FROM THE PUBLISHER

MAIN OFFICE: 12467 Kinsman Rd, Burton, OH 44021 • (440) 273-9000 • (440) 425-0314 fax

RETAIL STORE & OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday - Friday • 10am - 4pm

PUBLISHER & EDITOR Derek Armstrong Smith • ThunderRoadsOhio@gmail.com • (440) 785-7331

SALES & MARKETING Iron Cowboy Productions, LLC • info.ironcowboy@gmail.com • (440) 678-8608 Northwest Ohio Area • Mike Stock • mikestock.tro@gmail.com Cincinnati Area • Doug & Cheryl Taylor • dougtaylor.tro@gmail.com

DIGITAL MEDIA Timothy Cermak • DigitalMedia.TRO@Gmail.com • (440) 273-9000

LAYOUT & DESIGN Bob Mazur • Bobmazurphoto.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS TO THUNDER ROADS OHIO are available for $34.95. Check or Money Order, payable to Iron Cowboy Productions, can be sent to: Iron Cowboy Productions 12467 Kinsman Rd, Burton, OH 44021

NATIONAL FOUNDERS Toni McCoy Shearon & Brian Shearon 1528 Matlock Drive / Chapmansboro, TN 37035 Office 615-792-0040 / Fax: 615-792-7580 email: thunderroadsfounders@yahoo.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF ITS CONTENT MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. PUBLISHER ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY AND IS NOT TO BE HELD LIABLE FOR ERRORS BEYOND THE COST OF THE SPACE OCCUPIED BY THE ERROR, SLANDER OF ANY GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL, FAILURE TO PRODUCE ANY ISSUE AS SCHEDULED DUE TO REASONS BEYOND OUR CONTROL, ANY AND ALL SUITS FOR LIABLE, PLAGIARISM, COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND UNAUTHORIZED USE OF A PERSON’S NAME OR PHOTOGRAPH. OPINIONS AND CLAIMS MADE BY ADVERTISERS AND AUTHORS ARE THEIR OWN, AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE POLICY OF THUNDER ROADS MAGAZINE OR THUNDER PUBLISHING. PUBLISHER DOES NOT PROMOTE THE ABUSE OF ALCOHOL OR OTHER DRUGS. Thankfully, we are at the end of one of the most frustrating and challenging years in recent memory. Certainly our nation has been through WORSE years – times of WAR, 9/11, etc.. but there we had a clear threat and we had more of a sense of unity. It’s hard to think of a year more chaotic than 2020 – where there really was no clear path going forward through all of the craziness. As BIKERS, though, I believe we were better suited to meet these challenges than most. The very act of jumping on a bike and taking off down the road is essentially socially distant – cutting ourselves off from the citizens and routine of normal life. And despite all the political and social turmoil – we’ve always known where we stood. It’s family, country, and of course our Brothers and Sisters from the Open Road – and of course that’s all FAMILY that we will never for-go. And as Bikers – we adapt and not only endure, but grow through the challenges we face. While many of our events and rides were cancelled and our favorite ride stops shut down – we rode on and found new destinations. And when event organizers and our favorite local stops were able to open for business – we came out to support them! Many of the rides that were held reported RECORD attendance and many shops discovered new ways to do business. And as always, Thunder Roads Ohio has stood for and supported the local riding community. Not all was bad, and there were certainly many hidden blessings to the challenges we faced. Personally, I was able to spend more time with the kids and taught them both how to ride dirt bikes and quads. We made trips out to several “off-road parks” and are planning to hit many more over the winter and into next year. We weren’t the only ones to hit the trails, that’s for certain. The powersports industry as a whole celebrated one of their best years in decades – and many riding venues reported record attendance. Turns out that when the pro-sports and many other “distractions” are shut down – many families turned to the outdoors and rediscovered their old dirt bikes or went out and bought ATV’s or SxS’s. As we head into 2021, we will be expanding our focus to include more on trail riding and outdoor powersports. Look for powersports features starting in January – including sleds, quads, Side by Sides, and of course dirt bikes. If you’re in that business or hosting outdoor events – shoot us an email ASAP so we can include you! (ThunderRoadsOhio@gmail.com) As we look towards 2021, we’d encourage anyone that’s in a business or organization serving the motorcycle community – or powersports industry, to reach out and see how we can work together to make next year the best possible for everyone! We have a lot of new programs and opportunities – especially for events and charitable organizations. You can email me directly for more information. To everyone, I’d like to Wish a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and the very best for 2021! Let’s put 2020 behind us – take the lessons learned and head into 2021 FULL THROTTLE! Sincerely, D.A. Smith Publisher

FEATURES

12 BLACKALL RACING

14 DEVIL STARICASE

18 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

20 CALENDAR BIKE FEATURE

DEPARTMENTS

02 FROM THE PUBLISHER

06 ROAD TALES

08 MOTORCYCLE MINISTRY

10 ABATE UPDATE

22 CALENDAR FEATURE

28 FINAL WORD

30 TRO NETWORK: Where to get the mags!

32 KNOBLE MOTO

31 SERVICE SPECIALISTS

34 MARKETPLACE

36 UPCOMING MOTORCYCLE EVENTS

40 FUNNY STUFF

42 RECIPES

43 WORD SEARCH

44 SPONSOR LISTING

44 SCAVENGER HUNT

24 SPORT TOURING

ON THE COVER: Cover features Justin Krol’s Chopper as shot by Kenny Strum. Thanks to Thunder Roads Pennsylvania for collaborating as always! Layout and design by Bob Mazur