Lots of moving and shaking in the world of Harley-Davidson this spring… Last year, Larry Brooks, the owner of Southern Tier Harley-Davidson in Binghamton, New York, purchased American Twin Harley-Davidson in Painted Post, New York, renamed it Corning Harley-Davidson and invested more than a half-million dollars into the facility, creating a more modern shop and service department, renovating the showroom and even revamping the dressing room. Brooks, who has partnered with Jeff Coughlin on the new dealership, has been riding Harleys for nearly 40 years and became friends with the former owner of Southern Tier H-D and ended up buying the store from him. Brooks’ goal is to make Corning H-D as customer-friendly as possible, inviting folks to hang out and have a good time. The dealership is at 300 Town Center Road in Painted Post, so stop in and welcome the new owners and staff to the neighborhood!… The Pearson family, owners of Green Mountain H-D in Essex Junction, Vermont, purchased Santa Fe H-D from Danny Spurlock at the end of February. Both Vermont and New Mexico offer fabulous riding roads, and I plan to visit both areas sometime in the next year or so… And now for a little Indian Motorcycle news: Most everyone knows that Indian Motocycle originated in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1901, and that the Springfield factory has long since been shuttered after its bankruptcy in 1953. In 1999, an Indian dealership was in operation in West Springfield and sold “Gilroy era” Indians, but it closed in 2003 when that iteration of Indian went belly up. Yet the Indian name survives, and on March 22, Indian Motorcycle of Springfield celebrated its grand opening at the dealership in Westfield, Massachusetts. The Westfield location is just 10 miles west of Springfield, and dealership’s owner, Danny Balduc, has Indian in his blood. His grandfather Joseph worked for Indian from 1938 until 1959. Danny still has two motorcycles that his granddad bought from the factory while employed there, along with 13 other vintage Indians. He has been heavily involved in the Antique Motorcycle Club of America, including the Yankee Chapter in that region. Congratulations to the Balduc family, and to Danny for achieving his lifelong dream… The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is holding an exhibit called “Indian Nation: Indian Motorcycles and America.” There are around 25 Indian motorcycles from 1903 through the company’s current iteration. The exhibit will be on display through October 24, and you can find out more at www.aacamuseum.org… On March 26, Lieutenant Ed Walsh and Firefighter Mike Kennedy from the Boston Fire Department were killed in the line of duty battling a deadly blaze in the Back Bay area of Boston. Kennedy was a Marine Corps veteran and member of the American Infidels MC, a club composed of members who fought overseas while in the U.S. Armed Forces. Godspeed to both of these brave men… The Ride Across Maryland is gearing up for its 14th annual ride to battle breast cancer, to be held May 31 through June 2. The main departure point is at the mall in Columbia, Maryland, and the ride will go to Ocean City. The ride has donated nearly $2.5 million in the past 13 years. For more info, go to www.rideacrossmaryland.org… Raffle tickets for a Harley-Davidson are now on sale to support the Children’s Fresh Air Home in Wildwood, New Jersey. But this isn’t just any Harley; it’s a 2002 Fat Boy that belonged to Navy SEAL Eric F. Shellenberger, who died in 2009 at age 36 during a night-training dive in Washington State. Shellenberger’s parents had learned about the Ride to Rebuild, a motorcycle ride to raise money for the Children’s Fresh Air Home. Seems the 115-year-old structure is in dire need of rebuilding, so the Shellenbergers decided to donate their son’s motorcycle to help the cause. Tickets are $50 each and only 500 will be sold. The 3rd annual Ride to Rebuild will be held October 5 this year, and the raffle winner will be drawn during the event. Go to www.freshairhome.org to find out more about the ride and the Children’s Home… Now here’s a cool promotion: Motorcycle tire manufacturer Metzeler has partnered with Indian Larry Motorcycles in Brooklyn, New York, for the “Follow Your Dream” program. The grand prize winner will go on a four-day/five-night trip riding a custom bike on the top U.S. riding road of his or her choice (think Blue Ridge Parkway, Natchez Trace Parkway, the Million Dollar Highway and the like). The winner will also receive a custom helmet and leather jacket, Sony Action Head Cam and 10 sets of Metzeler ME 888 Marathon Ultra tires. Indian Larry Motorcycles is building a custom bike just for this contest—and of course the bike will be riding on a set of ME 888’s. To enter, send a photo of yourself and a short description of why you should win the trip, your riding experience and what your dream ride would be. You can enter through June 6; just go to www.facebook.com/metzelerusa and click on Follow Your Dream. Good luck!
