From sidecars to slickers,
leathers to bike-lifts, it was all
there. Youngsters favored knee-
ana inaiiuann range
r 9 9 2 5 0 MXC incited enthusiasts with sleek styling and
high mini-bikes. Mature riders
black custom paint job, or to
vaulted onto massive iron ponies. bold colon.
straddle a piece o f history,
Purring above the crowd hullabaloo was the bracing hum o f
such as a 1959 C 100 Super Club Honda or a camouflage-green
silky-smooth engines. From early December dirough mid-
British Enfield with ammunition-boxes for saddle bags.
March, the 1999 Cycle World International Motorcycle Show
Regardless o f what make or model they fancied, visitors kept up
presented by Toyota Trucks toured north from California,
a running dialogue with each other, politely exchanging remarks
through the Midwest, down to Florida’s famed Daytona Beach.
and rejoinders. The camaraderie on the floor mirrored that on
Every venue churned with men, women and children.
the open road. There, riders typically pass each other with a
At the Cleveland, Ohio show, riders and bikes alike were folly salute, wave, or nod. It’s a close knit community, now several
dressed in oiled leather, branded with names like Honda, Buell,
million strong.
THESE
GUYS
D O N ’ T T H IN K
By Leah M. Kerr
»40 1
• • T *
Broum
44
Antron Brown started last season as a
22-year old rookie from Chesterfield, N.J.
This year he returns to the prestigious
National H ot Rod Association’s Pro Stock
Bike series as sort o f a conquering hero.
Team owner Troy Vincent, a cornerback
for the N FL’s Philadelphia Eagles, was
pleased that rookie Brown finished the
1998 drag racing season in seventh place.
This year, the team knocked out last sea
son’s bugs and replaced weak links. The
team purchased new equipment, no longer
leasing it. “N ow 1 feel we have the power
that it takes to win,” says Brown. Veteran
African-American crew chief, Harry
Lartigue, joined Vincent’s team, bringing
along rider Tony Mullen. Despite his
bike “blowing up” a couple o f times and a
shaky finish or two, Brown knows his
team achieved something. “W e’re buck
ling down,” he says of the upcoming sea
son. “This year we're looking for both
teams to finish in the top five, if not the
top three.”
Last year was another good year
for AMA/Prostar drag bike rider
Rickey Gadson. For the second sea
son in a row he captured the
Championship in the Pro Superhike
class and placed num ber two in
600cc Super Sport. This season the
Kawasaki -sponsored rider has upped
the ante - he'll ride bikes in four
separate classes. I hat puts him
under pressure to hold onto number
AFRICAN AMERICANS O N WHEELS
B IK E S
ARE
A
DRAG
one in Superbike, move up a slot in 600cc Super Sport and try
to make his name known in both the Pro Modified and Street
Bike Shootout classes.
This season, riders will be allowed to add the boost o f nitrous
oxide to optimize their air intake and boost horsepower. “It’s
like an equalizer,” says Gadson o f the compressed gas.
“Everybody now feels like they have an edge.” This season
should prove exciting, as Gadson predicts that the current
elapsed tim e record o f 9.30 seconds may drop to 8.50 seconds.
Kawasaki is proud o f their star spokesperson. Last year,
Gadson made the model ZX9 the first nine-second production
bike ever.
The Ultimate Motorcyle Vacation
By Barb Anwari
Roll out that ridin’ machine for the ultimate motorcycle
enthusiast’s vacation. All roads lead to the sixth annual “Great
Smoky M ountain H onda H o o t” June 22-June 26, 1999 in
Asheville, N .C . T he event, hosted by H onda, drew more than
10,000 attendees last year.
Expect more o f a family vaca
tion than a bike rally. Talk and
ride with some o f motorcycling’s
living legends, such as nine-time
off-road champion Scott
Summers and six-time National
~a »• I r_
and W orld Supercross C ham pion
Jeff Stanton, the H o o t’s 1998
Grand Marshal. Pre-registration
Motorcycles in last year's H o n d a H o o t
is suggested. For more informa
tion, call 1-800-347-1289.
C o rrectio n : It was incorrectly reported in the Spring ‘99
edition that Wendell Scott died in 1969. H e died in 1990.