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Category: Other
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Bill Standley spent many of his years travelling across America atop his 1967 Electra Glide and his wish was to be buried with his beloved Harley... and he has!
The avid motorcyclist Bill was determined to take the bike with him when he departed and so with the help of his sons Pete and Roy, they created a customised 9ft x 11ft pexiglass box, where he sits astride his prized Harley-Davidson, dressed in his leathers and sunglasses.
The idea came about many years ago, where he said about who would be left his bike “What am I supposed to do? I’ve got two sons, but only one bike”. His daughter said to him “Oh Dad, just be buried with it”. And so the plan was hatched.
The family man had the casket stored for the past five years and would show off the casket to friends. 'He was proud of it,' his son Roy said.
While his family agreed that the procession to the cemetery, during which the body was on display, may be shocking, they wanted to honor their father's last wish. 'He'd done right by us all these years, and at least we could see he goes out the way he wanted to,' said his other son Pete. His daughter, Dorothy, added that he was 'a quirky man'.
Mr Standley, who used to work as a bareback rodeo rider, was be escorted to the ceremony on 31st January, 2014 at the Fairview Cemetery in Mutual, USA by a procession of bikers.
Five embalmers prepared his body and secured him with a metal back brace and straps to ensure he will never lose his seat on his beloved bike. The casket was lowered into three burial plots, which are next to his wife Lorna.
One funeral attendee said: ‘Some people walk through the pearly gates, some people ride.’
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British Winter Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller takes to two wheels
•22-year old Aimee Fuller - Team GB medal hope for Olympics
•Completes CBT on 125 Duke before Games
•‘Slopestyle’ Snowboarder used to race motocross
•Planning on a 390 Duke and completing full test after Games
•Watch the video of Aimee’s CBT here
Winter Olympic snowboarder, Aimee Fuller, has taken the first steps in getting her motorcycle licence by completing the Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) on a KTM 125 Duke.
One of the country’s most promising freestyle snowboarders, Fuller, 22, will represent Team GB in the ‘Slopestyle’ event in Sochi, Russia, on February 6. Originally from Kent but based in Holywood, County Down, Aimee needed two top 12 finishes in the last two World Cup events to represent her country at the games and did so with 11th and fifth, sitting eight overall in the world standings.
No stranger to bikes or KTM, Aimee began riding on a 50SX and even competed in motocross for a number of seasons from the age of X. Earlier this winter she found time to head to Shires Motorcycle Training (Derby) and complete her CBT as the first stage to obtaining her full licence.
Aimee Fuller said: “I’ve always wanted to get a road bike, but I’ve been so busy travelling and competing all over the world to find the time to do it. Fortunately, I was able to do my CBT with Shires on a 125 Duke. I’ve sold my car now, so once the games in Sochi are finished I’m going to complete my full test and get a 390 Duke.
“Bikes will be a buzz for me when I’m away from the slopes and I’m planning a big tour through Norway in the summer taking in snowboarding, surfing and bikes – as long as I pass my test!”
In 2013, the 125 Duke became the first bike in its class to be equipped standard with a two-channel (front and rear) ABS system and for 2014 it continues to be offered with free insurance* and 0% finance options.**
Incredibly easy to handle, lightweight, torquey, comfortable and perfectly suited to everyday use alone or two-up, the Duke has also been tested and ergonomically designed for extreme manoeuvres and thrillingly fast cornering. The bike is supremely well equipped, robust, extremely economical, inexpensive to maintain and only £3,995 on the road in a choice of orange or white.
Visit www.ktm.com for more information.
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It was a dream come true for Brandon Carter as he was whisked off for a ride on a Harley Davidson.
 Hundreds of bikers and pillion riders turned out in support of the 26-year-old. Mr Carter from Colley Gate has been diagnosed with terminal cancer but wanted to fulfil his wish of taking to the seat of his dream bike.
Organisers had originally planned a small gathering but as word started to spread, more and more people wanted to join in and help raise money. And on Sunday 12th January 2014, around 400 bikes descended on Streetbike in Halesowen to set out on a ride to Quatt Cafe near Bridgnorth.
The group which included several marshals set off at about 11am with police stopping the traffic to allow them to leave the site. They travelled to Stourbridge and then on to Enville and Six Ashes before arriving just outside Bridgnorth. Mr Carter, who was diagnosed with a melanoma in November, said he was ‘shocked’ by the huge turnout.
“It was a surprise. I wasn’t expecting so many people. “I’m a big fan of Harleys from watching films” he added.
His uncle David Brenton said he was ‘bowled over’ by the turnout. “The number of bikes there was unbelievable. I am so grateful from the bottom of my heart. This is exactly what Brandon needs and hopefully will give him a bit of a lift.”
One of the organisers, Stewart Boggild, 26, from Bridgnorth Bikers, said: “This is what bikers do. We are a family. We like to support each other. When word got out on Facebook about the event, we couldn’t believe the reaction. Before we knew it we had almost 280 people sign up. I’m the same age as Brandon and it was important for me to get involved because of what he’s going through,” he added.
Streetbike director Gary Marshall said he was ‘delighted’ to support the event. “I don’t think bikers always get enough credit. It is a real community and an event like this shows how people pull together. I was very happy to be involved.”
Collections were held at the event to raise money for Brandon and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Article supplied by Express & Star
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A survey carried out for the Motorcycle industry* researched the impact of bikers on the tourist industry and found that Motorcycle-related tourism spending in the UK is over £565 million each year, supporting over 13, 000 tourism jobs.
In recent years the most significant growth in motorcyclists has been in female riders and with this the rise in longer stays under bricks & mortar such as B&B's, hotels, cottages, etc, rather than just for one night... Many riders know there is nothing worse than arriving somewhere after a long ride, unpacking, showering, eating, drinking, sleeping and then up the next day to pack up and move on. With this there is a significant rise in finding a great Biker Friendly place to stay as a base for a few days and then to go out each day to tour and explore the area.
Hoteliers, cafes, pubs, event organisers and other tourist related organisations could be getting more money from the biker pound, by choosing the correct medium to promote themselves within, especially as many Bikers travel in the UK for their holidays, along with overseas motorcycling tourists spending over £17 million on trips here.
The traditional stereotype of bikers being free-spirited, leather clad hooligan is thing of the past, according to research** the profile of the ‘average biker’ in 21st Century Britain, a seemingly upstanding, 40+-something middle-class citizen who is a married, professional, family man, who almost certainly owns a car. Challenging the old perceptions of bikers even further, only 7% sport either long hair or a pony tail. This is probably because nearly 60% of those surveyed hold down a professional senior/management job, taking home an average wage 25% higher than the national average.
By simply advertising your business as 'Biker friendly' here on THE BIKER GUIDE is letting this niche audience know that you welcome them, which many times is enough in itself... by also offering drying facilities, garaged and/or secure parking is a bonus and not a necessary, for you to capitalise on this growing market.
Other interesting facts:
More than half of all motorcyclists are over 40, with the vast majority of motorcycle tourists being in this age category.
“The lack of interest in the motorcycle tourism sector may be due to a perceived image of rebellious youthful bikers which is at odds with their current demographic," (Dr Cater, lecturer at Aberystwyth University).
* by GHK on behalf of the MCI ** by Bennetts
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The Honda Racing family was out in force yesterday as a selection of its elite riders from various disciplines took part in an Assessment Day at the English Institute of Sport – the organisation behind much of Team GB’s outstanding success at the London 2012 Olympics.
The roll call included: Pata Honda World Superbike star Leon Haslam and World Supersport riders Lorenzo Zanetti and Michael van der Mark; Honda’s 2014 road racing squad of 20-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and his new team-mate Conor Cummins; the new World Endurance Championship line-up of Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sebastien Gimbert; Honda Motocross World Championship riders Evgeny Bobryshev and Max Nagl; Gariboldi Honda MX2 star Tim Gajser and last-but-not-least, 2013 Enduro World Champion Alex Salvini.
The riders – who have eight world championship titles between them – took part in physio and isometric testing, strength and conditioning assessments and a fitness analysis, as well as a seminar on sleep patterns and jet lag in relation to sporting performance. The data collected from each rider will be collated and used to form the basis of their training and fitness programmes for the 2014 racing season.
“It’s great for us to welcome the Honda riders to the English Institute of Sport,” said EIS Director of Operations Richard Parker. “Everything we do here is about maximising the performance of athletes and today provides an opportunity for us to assess the riders and see how we can give them some programmes to improve their performance on the bike in the coming year.”
As the riders departed at the end of the day, they were in high spirits. “It has been great today as it’s always a pleasure to work with riders from other disciplines,” explains Honda’s new World Endurance signing Freddy Foray. “I am really looking forward to getting the results because I think it’s going to be really useful in training and racing next year. I know I have a few problems with my shoulder for example, and this will help me find out some more information about that and how I can deal with it going forward.”
“To be honest I lost a bit of sleep about coming here as it’s to be fair it’s not my kind of thing, but it’s actually been good fun,” said road racer John McGuinness. “I’ve learned quite a lot and in the end I’m happy that I’ve done it. I’m buzzing to have spent the day with all these top riders from MX, Enduro and SBK and to do a bit of bonding with my new team-mate Conor. I’ve got some areas that I can tidy up, as I’m sure we all have, and hopefully next time I’ll be a bit stronger and we can put it all to the test.”
For more information on the English Institute of Sport visit www.eis2win.co.uk
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