycles within the larger context of excessive sound from all sources.
For information on the AMA’s model legislation, go tohttp://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Libraries/Rights_Documents_Other/Model_On_Highway_Sound_Ordinance-1.sflb.ashx

American Motorcyclist Association Wants Motorcycles Included in Study of Ethanol-Blended Fuel

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is asking a key U.S. House panel to include motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in any future study of ethanol-blended gasoline.
In a letter sent July 11 to the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee, the AMA, along with its partner organization, the All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA), urged subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) “that on- or off-highway motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) be part of any scientific study by the NAS” related to ethanol-blended gasoline. NAS stands for the National Academy of Sciences.
The subcommittee held a hearing on July 7 entitled “Hitting the Ethanol Blend Wall: Examining the Science on E15.” The hearing focused on E15, a new gasoline formulation that contains up to 15 percent alcohol by volume. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October 2010 approved the use of E15 in model year 2007 and newer light-duty vehicles (cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles). In January 2011, the EPA added model year 2001-2006 light-duty vehicles to the approved list.
No on- or off-highway motorcycles or ATVs are currently approved.
At its hearing, the subcommittee indicated that it may require the EPA to arrange with the NAS to study a full range of issues related to E15.
In the letter, AMA Washington Representative Rick Podliska said the AMA and ATVA have concerns about: E15 being put in motorcycles or ATVs mistakenly and damaging engines; the continued availability of gasoline that has no ethanol, or gasoline with only a 10 percent blend that is safe for use in motorcycles and ATVs; the possibility that “blender pumps” — which dispense multiple grades of gasoline through a single hose — could introduce enough ethanol into gasoline to be used in a motorcycle or ATV to damage the vehicle; and that ethanol absorbs water, which could be harmful to motorcycles and ATVs.
“In conclusion, to address our concerns, the AMA and ATVA urge that on- or off-highway motorcycles and ATVs be part of any scientific study by NAS,” Podliska wrote. “Not only should the study focus on the short- and long-term impacts on vehicles and engines, but should consider financial implications of increased ethanol use in gasoline on consumers; fuel producers, distributors and retailers; vehicle and engine manufacturers, dealers and service facilities; and the environment.”
To read the letter, click here:http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Libraries/Rights_Documents_Federal/Harris_NAS_Ethanol_7-11-2011.sflb.ashx?download=true

Virginia Outlaws Motorcycle Only Checkpoints

Virginia is latest state to ban "motorcycle only" checkpoints.

In a victory for motorcyclists, Virginia is the latest state to bar motorcycle-only checkpoints, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

On Feb. 28, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law H.B. 187, which was introduced by Delegate C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah). The new law, which takes effect July 1, prohibits law enforcement agencies from establishing checkpoints where the only vehicles subject to inspection are motorcycles.

The measure was introduced after the Arlington County Police Department set up a motorcycle-only checkpoint during the Rolling Thunder ride on May 28, 2011, that brings awareness to prisoner of war/missing in action (POW/MIA) issues.

Similar laws have been enacted in New Hampshire and North Carolina.

“Officials say they set up these motorcycle-only checkpoints to pull over motorcyclists to check for safety violations,” said Rick Podliska, a Virginia resident and AMA deputy director of government relations. “But if officials are really concerned about motorcyclists’ safety, then they need to stop discriminating against us with these checkpoints and start supporting programs that prevent motorcycle crashes, such as rider safety training and driver awareness programs.”