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Biker Rodeo Grand Marshalls, Spyke & Mike

Happy love bug season, my BTR friends. It's a good time to be sportin' a windscreen. If you ride the kind of scoot that's too cool for one, then you should be wearing a mask or full face helmet. It will keep you from having those pesky, mating, flying insects between your teeth, or worse, up your nose. Also consider yourself lucky riding in Florida 'cuz from Georgia northward, they've got to put up with bigger swarms of cicadas, Japanese beetles, and other flying June bugs. All of which aren't very tasty and can really sting when hitting you in…
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A FATHER’S DAY TRIBUTE – “A SPECIAL ONE INDEED”

So many of us remember times spent with our dad’s in various projects we did together throughout the course of many years. This Father’s Day Tribute is a very special one indeed where a father-son duo work, play, ride, as well as eat, sleep, and dream about Cushman Scooters and Mustang Motorcycles! This is a fascinating story and one that you will enjoy reading here in Born To Ride magazine! To start out, this is NOT a business story; it’s a hobby story! Richard Jr. explained, “My dad is 73 years old. He has a bad hip and has had…
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GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNIN’!

It is unbelievable how fast this year is going by. But man, there’s some cool stuff on the way down the pipe. We are getting closer and closer to July 24. What’s going on July 24 you may ask? Well, it’s going to be the Great American Motofest in Plant City. This event has been groomed to be one hell of a premiere event that you are not gonna wanna miss. This is one of those motorcycle events that doesn’t come around often. There’s a little bit of everything for everybody. But I think the thing that’s going to be…
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A Bond of Generations – Father and Sons Riding the Wall of Death

Shawn Ives and his two sons, 26-year-old Kile and 29-year-old Cody, are keeping two-wheeled history alive with their Ives Brothers Wall of Death. Creating a bond of generations, a father figure is so important in developing a family business and this particular family has a trust and belief in each other that will last them all their lives.   This amazing story began many years ago when Shawn was a stunt rider in the Globe of Death, a spherical cage in which riders loop-the-loop and perform all kinds of mind-blowing stunts. The two boys joined their dad in the globe…
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Two for the Road Father and Son, Gary and Benjamin Francis

Being a biker is all about brotherhood, and in this case, fatherhood. As we celebrate Father’s Day this month, we tip our hat to an inspiring duo in the form of Gary and Ben Francis of Winter Haven, Florida. This father and son team have an incredible relationship, and as you’ll see, they have each taught the other many amazing things in life. Things that they can happily share. Gary rode dirt bikes as a kid growing up and now owns a Honda 250R and a Goldwing. His son Benjamin was only four or five years old when he threw…
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THIS ONE’S FOR THE DADS OUT THERE

Letter from the Editor DAVE NICHOLS FROM THE HELM HOWDY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! Sunday, June 20 marks Father’s Day, a day to enjoy with Dad. If your father has ridden on ahead, it is a great day to remember and honor him. Right here in the June issue of Born To Ride we have a couple of great father and son stories for you. We’ll introduce you to Gary and Ben Francis of Winter Haven, Florida and we’ll learn about their mutual love of motorcycles, wrenchin’ and ridin’ together. Then you’ll meet motorcycle daredevil Shawn Ives and his sons Kile…
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This Week – Knucklehead in Japan, Mayans MC, Rob on Motofest

This Week on Born To Ride TV episode #1312 - We bring you again, Shinya Kimura and his love of custom motorcycles in this beautiful cinematic feature...then It's an Inside look at how Mayans MC was beautifully put together from composition of music and sound to the look and feel of the cinematography...and It's Rob from R&R Cycles bringing you information on Born To Ride's Great American Motofest coming in JULY! Plus find out how you could win a free cabin on the High Seas Rally cruise ONLY AT the Motofest! All this here, Now on Born To Ride! In…
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RVR Horse Rescue Hosts Soul Circus Cowboys at Benefit Event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 31, 2021, 2021 RVR Horse Rescue Hosts Soul Circus Cowboys at Benefit Event Plant City, FL— RVR Horse Rescue is holding a benefit event at its ranch on Friday, June 18, called Save a Horse, Rock the Cowboys. Guests will be able to enjoy great food, tour the facility, meet the horses, and learn about RVR’s mission to save abused, neglected, and injured horses. Florida’s own band the Soul Circus Cowboys will be playing the event, entertaining the crowd that comes to support the rescue. The Rock the Cowboys event is family friendly! Guests are invited…
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NEW HARLEY-DAVIDSON® HOMETOWN RALLY SET FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND

Milwaukee Will Host a Bigger, Better Biker Bash with Music and Special Events MILWAUKEE (May 12, 2021) – The biker bash of the season is back and bigger than ever. Harley-Davidson has announced plans for the all-new Hometown Rally, a Labor Day weekend celebration of moto-culture centered in Milwaukee, the city where it all began for the Motor Company. The Harley-Davidson Museum will serve as a central rally point Sept. 2-6, 2021, for events taking place at that downtown site and at six surrounding Harley-Davidson® dealerships. “The Hometown Rally is an event no Harley-Davidson fan will want to miss,” said…
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Suncoast Summer Fest Announces July 4th Parade & Bayfront Fireworks

Suncoast Charities for Children in partnership with the Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee, Sarasota Downtown Enrichment Association, and City of Sarasota have announced plans to hold a July 4th parade along the Sarasota Bayfront, as part of Suncoast Summer Fest’s “Celebrate Sarasota.” Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee Chairman, Dan Kennedy, is the organizer for the parade, which will pay tribute to veterans, first responders, medical professionals, and front line workers. The parade will begin at 8 pm starting at Mound St. (U.S. 41) and Orange Ave. ending at Bayfront Drive (U.S. 41) and Main St. (J.D. Hamel Park). Designated areas for public…
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The Return of the Biker Rodeo – Born To Ride’s Great American MotoFest

Press Release: May 24, 2021 What: Rubenstein Law presents “Born To Ride’s Great American MotoFest” When: Saturday July 24th 7am – 7pm $5.00 Admission includes parking. Where: Boss Hogg Ranch, 906 Sam Allen Rd Plant City, Florida Contacts: Born to Ride: 813-661-9402 Rodeo info - Rob: 352-206-0699 Vendor info: 352-573-1164 Rod & Truck Show info: 727-289-2896 Born To Ride, Inc. is thrilled to announce the first-ever “Great American MotoFest!” Master of Ceremonies, Dave “Flash” Morgan and Fester Jenkins of Boss Hogg Radio will keep the action rolling, Rodeo Boss, Rob Schwellinger of R&R Cycles will head up all the motorcycle…
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Made of Steel show with Hot models Angela, Cassie and Emily

Made of Steel show with Hot models Angela, Cassie and Emily Photos by Chopper Dave  
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Central Florida Cannabis Fest

This first annual Cannabis Fest did not disappoint. This event was very well thought out to bring a weekend of entertainment to the music lover, the family, the aficionados of the cannabis world and the novice consumer that seeks more information about health benefits, remedies and products available. As a special touch, proceeds of the festival benefitted local charities. Here’s what the promotor of the event, Mama Dukes of Boss Hogg radio, has to say about this killer event. —Deb Galletti I want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone that helped put this together in just ten short weeks. All…
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Spyke and Mike – There is light at the end of the tunnel

Whatttsup my BTR friends? Mike and I hope all is well in your neck of the woods as we make the best of it in ours. He repeats to me daily the age old proverb: There is light at the end of the tunnel. With all the life-altering events that have happened recently, most of you would think he's referring to COVID or social injustice situations. But in our case, it's the results of a catastrophic accident that occurred to us on June 22, 2019 while riding the Fat Bird 2. In a nutshell (using this term wisely) he was…
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Harley-Davidson Launches LiveWire, the Electric Motorcycle Brand

MILWAUKEE (May 10, 2021)  Harley-Davidson, Inc.  today announces the launch of LiveWire as an all-electric motorcycle brand.  LiveWire is more than a motorcycle. LiveWire plans to redefine electric, delivering the best experience for the urban rider, with personality and soul. LiveWire creates a unique connection between rider and vehicle. Today, the next chapter in the LiveWire journey begins. Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO of Harley-Davidson:  “One of the six pillars of The Hardwire Strategy is to lead in electric – by launching LiveWire as an all-electric brand, we are seizing the opportunity to lead and define the market in EV. With the…
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TECH TIP – Smoothing Out Your Ride

A lot of HOG riders sometimes think that the ”V” in V-twin stands for vibration. This idea comes from the unique mechanical activity that takes place down in our bike’s drivetrain. First you have a couple of pistons and connecting rods moving up and down inside two cylinders. They are not operating in a completely balanced non-vibrating environment. This unbalanced motive power is sent to the transmission through a primary drive that uses a spring tensioned motor sprocket and chain drive assembly running back to the transmission. The bike’s final drive runs a reinforced cog belt back to the rear…
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