The New England Fall Foliage Motorcycle Ride will begin on Sept.  7 in Manchester, New Hampshire and head out on some great country roads for the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. Lunch is at Weir’s Beach. Riders will then continue into the White Mountains to arrive at the Franconia Inn for a welcome dinner and the first night stay.

After a morning stop for a tram trip to the top of Canon Mountain, riders will take the Kancamangus Highway across the mountaintops of New Hampshire towards the second night’s stay in Errol, NH.

Taking the scenic route, the third day of the ride continues through Montpelier, Vermont, then to Jackson Falls, NH for a night at a 200-year-old country Inn.

The fourth morning starts with a coach ride up to the top of Mount Washington, the tallest mountain in the northeast and then off on the back roads to Bar Harbor, Maine where riders will have two days to tour Acadia National Park.

After that, riders will follow the seacoast down to the Old Port area of Portland, ME for a sunset Harbor cruise and a final night in Maine. The final day of the tour, riders will go on back roads with scenic seaside stops and arrive for a farewell dinner at the Ashworth Hotel in Hampton Beach, NH.

All tours include the motorcycle rental and accommodations.

The ride will start at the VFW in Hudson, continue through beautiful countryside, and end at the The Upper Deck, Salisbury Beach where all participants will enjoy a barbeque.

The motorcycle event is jointly sponsored by the Enforcers Motorcycle Club New Hampshire and Fire and Iron Station 28 Boston.  All proceeds from the ride, which is held in memory of the heroes lost on 9/11, 2001, will go to benefit homeless veterans through HomesForOurTroops.org.

To find more information, pelase see the Guns & Hoses website.

GNR will close the Sturgis motorcycle week’s final night, Friday, August 13 at the newly constructed Rock N’ Rev Amphitheater at Monkey Rock USA.

The fest will also include Daughtry, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Godsmack, Creed, 3 Doors Down, Hinder and Hellyeah.

Mary Ann Tedesco, who died of a heart attack in 2005, was known and loved as an active volunteer, a frequent participant in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and an overall outstanding human being.

Her family has been raising money through this event for the last five years to benefit organizations that fight breast cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Through the Mary Ann Tedesco Memorial Fund they have also given nine $500 scholarships to students from Torrington High School and Oliver Wolcott Technical School.

The Sunday motorcycle event welcomed bike riders from all over the US, including Massachusetts.

Starting from the parking lot of RJB Contracting on Winsted Road at 11 am on Sunday, bikers went on a two and a half-hour cruise through Torrington, New Preston, Morris, Cornwall, Canaan, Norfolk and Winsted, and enjoyed music, food, raffle, and a bike show after the cruise.

This event, which was started in memory of two North Attleboro men, Ronald Blais and Greg Franklin, will raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Ronald Blais, who was a Mass. State Police Trooper for more than 15 years, and Greg Franklin who headed Franklin Environmental Services died of cancer.

The Motorcycle Run is organized by their sons, Ryan Blais and Brett Franklin. 

Registration for the ride begins at 9 am on August 14 at Noble Hardware, 605 East Washington St in North Attleboro.

Motorcycles will be scheduled to leave at 11:15 am on a scenic ride for an hour before arriving at the Attleboro Elks on 887 South Main St. (Route 152) in Attleboro. Those who would like to attend the after-party, but not participate in the ride, can head to the Attleboro Elks at 12 pm.

There will be live music from Commonwealth Rocks and a raffle with gifts provided through donations made by local businesses. Tickets for the event are $20 per person.

To learn more about this event, and how to make donations, please e-mail blais.ryan@gmail.com or call 508-212-4169.

MethuenLife reports that the 80-mile motorcycle rally will begin at 11 am in the parking lot of the Wilmington-Tewskbury Elks Lodge at 777 South St in Tewskbury, and proceed through Route 125 and Route 133 to Fort Stage Park in Gloucester, and then back again. There will be barbecue and a concert for the bikers after the rally.

Lonnie Giordano, one of the organizers of the event told Methuen Life that they have raised “over $7,000 in sponsorship money already,” which will go to Foster Kids of the Merrimack Valley.

The money will be spent to pay for mentors to teach older children life skills like writing checks, managing bank accounts, and how to properly interview for jobs. “The money raised from this event will allow us to give them the help they need to be successful in their lives,” Lonnie Giordano said.

Other organizers of the rally include Lonnie Giordano’s parents: Larry and Eileen, Stacy Merrill (Lonnie’s future wife), Rick Smith, Juliann Grant, Dave Camaratta, Dana Margolis, John Bossi, John and Carol Cavaretta, David Earle and Kim Contarino.

Motorcycle enthusiasts from Methuen, Lawrence, Haverhill, Andover, Lowell or other nearby towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire who want to participate in the rally should note that pre-ride registration will begin at 9:30 am on Saturday, July 24 in the parking lot of the Elks Lodge.

Riders can sign up for a $25 ticket that includes food and a T-shirt, while their passengers can sign-up for $15. After-party tickets are $15. Children under 10 years old can attend the party for only $5.

More information regarding this motorcycle event can be found on FosterRide.com.

Assuming that the weather clears the ride will take place today around mid-morning…If the sky looks brighter and it’s not raining just head for Heavenly Donuts on route 110 in Methuen. It’s right of of route 495 north at exit 46…

Tom

The Hoka Hey Challenge, starting on June 20th, is one of the toughest rider competitions in the world. The race begins in Key West, Florida, where the riders will get a map of the next 1,000 miles and the next check point (somewhere in Mississippi) , where they will be given a map to the next 1,000 miles and so on, until the final stop location on Kenai Peninsula, Alaska is eventually revealed.

Carlos, who is a Marine Veteran of the Gulf War and Commandant of the Marine Corps League Detachment #1302, and currently working as a Lawrence Detective, is a fearless Harley rider with a passion for adventure. He said he has been preparing for the challenge for over a year.

His preparations included getting his Harley in shape, buying the right gear for the trip, keeping an eye on his diet, as well as sleeping on the floor for over a month to prepare his back for the rough nights ahead. Hoka Hey challengers face a whole range of rules such as only sleeping outdoors, no use of GPS devices, getting maps only 1,000 miles at a time, having no support teams on hand, and so on.

Carlos will have to bring all the necessary equipment for the journey with him. Since they will go through 33 national parks and 62 mountain ranges, he has prepared different camping items for the different outdoor environments he’ll have to stay in, ranging from insect repellants to bear fences and sprays.

Carlos will have to rely on his Harley more than ever. In case the motorcycle breaks down, the responsibility of fixing it falls only on him.

The goal is to ride the 7,000 miles in 10 days without exceeding the speed limit.

We will follow Carlos through a special GPS locator that will be attached to his motorcycle. He also promised to take lots of photos of all the amazing places he is going to pass through.

“My reasons for taking this challenge are many,” Carlos wrote on his website, “I want to reflect on my life and the goals that I have achieved, not for bragging rights but for the pride and hard work that I have put forth for the experiences that I have.”

He is proud to represent the Officers and Veterans of the City of Lawrence.

The 1st place prize is $500K, which will be given in Sturgis on Aug 9 – 15. The 2nd place gets nothing. If he wins, Carlos says “the money will go for my daughter’s college education.”

After this challenge, Carlos will go on another “personal challenge” from Barrow, the northernmost point in Alaska to Tijuana, Mexico, then drop by in Sturgis, just in time for the rally, where the $500K prize will be presented to the Hoka Hey Challenge winner.

We will keep our fingers crossed for Carlos!!

The Kiley Law Group, LLC  is a proud sponsor of Carlos Vieira’s take on the Hoka Hey Challenge.

Beatty Days is a motorcycle rally as well as a general celebration offering a wide variety of activities. You can even bring the kids.

On Friday, the poker run for bikers will take you to local businesses and ranches as well as through Death Valley. Alternatively, you can participate in the poker walk. Other events include a Halloween costume contest and party suitable for all ages, a whiskers contest, live bands, and a 1900’s historical reenactment.

Saturday is filled with events: Tombstone 5K Race, a parade, a model railroad exhibition, and ICS sanctioned chili cook off, wagon rides, old west shootouts and a quick draw competition, antique engine display, antique car show, Hot Wheels Dragster Racing Competition, bed races, bike games, a bike show, and more.

More music, a Dutch oven cook off, and a pet parade help round out the festival on Sunday.

Here is the lineup for the live entertainment:

• White Horse
• Smoke House
• County Line
• Hwy 95

Beatty is located some 100 miles north of Las Vegas and six miles from the California border, near the edge of Death Valley National Park. It was founded in 1905 and became a railroad center for the mining towns of the Bullfrog Mining District. Old railroad beds, mines, and towns abound.

Nearby attractions include the Rhyolite ghost town, Bailey’s Hot Springs, a casino, Titus Canyon, Scotty’s Castle, and, of course, Death Valley.

For more information on these and other area attractions, check out the Web site for Beatty, Nevada.

For more information on the motorcycle rally, check out the schedule of events for Beatty Days.

Bikefest is an American Motorcycle Association-Louisiana premier sanctioned motorcycle rally and music festival. Bayou Segnette State Park is located in Westwego, Louisiana, just outside of New Orleans.

The event kicks off with a party on Thursday night and continues through Sunday evening.

Teresi Dyno Drags and Can-am Spyder demo rides are featured all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Tim Dyson FMX stunt show also appears each day, at select times. Poker runs take place on Friday and all day Saturday.

On Friday evening, the musical lineup is Pigpen and the Porkchops, and then Geneva.

Bike games and a bike show will take place on Saturday. The New Orleans Bikefest Band, the J. J. Muggler Band, and Confederate Railroad will play the rally Saturday afternoon and evening.

Poker run prizes will be announced on Sunday afternoon. Cypress and the Danny Alexander Blues Band will round out the music festival.

For more information, visit the New Orleans Bikefest Web site.