Rally For ANNA

We had the pleasure of attending the 6th Annual Rally for A.N.N.A. in Rensselaer, Indiana. It's a motorcycle benefit ride that helps families affected by neuroblastoma. Through the Anna Fund, the Healey family raises money and awareness to help find a cure for the childhood cancer. The charity was named after Anna Olivia Healey. A.N.N.A. stands for Anna Needs Neuroblastoma Answers; learn more at www.annafund.org or watch this video!

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Centennial Era

The world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway is celebrating a century of existence in motorcycle and auto racing. Its well-earned reputation as one of the oldest and most exciting Speedways hits you the moment you enter the gates. This year, during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, we paid homage to the track by stickering up my W650 with a vintage script, wing and wheel. We're proud to live and work so close to a place of such historic importance in the world of racing.

Psychedelic Helmet Illustration - "Headtrip"

Here's a helmet we illustrated for Icon Motosports. It's an Icon Alliance SSR shell with our far-out graphics on it dubbed, "Headtrip." Buy one, you'll be safer and will look groovy. You can also wear one when you go chasing rabbits. :) The bike in the pics is our beloved Wilkinson Brothers Flying W bobber.

The Flying W: 'Bout Done

Our new bobber is days away from being done done! Here are some preview pics of our first viewing since the parts and pieces were all put together.

The guys at Ardcore Choppers did an awesome job. Keep an eye out for mo' vids and pics.

Sweet

Rally for ANNA

Just got back from the Rally for ANNA yesterday. Good people, great cause. The Healey family has been leading a charge to help fund research and help families affected by Neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer. (Click here to learn more). This event, centered around a 75-mile ride through rural, northwestern Indiana, drew hundreds of bikes and riders on its 6th consecutive year. Next summer, if you're looking for a good ride and want to support an absolutely worthy cause, ride to Rensselaer and join the fight against childhood cancer.

Delivery Motorcycle

A recent order of DVDs from the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort prompted us to make a run to FedEx; my W650 served as the utility vehicle to deliver the box to the nearest hub. It's great to know that folks who've ridden in and around the Deals Gap area are able to purchase our moto-documentary right at the heart of the Dragon on US129. Thanks to Ben and Brad down there for their support!

MOTOPAK Luggage

Need a good tank bag, tail bag, or saddle bags? We've used MOTOPAK luggage for the last few years and had great luck with them. They function well, look good and it'd be tough to beat the value (great bang for the buck).

Rockers Reunion Indy 2009

We dig vintage bikes and the nostalgic atmosphere they create when a whole slew of 'em gather. The Ton-Up Indy guys hosted their 3rd Annual Rockers Reunion at the Melody in this last weekend so we fired up the old bikes and rode in. Lotta good folks there and some very cool bikes.

The Top Ten States

It's cool to see that our moto-documentary has found its way to folks all across the U.S. Here's the top 10 states that have purchased the most DVDs. Thanks everyone!

1. Florida
2. California
3. Tennessee
4. Virginia
5. Ohio
6. Texas
7. Indiana
8. North Carolina
9. Georgia
10. Kentucky

Nate the Painter

The fella who's painting our custom chopper rides one of the most unique XS650's we've seen. Nate, a painter for Ardcore Choppers, is a rider. And we don't mean the kind that wears high-dollar leathers or patches that prove how many miles he's ridden in so many hours. He doesn't claim allegiance to a European moto-brand or belong to popular touring groups, but he does log many, many hours in the saddle. He's a rider that talks himself into riding when it's probably too cold to enjoy it. His bike leaks a bit, has dings in the rear wheel, has less than an inch of travel on the front forks and a rigid rear end, but it exudes so much more style than insanely expensive, billet-bedazzled V-Twins. Its simple authenticity and intentional homage to the 70s turns heads everywhere it goes. Watch the vid!


Tip: Click HQ to watch in high quality if you're on a high speed connection.

Positive Feedback

We're thankful for the good people who've emailed their thoughts about Why They Ride. It's a good feeling to know that our moto-documentary has touched the lives of others and inspired folks to get out and ride. Here are some recent notes we've received:

"Hey, great DVD! I have watched it 4 times and I am continuing to enjoy it!"

"I just finished watching Why They Ride and I really truly absolutely loved it! The documentary has such heart. So many parts just made me smile ear to ear. What I really liked was that the documentary was so inspiring about humanity and the beauty of life as well as about motorcycles."

"The DVD was wonderful. It was far better than some big budget productions I have seen. The soundtrack was great."

"I viewed the movie last evening and truly enjoyed it, particularly the human interest segments that you included. It's easy to tell that you had fun putting this together."

Thanks to all who write and share their thoughts!!

In case you haven't seen 'em...

Ready for Spring?!

Coming soon: March 20th marks the first day of Spring in 2009. There have been a few warm days already here in the Midwest and we've taken advantage of them...fully. The bikes have been out quite a bit during this wintery beginning to 2009, but we're reeeeeally looking forward to milder temps and salt-free roads.

Hey, if anyone reading this is planning a trip to the Dragon for the first time, check out Why They Ride. It'll give you a nice preview of what to expect. And, if you've been to the Dragon, our moto-documentary is sure to get the blood pumpin' and remind you why you're gonna return to Deals Gap!

Here are some scenic pics we recorded on our journey through the Deals Gap area that are sure to have you pining for the Smokies:

New Chopper Website Launched

As mentioned in the previous post, our graphic design shop was in the process of buildin' a new website for Ardcore Choppers, a custom bike builder in Indianapolis. Well, it's live! Check it out.


The owner of Ardcore, Jon Ard, knows what he's doing in the welding and fabricating department. His passion for motorcycles and motorcycling is clearly evident, which really makes the shop's builds successful.

Motorcycle Meeting

Our day-job is graphic design. Casey and I run a design shop in Indy aptly named, Wilkinson Brothers, Inc. which serves a big ol' range of clientele: Construction, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Technology, Tourism and more. But, an industry that gets us amp'd up is Motorsports. One of our clients builds custom bikes and unique parts & accessories with a specialization in creating killer XS650 bobbers/choppers. A recent meeting was set up to go over design direction and technical aspects of a new website, so a ride was in order.


We pulled up to share a parking space with Nate, a talented painter and guy to contact at Ardcore Choppers (it's owned and operated by Jon Ard, hence, "ardcore"). Like us, he fully takes advantage of sunshine despite the Indiana winter temps. If the sun comes out, the roads thaw, and the numbers creep toward 40 degrees...it's a heatwave. Especially if the thermometer has been in the negatives for too many days.


Nate's bike is a custom Yamaha XS650-powered Ardcore chopper (below), featuring their very own "Top Fools" exhaust, Ardcore frame, and other goodies. Of course, Nate painted it.

Keep an eye out for the new Ardcore Choppers website soon (www.ardcorechoppers.com); until then, you can see our temporary landing page for a sneak peek of how it's gonna look.

Yep, we love our job.