Life Member News

Imagine riding trails in woods once roamed by famous pioneer Davy Crockett. Or taking a break from your ride to visit the birthplace of Elvis Presley. You can do both if ride at Trace State Park near Tupelo, Miss.

Trace State Park, 9 miles west of Tupelo on Highway 6 in northeastern Mississippi, offers 25 miles of multi-use trails.

Michael Lichter talks photography and Sturgis; Andrew Wheeler talks photography and cooking; and Ted Freedman talks about searching for the perfect motorcycle. All those stories and more are in the November issue of American Motorcyclist magazine, the monthly publication for AMA members.

Don’t be fooled by the name. The Mountain Ridge ATV Park near Reels Corners in southcentral Pennsylvania welcomes dirt bikes as well as ATVs to tackle its more than 140 miles.

The park boasts more than 2,500 acres and access to another 500 acres. There are easy, moderate and hard trails for riders of all skill levels. Most of the trails are one-way, although there are a few access roads that are two-way.

The park has a large parking area and can accommodate trailers and large motor homes. There’s also a concession stand on-site that offers beverages and snacks as well as limited supplies of personal hygiene products, camping supplies and firewood. Picnic tables are provided.

Share your love of motorcycling this holiday season while staying connected with loved ones and friends with beautiful motorcycle-related AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame holiday cards.

Proceeds from this fundraiser directly benefit the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

It’s that time of year when the air gets crisp and in some states it may even be downright cold. But you still want to ride.

Here are a few tips to keep you going during the fall riding season and, if you’re up to it, into winter.

The 2020 AMA Grand Tours are wrapping up, but there’s still time to take part, riding at your own pace. The tour routes, checkpoints and rules are set by AMA-chartered organizers.

With Halloween approaching it’s a great time to go on a spooky ride.

A good place to start? The Headless Horseman Bridge in Sleepy Hallow, N.Y.

Apparently there really was a Sleepy Hallow bridge that author Washington Irving made famous in the story The Legend of Sleepy Hallow 200 years ago. In the well-known tale, Ichabod Crane, fleeing a horseman with a pumpkin head, rode his horse, Gunpowder, across the wooden bridge at quite a clip.

Electric motorcycle maker Zero Motorcycles is offering its variety of dual sport machines again in 2021 including the DSR Black Forest, DSR and DS.

Zero says the Zero DSR Black Forest leads the pack and is outfitted for effortless adventure. The bike boasts a top speed of 102 mph, 116 foot-pounds of torque and a range of 157 miles in the city and 88 miles at 55 mph on the highway.

The Progressive International Motorcycle Shows announced that beginning in the summer of 2021 it will present Progressive IMS Outdoors to showcase new motorcycles and products.

The shows mark a transition from traditional convention center shows to a new, open outdoor experience that IMS says will “create a festival-like atmosphere that promotes enthusiasts of all ages and levels to come together to better engage with products, each other, and the industry.”

Progressive Insurance has been the motorcycle shows’ title sponsor for 10 years.

The 2021 Indian Scouts are available now, with an MSRP starting at $8,999 and new color schemes.

The Indian Motorcycle Company says the Scout lineup “offers both classically-styled and modernly-mean” designs.

“With a 61 cubic-inch (1,000cc) motor delivering 78 horsepower, the Scout Sixty and Scout Bobber Sixty are each approachable and attainable with an MSRP starting at $8,999,” Indian says. “Riders looking for more punch can opt for the 69 cubic-inch (1,133cc), 100-horsepower engine in the Scout and Scout Bobber.

AMA partner Motool offers next-gen motorcycle tools and accessories, including its Slacker digital suspension tuner.

And as an AMA member, you get a 10 percent discount on Motool products.

When AMA Life Member Roy Dyckman rides, he may be humming under his helmet a country song titled I’ve Been Everywhere.

In his 60 years of riding, the Ohio resident has visited enough locations and attended enough rallies to fill every inch of his riding vest with pins.

Dyckman is just one of several notable motorcyclists featured in the October issue of American Motorcyclist magazine. Others include second-generation racer Kody Kopp and California activist Ed Stovin.

Louisiana may be known for great food, gators and the bayou. But it also has some great riding trails, and some of the best are the Claiborne Multi-Use Trails in the Kisatchie National Forest.

The Kisatchie National Forest has more than 604,000 acres of public land and 355 miles of trails for hiking, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding and OHV use.

Among those trails are the 19-mile North Loop, 27-mile Woodworth Loop and 31-mile Boy Scout Loop of the Claiborne Trail system, which is in south Rapides Parish in the middle of the state.

Take steps now to get your name in a drawing for a 2020 Yamaha XSR900 with an MSRP of $9,499 and other great prizes while supporting the AMA and motorcycling.

The XSR900 is the Grand Prize in the 2020 AMA Member Sweepstakes. Other prizes include a SHOEI helmet of your choice, a Helite Moto airbag vest, a Cardo Systems Packtalk Bold JBL and an Aerostich R3 one-piece suit.

For your chance to win, just renew your Life Member Plus membership by the end of the year. To renew, log into your account at americanmotorcyclist.com or call (800) AMA-JOIN (262-5646). The drawing will be held in January.

Minnesota offers more than 2,000 miles of mapped trails with many of them well-maintained and very scenic. Some of the best are the Nemadji State Forest OHV Trails on the east side of the state.

The area is popular among riders in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Many riders are in the Twin Cities during the week, then on weekends make the two-hour drive north to Nemadji, which is just south of Duluth and east of Nickerson.

The Nemadji State Forest OHV Trails are nice because of the variety of scenery for ride

For riders looking for a decked-out 2021 touring rig, Indian Motorcycle may have just what they’re looking for with its new Roadmaster Limited.

The Roadmaster Limited is powered by Indian Motorcycle’s air-cooled Thunderstroke 116 engine that produces 126-foot pounds of torque.

Having a service manual for your bike makes life a lot easier when you need to fix a problem, or when you want to make sure you are properly maintaining your machine.

After all, a service manual is used by factory technicians to perform services from basic fluid changes to complete engine teardowns so it has all the information you need to repair and maintain your machine. Add a parts book to your mini-library and you’re ready for just about anything.

Factory manuals are available. They’re not cheap, but well worth the price.