BUCKEYE THUNDER RUN

WINNERS DRAWN YEAR-ROUND! SIMPLE DIGITAL CHECK-IN’S! OVER 1,000 WINNERS IN 2019 OVER 50 EACH MONTH!

PRESENTED BY RUSS BROWN MOTORCYCLE ATTORNEYS AND ReasonsToRide.com Thunder Roads Ohio(TRO)is proud to present the 2020BUCKEYE THUNDER RUN -a state-wide, summer-long riding challengewith YEAR-ROUND opportunities to WIN byhitting the coolest riding destinations and events across Ohio! This is a riding challenge like no-other and features great prizes every month that you earn simply by getting out to rideand discovering new stops ALL ACROSS OHIO and the MIDWEST!

Checking in at Ride Stops! During the “off-season” most Ride Stops are simply using digital check-ins. Which means that you check in using Facebook at the location and then post a picture of yourself there. You can include your card if convenient. Include #TRO in your comments or tag Thunder Roads Ohio in the post. If you’re not on Facebook, you can take a picture of yourself there with your ride card or motorcycle and email it to BuckeyeThunderRun@gmail.com

Checking in at TRO Tour Stops! Throughout the year, the TRO ROAD CREW will be hitting rides, rallies, bike shows, and various events throughout the state –and beyond! In some cases the CREW will be attending national rallies and other events throughout the Midwest –including Michigan and Pennsylvania motorcycle events. Anywhere the TRO CREW is at –instantly becomes a RIDE STOP! There is a listing of Tour Stops in the magazine and online each month. You can sign in on the Ride Stop Clipboardor check in with your smart phone.

REGIONAL RIDE MAPS! First introduced in 2019, Regional Ride Maps focus on a particular area or theme and usually include 15-20 Ride Stops for riders to hit. Generally,it’s something that can be knocked out in a weekend, maybe even a single day of hard riding –or some might take a little longer, such as a trip around the state hitting microbreweries or veterans themed stops. The idea is to make a cool, fun ride that can be “completed” in a more limited amount of time. Once you hit all the stops –you simply send back the checklist, which you can easily do with your phone or old school with the mail. Either way –once we get the form and it’s verified –you’re in the running for a $500 Grand Prize and over 100 other prizes! It’s that easy!

2020 Regional Ride Maps will include –Akron / Canton area, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio Bike Week, Geneva / Erie, Northwest Ohio&Southeastern Ohio (Email us if you’d like to recommend a stop in these areas.)

How do you Start?(It's really simple!) 1. Get your Ohio Ride Card! (Online at ThunderRoadsOhio.com, at an Event, or at some Ride Stops!) 2. Like Thunder Roads Ohio on Facebook. 3. Get the list of stops each month from your Thunder Roads Magazine, the website (ThunderRoadsOhio.com), or Facebook. 4. Ride out to these stops and show them your card or check in with the #TRO Hashtag on social media. 5. And then you win cool prizes, including cold hard CASH!

You can request a Ride Card through our website! You can now go online and register for your Thunder RunRide Card through our website –www.ThunderRoadsOhio.com. Simply head to the TRO Online Storeand order your Ride Card. There is a $5 convenience fee for this option –but ALL PROCEEDSare applied to our Warrior Fund, sponsoring charitable motorcycle events and organizations across Ohio. Once you have received your OHIO RIDE CARD, you will not be asked to provide personal information or emails at any location for check-in. You simply enter your ride card number! PLEASE NOTE-You can still use your previous Ride Cards. All Ride Card registrations carry over, however you are welcome to pick up a new shiny one if you’d like.

As we mentioned, this is a dynamic event –intended to be tweaked and developed over time. If you have ideas, suggestions, or concerns –please don’t hesitate to let us know. You can email us at BuckeyeThunderRun@gmail.com

For more information, visit us online at www.ThunderRoadsOhio.com

Dave Eggert, TRO Contributor

This year marked the the 19th year of the Mecum Auction in Las Vegas. It's the world’s largest vintage and antique motorcycle auction in the world. Held each year at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Nevada, the auction has grown to legendary proportions bringing together buyers, sellers and the greatest collection of desirable motorcycles on the planet. The auction covers 5 days and close to 2,000 motorcycles will cross the auction block. Admission is $20 presale or $30 on site and covers all 5 days. This years auction was held January 21st-26th.

The event has grown into a family reunion or sorts for the vintage and antique collectors, buyers, sellers and restoration aficionados. With something for everyone, covering both English and metrics its really quite an amazing sight. You can see all types of motorcycles including dirt bikes, cruisers and race bikes. Its both a gallery, and a museum of bikes, except if you have enough money in your pocket you can take any one of these beauties home with you. Winning bids range from several hundred dollars, to several hundred thousand dollars. Many bikes are sold without a reserve price.

The top ten bikes hammered at the auction this year are as follows. #1) 1922 Brough Superior Mark 1 90 Bore Sold for $308,000 #2) 1930 Brough Superior SS100 Sold for $239,250 #3) 1956 Harley-Davidson Indian Larry Grease Monkey Sold for $220,000 #4) 1940 Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead Sold for $220,000 #5) 1916 Militaire Four Cylinder Sold for $214,500 #6) 1974 Ducati 750SS Sold for $198,000 #7)1934 Harley-Davidson CAC Speedway Sold for $181,500 #8) 2004 Indian Larry Chain Of Mystery Sold for $165,000 #9) 1953 Vincent Black Shadow Sold for $143,000 #10) 1924 Patria Ace-Henderson Sold for $137,500

Many of these bikes for up for auction carry with them monumental amounts of history. My personal favorite was the 1940 Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead, commonly known as “Greenie”. This bike is considered the finest original paint, most complete and documented 1940 EL in the world. It has the distinction of being the bike that started the original paint craze. In 1971 Payne “Pappy” Pierce took this bike in as an even trade on a new Sportster at his Illinois Harley Davidson Dealership. At the time, before the prewar Knucklehead craze, that was actually a very lopsided trade in favor of the new Sportster owner!

This bike caused a large rift in the restoration community, including the AMCA. Many restorers and restoration organizations believed that a quality restoration had to use the sales brochure as the reference point to build by. If it was in the brochure, that’s how it should be. As it turns out, Harley Davidson was making custom bikes from 1926 on. In fact custom bikes were the norm from 1926 until 1942, not the exception. Most of the bikes sold looked very different from the sales brochure. The literature for each year was actually a guide as to what could be, not a rule on what it should be. For example, most of the ELs that year were chromed. This particular bike was ordered with nickel plating. The color of the original paint was “Hollywood Green” which was not a stock color. The bike was ordered and customized that way. Through research and documents, very valuable information was learned about this bike and how Harley Davidson operated in the early years. Much of the information from this time period about Harley Davidson was destroyed in a records fire, lost, or just never written down.

Of interesting note, is that when Harley Davidson ran out of chromed rims for some builds they would substitute a painted one. You would get a brand new bike with two different kinds of rims. If they ran out of the current year date stamped transmission they would substitute a prior years version. This was very common, particularly after the war when parts and materials were in very limited supply. Harley Davidson did what they had to do to keep the production of bikes moving to meet the growing demand for their motorcycles.

When you take into account the pure beauty of this original paint bike, the rich history that it brings with it. and its place and stature in the collecting world it holds, its no wonder that “Greenie” has the distinction of selling for the highest priced Knucklehead at auction ever. It hammered for $200,000 plus a buyers premium raising the price to $220,000.

Thats just the story of one bike. Each of these bikes has its own and unique story. Oh if they could talk…the stories they could tell.