Follow Kimmycruz to the biggest, baddest rallies in the USA

THIS IS THE OFFICIAL      Kimmycruz  BLOG

                                                                    

 

photographer, model, bartender, 

and promoter for more than a decade

at the biggest and baddest rallies the 

USA has to offer.

I love everybody, and just being Kimmycruz makes me happier than I've ever been in my life.

Now fans can follow Kimmycruz across the USA at her "official blog" for photo updates and rally stories, linked to Kimmycruz.com.

Read the latest story about Kimmycruz, online at  Barnett's Harley Davidson Magazine

 

Story by Wendy Manning, Photos courtesy of Kimmy Cruz's private collection

Michael Ballard's Full Throttle Saloon has been the subject of a reality series on truTV called, appropriately, Full Throttle Saloon. Unlike other rally documentaries this one stayed with Ballard and his Full Throttle crew the whole time, giving us an insider's view of what it really takes to run the self-proclaimed "World' Largest Biker Bar" during the make-it or break-it ten day event. If you were a fan of the show, you more than likely caught a few glimpses of Kimmy Cruz.

Kimmy lives in Mabank, Texas, with her boyfriend Christian Dotson, with whom she has a hot rod shop where Christian builds hot rods, custom cars, and custom motorcycles. But she’s spent enough time tending bar at the Sturgis Rally to give us an insider’s view of what it takes to serve the thousands of bikers who attend the rally each year. “I’ve worked in Sturgis for nine years, but I’ve worked for Michael Ballard at Full Throttle off and on since 2003,” she said. “It’s a total trip, there’s nothing else like it.”

Kimmy started out selling ads for various motorcycle magazines. “In addition to that, I began writing stories and doing photography, as well as marketing and promotion,” she explained. “From there, I met so many people because I was out and about at all the major rallies, and I ended up modeling for all the top builders.” She started her bartending career at Broken Spoke Saloon during the 2002 Daytona Bike Week. When Broken Spoke owner Jay Allen asked her tend bar, she was apprehensive because she’d never tended bar before. “He told me I could just crack open the beer, I wouldn’t have to serve liquor or anything. He brought out a ’57 Chevy and set me up with a beer tub. We were so packed—I had so much fun. I served ninety-six cases of beer in four hours. I didn’t know what to think.” But it didn’t take long for Kimmy to figure out that having made $900 in tips during those four hours, tending bar at bike rallies was a great way for her to supplement her income. “What would I say, no? I said bring it on, because I knew I could work and make extra money on top of being a sales rep. I ended up fading out the sales rep job because I figured why am I doing this for other people when they’re making thousands of dollars off me? I made a better income as a bar tender at bike rallies.”

Kimmy took three months off to educate herself on the art and nuances of bartending, upgrading her photography skills, and building a website for herself, her photography, and her modeling career. That was nearly nine years ago, and she’s been going strong ever since.

Kimmy goes to rallies that draw 400,000 people and more. “I picked at least six different locations where I knew I could make money. I introduced myself to every vender and took photos of them, and I try to promote everyone across the board, whether they’re a client, a vender, a bar owner, a customer, or a friend,” she said. “I made sure I made lots of friends and I helped out wherever I could. So all these people were seeing me. That’s how I met Michael Ballard. I was a model for aftermarket retailer Dennis Kirk at the time.” Kimmy was set up at the Dennis Kirk booth on the Full Throttle property, and she says Michael asked when she planned to work for him as a bartender. “At that time I wasn’t working full time, I was trying different things, so in 2007 I went to work at Full Throttle. It’s an awesome atmosphere. Everybody loves Full Throttle.”

Being a bartender at Full Throttle isn’t all fun and games, however. Bartenders work very hard. If you watched the show on truTV, you know that surveillance cameras catch all the action at each bar, and the security team is watching every move the staff makes. You saw employees go through the rigorous hiring process, and you probably some of them being “let go” before the rally was over. As a bartender customers are allowed to photograph you, and you’re required to comply and you cannot charge money for photographs taken.

But Kimmy says despite the hard work, working as a rally bartender helps her to make contacts to other jobs. “Plus, I get to meet all the top builders,” she said. “I get to meet Ron Finch, Billy Lane, and Jesse James, all of them really. And they’ve always been super nice to me.”

So making good money, having fun and making friends, tending bar at major bike rallies is something Kimmy highly recommends. But the competition is steep. “They don’t call you or anything,” she explained. “To get back with Full Throttle I’ll have to go through the application process just like everybody else.”

To check out Kimmy Cruz, or ask her advice on how to get started as a rally bartender, visit her website at kimmycruz.com.

Nasa Pics

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's civilian space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The agency became operational on October 1, 1958. NASA has led U.S. efforts for space exploration ever since, resulting in the Apollo missions to the Moon, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. Currently NASA is supporting the International Space Station and developing new Ares I and V launch vehicles.



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K Moto Dragon For Children's Miracle Network Kids

 

Every year, Artistic Choppers of Ormond Beach, Florida builds a custom themed motorcycle to benefit the Children's Miracle Network. Chet & Gaylyn Moraniec, owners of Artistic Choppers, have been doing this bike build for more than a dozen years to raise money and awareness for the organization that helped them save their son's life. They travel to events, small and large throughout the year selling raffle tickets and then draw the lucky winner on the last Saturday of Daytona Bike Week. The beautiful custom chopper this year is a K-Moto Dragon Bike that will be raffled off to a lucky winner at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 6th on the beach at Americana Beach Resort at the 2010 Daytona Bike Week.

You can purchase a $10 raffle ticket online at the Children's Miracle Network.

"We just got home from the Music City Bike Show in Nashville on January 15-16 and 17," said Chet Moraniec. "What an amazing time we had. We met Will Jones "Doctor Epiphone," the vice president of Epiphone (Gibson guitars) and we were presented with a guitar signed by the country music duo, Brooks & Dunn."

"We will be at the tattoo show at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando this weekend, (Jan. 29-31) then we will be getting ready for our first-ever Custom Bike Show and Bikini Contest with live music, vendors and food on March 4th and 5th at Americano Resort during Daytona Bike Week.

Photo updates at Artistic Choppers on Facebook.

Chets Choppers is a fan of

ARTISTIC CHOPPERS

Create your Fan Badge

New Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Model. A True City Brawler

Just about everyone involved in the motorcycle industry connects over their morning coffee to add their 2-cents at the  Cyril Huze Blog -- but this commentary on the newest Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Model drew a whopping 82 comments!

You will find a link to his blog in "favorite links" on my blog because, indeed, it's a favorite. ~ MJ Lloyd-Reynolds, BikeweekNews Blogger, Motorcycle Event News.

Bouncing Souls Indian Larry Tribute

Cycle Source Magazine Indian Larry Five Long Years - Commemorative Issue. Special thanks to Tom Zimberoff, Clay Patrick McBride and Bobby Seeger for the photos. And to The Bouncing Souls for the perfect sound track. Source: Cycle Source Magazine Video Vault. The commemorative issue was released January 2010 and is available at CycleSource.com

Jawa, Cz and Eso motorcycles

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Jawa is a motorcycle manufacturer in the Czech republic, formerly Czechoslovakia. It was named after its founder Janeček bought the motorcycle production of Wanderer in 1929, by concatenating the first letters of Janeček and Wanderer. The company is still active today.

First model

The first model was introduced on October 23, 1929. This was a 500 cc 4-cycle engine with 12 kW of power (18 hp) and fuel consumption of 6 liters per 100 km. Although priced highly, through the first years (and several constructional fixes) this motorcycle was successful and was considered reliable.

Second model

Due to the economic recession of the early 1930 a cheaper and simpler motorcycle was needed. Year 1932 marked the introduction of Jawa 175, with its 3.6 kW engine. This light (70 kg) machine was capable of speeds up to 80 km/h and fuel consumption of 3.5 liters per 100 km. The first year of production was an immediate success, selling over 3000 of the Jawa 175, almost three times the number of the 500 cc model over three years of production. The production of this model was finally stopped 1946. In 1938 Jawa was the first to offer test rides during exhibition show. This test motorcycle was a custom Jawa 175 equipped with dual handlebars, second pair being in the back for the instructor. Over the years total of 27,535 units of the Jawa 175 were built.


Česká Zbrojovka is a Czech firearms manufacturer also known for making ČZ motorcycles. ČZ was established as a branch of the Škoda Works Armament in Strakonice, Czechoslovakia in September 1919.
Work started on the construction of the first workshops of the arms factory originally called "South Bohemian Armament Works" ("Jihočeská zbrojovka"). The company merged with an arms manufacturing plant in Vejprty and with a factory in Prague in 1922. This gave rise to the formation of a stock company whose name translates as "Czech Armament Works in Prague of the Manufacturing Plant in Strakonice". It produced pistols, air guns, and automatic guns which all became successful products.

In 1929 the growth of the Czech Armament Works reached a turning point. With the downturn in weapons sales after World War I, the company acquired a bicycle parts manufacturing plant in Kralupy nad Vltavou on the Vltava River. Bicycle exports destined for several countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America started to expand. Production of motor-driven bicycles started in 1932. Three years later the first motorcycles made in Strakonice entered the market. This marked the beginning of an era of great success for the ČZ brand. In a short time the company became the biggest manufacturer of motorcycles in Czechoslovakia. Consequently, business success resulted in a further extension of production activities by introducing chain and machine tool production. During the Second World War the factory came under German occupation and was converted to the manufacture of war materials.


Eso was a Czech motorcycle factory producing only racing machines from 1949 until 1964, when it joined Jawa. ESO was founded by a motorcycle racing driver, and made bikes in 250, 350, and 500 cc, primarily for speedway, moto-cross and ice racing.Engines were sourced from J.A.P. during the first year, and then an engine of ESO's own after 1950, first copied from J.A.P. and later of their own design.


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Suzuki 500 Roca

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The TR500 found its origins in... Boulogne, France. Pierre Bonnet was the French Suzuki distributor and the works team indeed was based there for their first serious onslaught on the Grand Prix world in 1962. By 1967 Jacques Roca, a talented Spanish-French racer and technician had joined forces with Pierre Bonnet after being the distributor for Derbi. Shortly after the new T500 roadster was issued by the Japanese manufacturer, Roca built and raced a racing version that was so impressive that Suzuki, which had officially retired from world championship racing, built a full-race version of the new machine, as well as a 250cc version from the smaller parallel twin.








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A million miles ago

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Shilton used to be the General Sales Manager of Triumph Motorcycles and advanced to be a Norton director. Shilton is a most interesting character, riding his demonstrator bikes all over Europe and taking part in "The Circuit Des Pyrenees" for ten years, from 1971 to 1980. Just like Bert Hopwood, he was at the center of the storm that blew the British motorcycle industry from the landscape. However, Hopwood had probably never owned a motorcyle nor ever ridden one. Shilton was an avid motorcylist riding all the bikes he was to sell.
via : http://duxford.blogspot.com/




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Royal Enfield Bullet classic

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via : Tandoor and travel




Guys here I am giving comparison between 500CC and 350CC Royal Enfield Bullet Classic. In production since 1932, Bullet enjoys the reputation of longest running model in the unremitting production. Recently, after 75 years, its new avatar has been launched in the market with new styling and younger look that does not compromise on what is expected from a Royal Enfield. What sets it apart from just about every other motor bike in the market is its authentic vintage styling and styling in single colour. So here we have a bike reminiscent of the native imaginary of British motorcycles, post World War II.


In case you are a diehard Royal Enfield enthusiast just like me, and planning to buy one, I hope the comparison here will help you to make the right choice.






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Hildebrand & Wolfmuller

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via : all about bikes


Over a century ago, Hildebrand & Wolfmuller created one of the world’s first motorcycles. On April 25, at the International Classic Motorcycle Show in Stafford, England, the 105-year old bike will go up for auction.



The German manufacturer, which operated out of Munich, was the first to enter a series production for a powered two-wheeled vehicle. It is also the first vehicle to ever have the name ‘motorcycle’ applied to it.
The bike was created by brothers Henry and Wilhelm Hildebrand, and Alois Hilderbrand & Wolfmuller Wolmuller. It was outfitted with a four-stroke, twin-cylinder, water-cooled 1,488cc engine. This engine was, for a long time, the largest ever fitted onto a motorcycle. Despite its large size, it only had an output of 2.5bhp at 240 rpms. This gave the bike an estimated top speed of 30 mph.



The motorcycle was only produced for two short years, and it is estimated that only 800 to 2000 bikes were ever produced. Of course, the number of bikes remaining today is much less. The bike is over a hundred years old, and hasn’t been run since the 1930s.



On April 25, the bike is estimated to bring in a price of $65,000 to $97,5000.




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Broc Glover

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Broc Glover (born May 16, 1960 in San Diego, California) was a leading motocross racer in the 1970s and early 1980s. Glover earned six AMA National Motocross Championships, a record which stood for nearly 20 years until 2003, when Ricky Carmichael finally eclipsed the mark. Glover won all of his titles riding for Yamaha.


Glover won the 125cc National Championship in his first full year riding as a pro in 1977. He defended his crown in 1978 and 1979. He moved to the 500cc class in 1981 and won the national championship in his first year in the class. He added 500cc championships in 1983 and 1985. When he retired after the 1988 season, Glover held the AMA all-time wins record in both AMA 125cc motocross and 500cc motocross.


Glover was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.



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HMS Hermes

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HMS Hermes (R12) was a Centaur-class British aircraft carrier, the last of the postwar conventional aircraft carriers commissioned into the Royal Navy.

She was laid down by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness during WW II as HMS Elephant. Construction was suspended in 1945 but work was resumed in 1952 to clear the slipway and the hull was launched on 16 February 1953. The vessel remained unfinished until 1957, when she entered service on 18 November 1959 as HMS Hermes after extensive modifications which included installation of a massive Type 984 'searchlight' 3D radar.



A 1966 review indicating that Hermes was surplus to operational requirements and was offered to the Royal Australian Navy as a replacement for HMAS Melbourne. In 1968, Hermes took part in a combined exercise with the RAN, during which the carrier was visited by senior RAN officers and Australian government officials, while RAN Skyhawks and Trackers practiced landings on the larger carrier. The offer was turned down due to operating and manpower costs.



Hermes served as one of four Royal Navy strike carriers mainly in the Indian Ocean area until 1970. She could have seen action against the Egyptians when Egypt closed off the Strait of Tiran to Israeli shipping in May 1967. The UK and US contemplated forming an international fleet to open the strait with force if necessary, but the idea never materialised.



Hermes was due to be decommissioned in 1982 after a defence review by the British government, but when the Falklands War broke out, she was made the flagship of the British forces, setting sail for the South Atlantic just three days after the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands. Hermes carried as many as 26 BAe Sea Harrier FRS.Mk.1 jets of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, Harrier GR.Mk.3 4 jets of the Royal Air Force, and 10 Sea King MK4s and MK5s as well as a troop of Special Air Service (SAS) and Royal Marines. As she was the RN's largest carrier, she was considered too valuable to risk close into the Falklands, due to the possibility of Argentinian AF attacks. Her Harriers therefore operated at the limit of their endurance radius, but were very successful in keeping the enemy aircraft at bay. After her return home from the Falklands conflict Hermes entered into a much needed 4 month refit until November 1982. She then took part in NATO exercises in the North Atlantic, and the Med Sea as a Commando Carrier. In the autumn of 1983 she took part in her last exercise, Ocean Safari, where she reverted back to a strike carrier role, embarking 12 Sea Harriers, 10 RAF Harrier GR3s and 10 Sea King MK5s. After this exercise she returned to the UK for a minor refit and into maintain reserve in February 1984.



In 1983, when the proposed sale of HMS Invincible to the Royal Australian Navy was cancelled following the Falklands War, an offer was made to sell Hermes and a squadron of Sea Harriers to Australia. However the new Hawke government decided against purchasing a replacement for HMAS Melbourne.
She served with the Royal Navy until 12 April 1984. She was paid off in 1985 and in April 1986 she was refitted and sold to India and recommissioned as the INS Viraat in 1989.



Her typical aircraft complement in the late 1960s consisted of 12 Sea Vixen FAW2s, 7 Buccaneer S2s, 4 Gannet AEW3s, 1 Gannet COD4, 5 Wessex HAS3s and 1 Wessex HAS1. She was recommissioned as a commando carrier in 1973, as an ASW carrier in 1976 (carrying around 20 or so Sea King and Wessex helicopters), and then as a V/STOL carrier in 1981. Hermes initial complement of aircraft as a V/STOL carrier was 5 Harriers and 12 Sea King helicopters, though she had the capacity for up to a total of 37 aircraft.


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1977 OSSA Phantom GP III

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For 15 years, Jim Hoellerich has searched the country to amass an impressive collection of 100 classic dirtbikes. And he considers this 1977 OSSA Phantom GP III one of his best.
In fact, says Hoellerich, it truly epitomizes the OSSA brand, which featured a four-leaf clover insignia and the sales slogan “Put a Little Luck on Your Side.” Hoellerich clearly benefited from that luck when he found this classic machine languishing in a farmer’s barn.

© Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved VintageDirtBikeParts

“A buddy of mine told me about this old bike, so I checked it out and picked it up cheap,” he says. What made this find more special, Hoellerich says, is that the Phantom GP III represents the last of OSSA’s 250cc motocrossers, developed in the years before the Spanish company went out of business in 1982.

Featuring the latest technology of its time, the Phantom GP III had a five-port cylinder, instead of the four in the previous generation; a new four-fin cylinder design for better cooling in muddy conditions; forward-mounted gas shocks; magnesium engine covers; and a factory-spec Betor leading-axle fork so impressive that Marty Moates, then a works OSSA pilot in Europe, preferred them over the Marzocchi unit that was considered the hot contemporary setup.



Although the marque enjoyed racing success in Europe, the company’s motocross effort didn’t have the same rider support stateside, and on-track results didn’t show the bike’s full potential. The company did win in other disciplines, however, most notably when Dick Mann rode OSSAs to victories in short-track and enduro events.

Enthusiasts and collectors will have a unique venue this summer to celebrate that heritage when OSSA motorcycles are honored as the Classic Club at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days July 27-29, 2007, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. There will also be seminars and special displays related to the famous marque.

As for this 1977 OSSA Phantom GP III, it’s on display as part of the “Motocross America” exhibit at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in AMA headquarters in Pickerington, Ohio.

via : A.M.A



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The Saturday movie : Flat Track

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Metallica doing a Ramones cover of "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" put to footage of motorcycles racing on ice. by : hifiami



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2010 Dakar Rally - Buenos Aires Race to South Africa

The 32st running of the Dakar Rally began and will end in Buenos Aires, covering a looping 9,000 kilometers between Argentina and Chile over 14 stages. 362 Teams began the race with 176 motorcycles and quad bikes, 134 cars, and 52 trucks. The race is just over halfway completed now, the winners expected to cross the finish line on January 16th. Collected here are several photographs from the first 8 stages of this year's rally. (37 photos total)

Spain's Gerard Farres Guell kicks up sand with his Aprilia during the 4th stage of the Dakar 2010 between Fiambala, Argentina, and Copiapo, Chile on January 5, 2010. Spain's Marc Coma won the stage, France's David Casteu took the second place and France's Cyril Despres the third. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Husqvarna

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Via : AMA

Husqvarna, the legendary make that ruled AMA Racing off-road competition throughout the 1970s and 1980s, has recently made a full-throttle return to national championship contention. This July 9-11, the iconic brand will celebrate its heritage and build toward its future as the Marque of the Year at the 19th annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.



Recognized as the world's largest gathering of vintage motorcycle enthusiasts, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days attracts tens of thousands of fans of all ages, eras and brands. The event takes place at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Ticket information is available at MidOhio.com.



As part of Husqvarna's participation in AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, fans will be able to get up close and personal with the Husqvarna's moto-history, from its genesis in Sweden in the early 1900s to the high-tech off-road, motocross and dual-sport bikes the company sells and races today.



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Scorsese and Chanel Rendezvous in Williamsburg

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via : the Dossier Journal

Images by Jenni Avins

I’ve always found my subway landing, the Hewes Street stop of the JMZ train in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to be somewhat cinematic. Its raised platform provides a birds-eye view of Hooper Street and music from Moto, a romantic little restaurant marked by a bicycle suspended outside, can often be heard as I descend the metal staircase to the sidewalk.

Last night, it was decidedly less picturesque. Moto was closed, spotlights glared harshly on Broadway and thick wires coiled around the corner of Hooper, where I overheard “Tony Baloney,” a neighborhood fixture, tell a curious passerby that a Chanel ad was being filmed.

This morning, all traces of the camera crews and their equipment were gone—as was Tony Baloney.

Was it a dream? I called Billy Phelps, Moto’s owner, to find out. He told me the commercial was indeed for Chanel, and none other than Martin Scorsese was directing.




This entry was written by Jenni Avins, posted on January 9, 2010 at 10:11 am, filed under Fashion, Style & People and tagged Chanel, Martin Scorcese, Moto, Williamsburg.



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Special Commemorative Indian Larry Edition

It’s been five years since the custom motorcycle scene lost one of their greatest talents. Indian Larry was the man, and the story of his life was as unique as the motorcycles he built in his Brooklyn shop.

Larry lived life on his terms and touched many people as he blazed a trail across the chopper culture. Now, to mark this five year anniversary, Indian Larry Motorcycles and Cycle Source Magazine have joined forces to release a commemorative issue in his honor titled “Five Long Years.” 

You can get all the details at the Cycle Source Magazine website, and while you are there, you can listen to some great Generation Next - Open Road Radio.

Indian Larry Special Edition - Cycle Source Magazine

Lisa Ballard - The Shiny Side

What I am wearing

CALIFORNIA - Jan. 12th blog entry by Lisa Ballard - The Shiny Side. "I am quite the fashionista. Got my shiny Biltwell helmet, Licks Cycles goggles, Black Sunshine Custom hoodie and my warm DB Custom Leather jacket with fabulous embroidery work from Jason at Iron Thread."

I am looking forward to meeting my "west coast sister" at Daytona Bike Week 2010.

Joe Bolger

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via : the Motorcycle Hall of Fame



One of New England's best-liked motorcyclists was Joe Bolger, a self-taught designer and engineer who worked in metal and wood in a small shop behind his home in Barre, Massachusetts. In 1974 he created a linked, rising-rate, long-travel suspension that was put into production as the OSSA BLT, meaning "Bolger Long Travel." He also designed an "equalizer" that reduced or eliminated chain flex, which was often the downfall of the early motocross machines with long-travel suspension. Also among the many patents he held was one for a bead breaker for those troublesome big tires on small ATV wheels.
Joe Bolger was born in Charlottestown, Prince Edward Island, Canada in January, 1930.
"When I was a child," he recalled, "I was so fascinated with motorcycles that I would chase them down the road. My first motorcycle was a 1931 Indian Four that I bought when I was 14."
Bolger learned early to work with his hands, helping after school in his father's garage, doing both mechanical repair and bodywork. His formal education ended after the 8th grade.

"Times were hard and I had to get out and help make ends meet," he explained. "There was a military airfield on the island and I got work in 1943 as a water boy for crews of British pilots in training."



Following the war, the situation was even more difficult, and Bolger pulled up stakes and moved to the United States at the age of 16, finding work in a furniture factory for 79 cents an hour. He managed to save enough, however, to buy a motorcycle, paying $700 for a new 650cc Triumph with a rigid frame.



"I couldn't afford the extra $70 for the optional sprung rear hub model," he said. "Besides, I figured $7 per millimeter was too much to pay for a rear suspension."

Although still a Canadian citizen, Bolger served in the U.S. Army from 1951 through 1953 and was stationed in Germany and France.



Bolger started racing in 1956 aboard a 500cc AJS. He was a proficient racer and won the New England scrambles championship in both 1964 and 1965. As an organizer, he was instrumental in establishing popular Northeast vs. Canada off-road racing events in the 1960s.

As Bolger became more involved in motorcycling at a sporting level, he began to use his self-taught engineering skills to improve his racing motorcycles, and after 17 years at the furniture factory he quit to partner in a dealership, selling Yamaha, Honda, Triumph, BMW, and Kawasaki motorcycles. Meanwhile, he was continuing to fabricate lighter and better working parts for his racing motorcycles.



"Other riders would see these parts on my bikes, and they would ask where they could buy them," he said. "Soon I was building enough special foot pegs, motor mounts, lightweight wheels, and other parts that Motocross Engineers began to offer them through its catalog."

With his specialty part design and manufacturing business growing, in 1972 Bolger sold his interest in the retail shop to devote himself fulltime to engineering and design. He designed special tools made to work on particular parts of motorcycles, several of which were picked up by Honda and made available to dealerships.

While many of Bolger’s inventions were very successful, he admits that, like most inventors, not everything always worked exactly as envisioned.

"With my bikes, I tried all manner of crazy things. Many of those 'improvements' weren’t improvements at all, but I was always experimenting and fooling around with bikes. I had a good time working with them – and of course the older and slower I got, the more desperately I modified my motorcycles to offset what nature was doing to me."



He gained national prominence in 1975 when Yankee Motors purchased a large advertisement in the November 4th issue of Cycle News to announce its BLT OSSA, boasting more than eight inches of rear suspension travel. Nearly 30 years later at Vintage Motorcycle Days in Lexington, Ohio, nine vintage OSSA BLTs were on display. Such a grouping was very rare, since fewer than 150 of these machines were ever produced.

During his storied career in motorcycling, Bolger also was a contributing editor for Cycle World and Cycle Sport magazines.



When inducted into the Hall of Fame, Bolger had plenty of work to keep Joe Bolger Products, Inc. busy, but he found enough spare time to work on a vehicle modeled after a three-wheeled Morgan. Though it looked like it rolled out of the 1930s, Bolger's machine, using a Honda CX650 engine, was high-tech from the ground up, featuring shaft drive and torsion bar suspension. Every inch of the rolling chassis, including its hand-shaped aluminum body panels, was designed and built by Bolger. He planned to have his three-wheeled wonder on the road by the summer of 2005.

Bolger was the kind of man would could solve complex problems with a combination of common sense, hard work and the simple desire to stay in the workshop until the job was done right.



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