Welcome To Thunder Road
Thunder Road, the custom capital of Sturgis, will have better music, more bike shows, more live events, and exciting attractions. For five years running, Thunder Road has become famous as the place to go for anything custom in Sturgis.
Thunder Road will again be home to Michael Lichter's famed motorcycle-themed art exhibit, this year focusing on builder-artists from outside the United States. "One World Choppers" will examine the influence of builders and artists from outside the country on motorcycle style and design.
Thunder Road will also host the Metzeler and Rat's Hole shows, and new this year will be Feel the Thunder Race Bike Show and Trike Wars-The Power of Three. Also new this year will be the Sculptures and Steel show, where bikes are judged on function and form, with a focus on presentation. The Seminole Hard Rock Roadhouse tour has a new home at Thunder Road, bringing celebrities and their bikes, as well as exhibiting photography by Michael Lichter, and featuring custom builders stopping by throughout the event.
For more information, visit www.thunderroadsturgis.com.
Biker Vision
Have you ever wondered if there might be a location on the web that is not just another motorcycle website, but an exclusive gathering of motorcycle freaks from all over the world? A site that is controlled for and by its users? Well, it's finally here!
Once you've slipped inside Bikersvision.com, you're not going to want to leave, because there's way too much action going on 24/7. This is where you'll have the opportunity to meet and rub elbows with a very special group and learn a thing or two from each other.Here's a sample of what's going on:
- You get unlimited access to over 16 channels of the motorcycle videos, where you and other like-minded biker types upload your own video clips to share with everyone. All chopper stuff, racing, high-performance, tools, events, lifestyle, art, and other categories are welcome..Whatever turns your crank, you'll find it here.
- The Mastermind Network is a feature of unique individuals in the motorcycle industry, each one a true professional in their area of expertise. Here's your chance to eavesdrop and listen to numerous off the record conversations!
-The Digital Library: Knowledge is power, and the more you can get your hands on, the stronger you are in dealing with various issues. Here you have immediate access to numerous specialty and tech manuals any time you like. You can even print them out and add them to your own private library.Plus much more!
Check out what's going on at:www.bikersvision.com
Blacklisted
An all-star roster of the nation's top custom builders and athletes are changing the face of motorcycling events, producing a ground-breaking entertainment platform called The Black List Tour. A hardcore fusion of skateboarding, Moto X, hot rods, custom bikes, music and art, the Black List Tour is designed to redefine and revolutionize rally entertainment and provide the ultimate platform for cross generational expression.
"Our goal for the tour is to showcase the custom lifestyle on a whole new level. We all like bikes, cars, moto-cross, skateboarding, snowboarding and a good mix of music from punk to rockabilly to hardcore rock. The Black List Tour will allow people to experience custom culture on a new level," said Black List Tour Coordinator Chad Petit..
The Black List Tour 2007 Sturgis participants are:
-Twisted Choppers, defined by their metalworking mastery, were winners on Discovery Channel's Biker Build-Off, featured in Michael Lichter's coffee table book, Choppers: Heavy Metal Art, and have over 30 national and international magazine features.
-Sucker Punch Sallys, leaders in the charge to bring the bobber back into style and bringing custom to the average guy, while still making head-spinning one-off projects, with over 20 international magazine features and a growing manufacturing operation.
-Leroy-Thompson Choppers, winners on the last episode of the new season of The Learning Channel's Biker Build-Off and featured in the book The Art of the Bobber, as well as in every major motorcycle publication. Each of their projects has a unique appearance, while they still retain their expert craftsmanship.
-Led Sled Customs, a rising star in the industry, creating one-off masterpieces out of Sportsters and other unlikely sources, most likely stirring things up with flaming burnouts.
These talented builders will collaborate and build a complete bike on stage during Sturgis Bike Week that will be given away...that's right, no $20, $50, or $100 ticket...given away at the Black List Area in front of the Full Throttle Saloon to one lucky individual on August 10th.
The Black List Tour entertainment will be laden with modern metal and punk-rock music, high-flying skateboard and motocross athletes, hot rods, and tattoo competitions, all taking place in front of the Full Throttle Saloon during Sturgis Bike Week, August 4th-11th, 2007. More information and specifics will be available soon.
The Black List Tour hopes to revolutionize the custom culture experience, by combining custom bike building, music, art and extreme sports, redefining the cross-generational custom lifestyle, and will make the Full Throttle Saloon the place to be for every motorcycle enthusiast in Sturgis 2007.
For more information, visit www.BlackListTour.com
Love & Bikes
What started out as part of a love story has now made it to the nation's largest American Indian arts festival. A custom Denver's Choppers Softail, built by Mondo Porras, has been donated by Elizabeth Stiers to the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), a nonprofit that serves as an advocate for Native American arts and cultures. The beautiful V-Twin was featured before in STREET CHOPPER Magazine's "A Tale of Two Choppers" (April/May 2002).
Elizabeth Stiers was a busy career women when she met Nick Shulz a little later in life, and the bike-loving bachelor and bachelorette hit it off. They were engaged, but were given tragic news when Nick was diagnosed with brain cancer shortly thereafter. They were only married 17 months before Nick passed away, and Elizabeth had to begin the process of figuring out what to do with his belongings. Both Elizabeth and Nick were collectors of Native American art, and were deeply appreciative of the culture that produced it-they were even married by a medicine man. This same gentleman came to Nick's bedside to deliver special death rites before he passed. Elizabeth decided to donate the chopper-all 15 feet of it!-so that SWAIA could auction it and keep the proceeds for its annual operations to support native artists.
SWAIA has asked some talented and edgy Native American artists to complete the package. Dineh artist Cody Sanderson has generously donated a "back off" buckle, originally designed for the movie Wild Hogs, as well as a "solar flare" bracelet that expands and contracts depending on the wearer's movement. Fritz Casuse, also Dineh, fabricated a keychain like no other in sterling silver and turquoise. Dallin Maybee (Arapaho/Seneca) is hand-beading flames (to match those originally painted by Jim Davis) on a pair of custom-made gauntlet gloves. Dallin's brother, Ken, plans to deliver a similar flame pattern on a windshield bag.
Individuals interested in bidding on this package may attend SWAIA's live auction on August 18th (tickets go quickly and are $135/person) or may submit a written bid, with all contact information included, by mail or fax no later than August 15th. SWAIA, PO Box 969, Santa Fe, NM; 505.983.5220 (phone); 505.983.7647 (fax). www.swaia.org