About Mark McGhee

I was born a century too late, or maybe too early. I like to ride motorcycles and write about that. I may be a little crazy, but never squirrely, You'll just never know what comes of that.
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Gettysburg Bike Week 2019 Press Release

Gettysburg Bike Week 2019
(EXCERPT FROM PRESS RELEASE)

Bands and Bikes Highlight Gettysburg Bike Week 2019 Rally

Record Crowds at Gettysburg Bike Week 2019 18th Anniversary!

Gettysburg Bike Week 2019, Gettysburg, PA (July 19, 2018) – Gettysburg Bike Week kicked off Thursday, July 11, 2019, for its 18th anniversary rally at the All Star Events Family Fun Complex in Gettysburg, PA. With four days of the best bands, events and entertainment. Rally goers turned out in droves to great weather and enjoyed great music, Harley-Davidson demos, bike shows, mini-bike races celebrity appearance from Josh Owens and much much more. Crowd enjoying the music

“We had the best attendance we have ever seen” said event coordinator Kelly Shue. “We work hard throughout the year to make sure we have the best bands, entertainment and vendors for all the riders. This year we seem to have the right combination of them all.”

minibike races

National touring musicians graced the stage every day including Jasmine Cain, and Kashmir to kick the weekend off on Thursday. The Resurrection tour featuring Tantric, Shallow Side, Saving Abel, Saliva and Puddle of Mudd had people showing up early to make sure they got to see as many of the bands as they could.  Saturday, Queensryche closed it out with an amazing show of hard rock musicianship, which was topped off by an awe-inspiring fireworks show. All of these top-flight musicians showed their true colors and played to the crowds energy, providing entertainment for the biggest crowds to date.

Other great music acts playing throughout the weekend included Brickyard Road, Rebel Soul, acoustic wizards Redemption Road, and Sound of Silence featuring teen percussion prodigy Avery the Drummer.

And music was just the beginning when it came to this year’s entertainment.

Legendary emcee Jack Schit presided over it all, performing master of ceremonies duties from the Budweiser Stage with Jen Shade helping to fill in any gaps and help keep a local connection. Mr. Schit added his lightening wit to live events like the world-famous Tattoo Competition, Bike Games and mini-bike racing. The Parade of Chrome, and the Cycle Source Ride-in Bike Show, were all greatly enjoyed by the record breaking crowd.

New this year was the Harley-Davidson demos where riders could select one of seven Harley-Davidsons and take it for a spin and see which one they preferred with no pressure. Gettysburg Bike Week brought in Josh Owens from the hit TV show Moonshiners which, provided lots of opportunities for riders to interact with him in a lot of different settings.

Of course, no rally would be complete without great riding, and Gettysburg features some of the best. Riders enjoyed tours of historic battlegrounds and hundreds of miles of the best riding in the East. And in addition to the fantastic solo riding, GBW patrons had a great time with several charity Poker runs.

This one’s hardly in the books, but you can never start planning too early for next year’s Gettysburg Bike Week which will be July 9-12 2020: New and returning riders can find updates, event scheduling, lodging information and anything they ever needed to know about Gettysburg Bike Week by visiting http://www.gettysburgbikeweek.com.

Gettysburg Bike Week would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors Battlefield Harley-Davidson, Budweiser, Gettysburg Trading Post, Hot Leathers, Geico, Stambaugh Law, Dale E Anstine, Color Wheel Flooring America, Tevis Energy, Beckley’s Camping Center, Ride into History and Steinwehr Avenue Business Improvement District.

About Gettysburg Bike Week

Gettysburg Bike Week is Eastern Pennsylvania’s definitive motorcycle rally, featuring great national music acts, historic riding and hospitality that you can only find in a city with this much history. For more information on the Rally, including scheduling, lodging options, and more, visitwww.gettysburgbikeweek.com. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook: @GettysburgBikeWeek or Twitter: @GburgBikeWk.

Note: This press release was edited for content and minor corrections. 

Do You Feel Like I Do?

Last year in general the weather here on the Eastern Shore prevented me from riding as much as I’d like.

Typically I would take one of my bikes to get wherever I needed to be. But no. There was frost on the roads in the morning or it was raining or soon would be or it was just way to hot for me.

This year I’m determined to ride as much as I can.

I’m shifting my focus back to two wheels with four wheels as back up instead of the other way around!

Peter Frampton asked what may be the universal question…”Do You Feel Like I Do?”

Now I’m asking you.

Do you?

Are you riding every time you have the chance?

Do people wonder why you didn’t ride your bike when you arrive?

If you feel like I do leave the cage home as much as possible – maybe even more!

So, tell us where your next ride will take you, even it’s just off to work.

For some of us, even that is a goal!

Peace

Mark

How Do You Plan To Celebrate The 4th Of July?

As far back as I can remember the 4th Of July has been a special time of wonderment to me. Shortly after school let out for the summer (YAY!) along comes the 4th and really shakes things up!

As the days ticked by and the old urban legends made their rounds about fingers blown off and teenagers making out in a car down in the pits and getting attacked by trolls and yes, even the hitch hiking ghost boy and the pirate’s hook found later on a car door handle, it all served to add momentum to the long wait. Then finally we’d be packing up a bunch of stuff and piling in the car and driving downtown to the Capitol for the fireworks.

It was a simpler time, I’ll admit. No street lights. Playing tag or football until you just couldn’t see anymore. And there would be cook outs, fireworks and those little parking lot carnivals….it seemed to me that this was when summer just couldn’t take it anymore and busted wide open in all its glory

It was a magical time. I’m sure that however you celebrated it was for you too.

So this year, how do you plan to recapture that magic?

THE JULY/AUGUST 2019 ISSUE IS READY!

Pick up your free copy at select dealers, shops and events in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C., West Virginia and Virginia!
The magazine will be posted at www.motorcycletimes.com this weekend.

FAMED MOTO AND AUTO JOURNALIST MISSING FOR A WEEK!

David “Davey” Johnson, 44 years old, an experienced motorcyclist was testing a Honda CB1000R for Motorcyclist magazine in the Sierra Nevada area when he went missing.

He had spent the weekend in Las Vegas with his girlfriend then was riding through the Sonora Pass the last anyone knew. He did send a couple texts so people were expecting him. When it became evident he was very late they began looking for him and an official search was launched.

His motorcycle, helmet and gloves (?) were found first, according to our research and sources, in a rest stop in Calaveras County by Deputies shortly after the search had been expanded from Sacramento County. Soon after his laptop and phone and backpack were found by the Mokelumne River.

These are the “known” facts as we here at Motorcycle Times have been able to confirm. Of course there is much speculation of the general kind plus some other “facts” we purposefully omitted due to their sensitive nature or even unreliable (unconfirmed) nature. For example, search dogs were/are being used but the results we are hearing are unconfirmed at this time, other than some of his items were found by the river and the dogs alerted there.

For more as it develops, stay tuned and of course if you do a quick Google search you will get a couple dozen returns to filter for yourself.

Meanwhile, let us all join together in prayer or good cosmic energy or lighting candles and chanting or whatever and however it may be done for you, in order to focus all our thoughts and energies toward a good and happy and safe outcome for Davey and his friends and family and the teams looking for him.

We can join together and ask this of our infinite cosmic universe for his safe return.

Mark

The 10th annual motorcycle run as part of the Endeavor Lodge #17 car and truck show will be held on Saturday June 1st. The police escorted motorcycle run will leave the car show site at the intersection of route1 and route 5 north of Milton, Delaware at 11:00 am and return at 12 noon. The entrance fee for each bike is 10.00 and 5.00 for each additional rider. Proceeds will be sent to the Shriners Children Hospital in Philadelphia. Registration for the bike run begins at 9:00 am. Please call Rick at 302 381 6817 for additional information.

The new issue is out and posted on the website. 

We are almost half way through 2019 already!
Please take a look at the magazine and let us know what if anything you’d like to see in it or cut from it.
We might not do that but hey, give it a shot.

The May/June issue has exciting new information about how the motorcycle industry is poised for a comeback  and which companies are making it happen…and how you can capitalize on this for your business or event.

Plus some inside information from Zero Motorcycles, an amazing dessert recipe and all our outstanding and award winning regulars.  This issue has you covered from Laconia to Colorado. We even have a special guest story contribution from somewhere overseas! You’ll have to dive in to find out who it is and what it’s about!

It’s free on the web site and at your friendly local neighborhood dealer or shop or event.

www.motorcycletimes.com

R.I.P. ARLEN NESS

1939-2019

Arlen Ness, the man who was perhaps the single biggest overall influence in our sport and passion of motorcycling has passed away. The family has released this statement to the business’s Facebook Page.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce Arlen Ness the visionary, loving husband, father, grandfather and leader of our family passed away last night March 22, 2019. Arlen passed away comfortably in his home surrounded by loved ones after the most creative and inspirational life anyone could imagine.
The most important things in Arlen’s life were his wife of 59 years Beverly, his children, grandchildren, friends and motorcycles. Arlen once said that “Motorcycling has been a great ride…my whole life since I’ve been motorcycling has been wonderful. I’ve met so many nice people. Friends all over the world…. We can go almost anyplace and stay with friends. It’s been great.” With few words Arlen conveyed his priorities every day, family and friends.
Everyone who knew Arlen respects him for his achievements and for who he was as a person, both of which are superlatives. The respect is how Arlen came to deserve the commonly spoken nickname “The King of Custom Motorcycles”. Arlen rarely reflected on his own success. He never planned for it, this is because what he achieved had never been done before; it had never been dreamt of.
Arlen has touched the lives of our family, the Arlen Ness team and thousands of others around the world with his genuine character. We will announce a memorial service and celebration of life after some private time, and appreciate your understanding. We thank you for your respects and condolences.
Although the Ness family cannot put their loss into words, they can look up and smile knowing Arlen has done something that few men do in a lifetime of trying. He has inspired.”

Editor’s Note: You may wish to search “Arlen Ness” for many links to learn more about this legendary man, his life, his family and his accomplishments. Every motorcyclist has been influenced by this man’s achievements in some way whether they realize it or not. Though my own motorcycle customizing attempts are feeble by comparison I can honestly say that from the home built chopper forks and sissy bars on the bicycles of my youth to the handbuilt and homemade chopper I ride today and every motorcycle between, Mr Ness and his peers did inspire me. They are the icons, who we want to be, how cool we want to look as we swap out our handlebars and turn signals or plunk down fat wads of cash for custom paint. Yes, the word inspired applies.     
Surely, the King Of Custom Motorcycles is working out the plans of another inspired heavenly chopper for The King Of Kings as I write this.