Publisher photo shoot - Recently, Sound RIDER! publisher,
Tom Mehren, was asked by the American Motorcyclist Association
to produce a guest column for their magazine. Mehren was
photographed by Bothell photographer, Cory Parris, at Golden
Gardens beach in Seattle. "Parris is one of the most talented
photographers I've worked with. We had a lot of fun that night"
notes Mehren. To see the results of the shoot visit
Parris' website.
The program manager position for the Washington State
Motorcycle Safety Program has been announced. If you have a
passion for training and possess good business and people
skills, perhaps this job is for you. It closes on the 24th of
November, so get your resume in quickly if you wish to get your
hat in the ring:
http://www.dol.wa.gov/jobs/mspm112409.pdf
Congratulations to Hinshaw's! - Congratulations to Ron
Orr and everyone at Hinshaw's Motorcycles in Auburn. The
dealership has just purchased the Yamaha franchise from South
Seattle Sports Plaza. In addition to the motorcycle line
Hinshaw's will also handle sales, service and parts for the ATV
and Personal Watercraft products in the Yamaha Line.
Buell Motorcycles is Toast - Harley-Davidson will
cease production of the Buell line of motorcycles effective
immediately. For more information visit the
Buell
website. The motor company is now looking for a buyer for the MV
Augusta line which it acquired in 2008.
The Hough & Mehren Show - Riding Skills author David
Hough and Sound RIDER! publisher Tom Mehren will be doing a
series of seminars for Ride West in 2010. Hough will present his
"Why They Don't See Us" seminar in January and his "Surviving
the Back Roads" in March. Mehren will present a preview of 2010
Northwest Motorcycle Events" in February and his popular
"Packing Light Packing Right" seminar in April. For dates and
times visit he
Ride West website. Those living near Spokane fear not - the
pair will tour the seminars at the Spokane Motorcycle Show in
February. Hough will be inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of
Fame in December 2009. Mehren is hard at work on his fifth book
"Motorcycling through Central and Eastern Oregon."
Oregon State Park Rule changes - Effective January 1,
2010, the State Park Day Use Pass is no longer required to be
displayed on motorcycles. You'll still need to buy one when you
enter a state park, you just won't have to worry about it
getting stolen. It's also transferable between vehicles.
Lynnwood Changes - Lynnwood Washington company
Hoppe and Associates is being dissolved as Larry Hoppe goes into
retirement. The Avon Tyres side of the company will move to the
midwest where the line will be distributed by Mickey Thompson
Tires. The Cycle Venture side of the operation will dissolve and
a new office for Ventura Motorcycle Luggage will open in
Lynnwood manned by Amy Murphy, formerly of Cycle Venture.
Washington State goes looking for new state coordinator of
it's Motorcycle Safety Program - Steve Stewart has resigned
from his post as state coordinator of the Washington Motorcycle
Safety Program. A temporary program manager is in place until
the State fills the position via recruitment.
Sasquatch
Dual Sport posts a success - In August 54 riders rode from
Hood River to the Canadian border primarily navigating gravel
and dirt roads. A good time was had by all. There is a limited
supply of maps and GPS files still available for purchase while
supplies last. If you're interested
CLICK HERE.
As you can see by the photo, the group actually encountered a
squatch!! Amazing.
Congrats to Mr. Hough -
PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) is pleased to announce another member of the AMA
Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2009: David Hough, acclaimed
author of several well-known books on riding techniques. Hough
will be among the motorcycling heroes honored at the 2009
induction ceremony at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas
this Dec. 5.
"For many new motorcyclists, before they take a training course
or even buy a motorcycle, they are introduced to proper riding
through the books and columns of David Hough," said AMA
President and CEO Rob Dingman. "His comprehensive approach to
proper riding technique has pointed many motorcyclists -- novice
and veteran alike -- down the right path, and has helped riders
learn the skills they need to be safer on the road."
Don Rosene, chairman of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
Induction Committee, added: "Since the first motorcycle was
produced for commercial sale, there's been a need for someone to
teach the owner how to ride. David Hough's articles on how to
ride motorcycles safely have been honored by special awards from
the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. His books should be a
mandatory read for every motorcyclist, from novice to expert."
Hough is a long-time motorcycle journalist who turned 25 years
of experience commuting through city traffic into articles about
riding skills and crash avoidance. He is best known for his
series, "Proficient Motorcycling," in Motorcycle Consumer
News, which has been honored with awards by the Motorcycle
Safety Foundation. His books include Street Strategies: A
Survival Guide for Motorcyclists, Proficient
Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well, and More
Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride.
"By the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame giving me this honor, it's
good for me and I appreciate this recognition, but it's bigger
than that," Hough said. "It's honoring all the people who write
and teach about motorcycle skills and safety, as well as the
dealers in the sport who make safety awareness an integral part
of selling a motorcycle."
Hough said that one of his main messages is that managing risks
is critical regardless of how or where your ride.
"Teaching this idea of safety has been my mission for years.
Very few journalists write about riding skills. They write about
machines," Hough said. "The secret to riding quickly is don't
crash, because crashing ruins your time. It doesn't matter if
you want to go out for a putt-putt joy ride or go fast on the
racetrack. I think it would be great if all motorcycle
organizations, associations and publications would have riding
skill seminars and columns on how to manage the risks of riding
and how to become a more skillful rider."
Vectrix for Sale? - Vectrix, the green scooter company
has just let 60 employees go and may be in sale negotiations.
Some industry insiders suspect they're having trouble paying
their electricity bills?
Looking for Twisties? - Take a
ride on the Salmon Creek Road near Conconully. If you ride a
dualsport continue on as it turns to gravel (or ride the gravel
on your sportbike like we did.
