Biker Churches Lead Outlaws to God

TEXARKANA, Texas – Members of outlaw motorcycle gangs are coming together throughout the Bible Belt where bikers who once thrived on sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll and even a life of crime are now looking for calmness of Bible study and prayer meetings.

“Churches like this gather misfits,” Matthew Butler, who became the church’s pastor in 2010 after working in its music ministry, told Aljazeera America on Sunday, December 1.

“Without a church like this, there would be hundreds of people with nowhere else to go. We are literally reaching into the darkness.”

Dressed in jeans, leather jackets, biker boots and T-shirts, men and women scene in the churches’ pews was unfamiliar.

Being part of outlaw motorcycle gangs, which make up about 1 percent of motorcycle riders in the United States, those bikers used to have clubs with names like the Hells Angels and Banditos.

They are not recognized by the 235,000-member American Motorcycle Association because of their criminal activities.

Yet, in the Bible Belt, and across the US, the Biker-Friendly Church Network lists nearly 100 churches where helmets are welcomed on Sunday mornings.

Unlike traditional churches, they aren’t recognized within religious denominations, but rather focus on evangelism and discipleship – witnessing and training in the Bible.

Recently, several groups with names like the Iron Apostles, Soldiers for Jesus and Hallelujah Riders gathered in Kilgore, Texas, for fellowship and prayer at Living Word Church, whose pastor donated the space to bikers.

Motorcycles with Jesus stickers lined the churchyard, and tales from the road were shared in between preaching and barbecue.

“This is just a place where we wouldn't be judged and looked down on,” said Russell Stewart, a deacon of a church at Texarkana, a town that straddles the Arkansas-Texas state line, and one of its founding members.

“At other churches, the way we dress, we would be judged. We are all just here to worship the Lord.”

New Life

The new churches offered a new hope of life for bikers, who were outlaws one day.

“All the men in my life were teaching me how to rob, steal, do dope and sell dope,” said David Vanbuskirk, a preacher for Bikers for Christ, adding he is the last person anyone expected to spread the Gospel.

“They had a lack of concern for life. I didn't want my sons to be raised like that, and I don't Leading a criminal life for years, he started preaching to change lives.

“I don’t have an education, and I’m rough around the edges,” Vanbuskirk said.

“But I preach with conviction around my heart. The Lord speaks to you in the hum of the motor.”

Keith Cannon, who attends Kilgore church, has also found a new life after abandoning crime.

Nearly nine years ago, Cannon was living in a homeless shelter.

He was arrested in 2004 for possession of drugs, and a year later arrested again on a drug and weapons charge “We were some twisted people before we got saved,” said Cannon, whose father was a missionary.

“You can ride your bike the same, but now you love Jesus.”

The United States is home to a Muslim minority of between six to eight million.

Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God and that he is the son of Mary but not the Son of God. He was conceived and born miraculously.

In the Noble Qur’an, Jesus is called "Isa". He is also known as Al-Masih (the Christ) and Ibn Maryam (Son of Mary).

As for his crucifixion, Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified but was lifted up to heaven.

Muslims believe that Jesus will come back to earth before the end of time to restore peace and order, fight the Anti-Christ (Al-Masih Al-Dajjal) and bring victory for truth and righteousness.

The true followers of Jesus will prevail over those who deny him, misrepresent him and reject him.

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Source: Onislam (AP, 12/02)

Tickets For 2014 Red Bull Grand Prix Of The Americas Go On Sale December 5

Tickets for 2014 Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas on sale Thursday, Dec. 5 New in 2014: Free motorcycle parking for early birds, single-day tickets available, reduced parking prices, kids 12 and under receive free general admission to MotoGP

AUSTIN, Texas  – Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the motorcycle enthusiast in your life? Circuit of The Americas™ (COTA) has the answer, as tickets for the 2014 Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas at COTA go on sale Thursday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. CT online at www.circuitoftheamericas.com/and at www.ticketmaster.com. COTA will host the first of only two MotoGP contests in the United States next year and welcome the best motorcycle riders in the world to Austin April 11-13.

COTA’s 2014 MotoGP event features many new fan-friendly options, including FREE motorcycle parking for fans that purchase their tickets by Dec. 31, 2013; Three-day weekend passes and single-day ticket options for fans; A new dry camping option for fans who want to stay close to the circuit all weekend; and Kids 12 and under receive FREE general admission with a ticketed adult.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Single-day general admission tickets start at $39 for Friday’s practice sessions, and single-day reserved seats start at $59. Three-day weekend passes start at $89 for general admission or $139 for reserved seats. Three-day dry camping passes are available for $150 per space.

MotoGP Ticket and Parking Prices – Circuit of The Americas – April 11-13, 2014

Seating Type, Single-day Ticket/Person, Three-day Weekend Pass/Person

General Admission, $39 to $59, $89

Reserved Seat, $59 to $109, $139 to $199

Kids 12 and under, FREE GA with ticketed adult, FREE GA with ticketed adult

Dry Camping Space (20’x20’), N/A, $150/camping space

Parking Type, Single-day Parking/Vehicle, Three-day Weekend Parking/Vehicle

Cars, $20, $45

Motorcycles*, $10, $20

*NOTE: Motorcycle parking is free for fans that purchased their MotoGP tickets by Dec. 31, 2013.

MotoGP, the pinnacle of all motorcycle World Championships, consists of 19 races in 14 countries on five continents with pan-global television coverage. The world’s most skilled riders, including current U.S. riders Colin Edwards of Texas, 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden from Kentucky and reigning World Champion and winner of the 2013 Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas Marc Marquez, compete with cutting-edge, prototype motorcycle technology produced by Ducati, Yamaha and Honda, as well manufacturers supporting the new Open class. The series traditionally holds three races, including Moto2 and Moto3 competitions, during each event for various classes of motorcycles based on engine size. Fans watched MotoGP’s new phenom, Marc Marquez, sweep the three U.S. races in 2013, including COTA’s inaugural event, and will be eager to see if he returns to the winners’ podium in Texas next year.

“The on-track action at this year’s MotoGP Championship race at COTA was incredible, and our mission for 2014 is to elevate the fan experience at the track and in downtown Austin,” COTA Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Geoff Moore said. “Our team will be throwing an even bigger party at the track next year, with a larger entertainment portfolio of live music, interactive displays, games and fan activities. We’re also planning a downtown Fan Zone that will give visitors and residents lots to see and do throughout the weekend.”

“Making our MotoGP race one of the must-attend sports and entertainment events of the season is a priority, and we’ve enhanced our customer offerings to ensure that happens,” COTA President and Chief Executive Officer Jason Dial noted. “We’ve added single-day tickets to the mix for 2014, giving fans greater flexibility, and we’ve reduced on-site parking prices to enhance the value and make it easier for fans to access the circuit. In addition, we’re offering free general admission to kids ages 12 and under to make it more affordable for families to attend the races.

“With the holidays just around the corner, tickets to the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas make a great gift for the motorsports fans in your household, and next year’s event will be the perfect opportunity for an entire family to spend a weekend at Circuit of The Americas.”

For individuals, groups and companies looking to experience the MotoGP race weekend in a special way, Circuit of The Americas™ Official program, Circuit of The Americas Experiences , is offering racing enthusiasts a turn-key elevated race weekend experience to the Circuit’s 2014 MotoGP event.

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Source: RoadRacingWorld (AP,11/26)

Inspirational motorcycle trip stretched from Alaska through South America

For over a year Texas Rider News has followed the remarkable journey of a Texan man, Alex Chacon who just completed a 503 day motorcycle ride from Alaska to the southern tip South America this spring - and met several inspiring people along the way. (Modern Motorcycle Diaries: Man captures his 500 day trip across the Americas)

The 26-year-old completed his 82,459-mile journey in April, which he documented in a film "The Modern Motorcycle Diaries."

The El Paso Texas resident told the Daily News he planned the trip for years before deciding to sell everything he owned - except for his Xbox — and hopped on his Kawasaki KLR650 motorcycle and traveled down to South America.

"This had been a lifelong dream for years," he said. "Enough dreaming can get you to a lot of places in life."

Chacon started his journey from El Paso to South America and blogged along the way. But he said he ran out of money by the time he reached Peru. But then sponsors and people who were following his progress began making contributions so he could continue.

"I did a lot of couch surfing and I would sleep in peoples' yards," he said. "People would find me online and tell me to stay with them."

He eventually rode back to North America and made it all the way to Alaska before turning around and heading back home to Texas.

The movie shows clips on his journey through various roadways including dirt, meadows, cliffs, water, sand, bridges populated with people and one very narrow rock wall.

He also shows some local communities he encountered in Latin America.

There were some cultural differences that struck Chacon — such as the treatment of the mentally ill. Chacon said in many communities people who had mental illnesses were shunned from their towns.

“A lot of them were scapegoated,” he said. “The people there just didn’t understand mental illness.”

The motorcycle enthusiast also began using his newfound fame to raise awareness for charities that helped impoverished children in the region. Chacon did not accept the donations himself so he doesn't know how much he raised in total but said it should easily be thousands of dollars.

Chacon took his trip after graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in BioMedical Sciences. He plans to pursue a doctorate, but right now his dreams may be taking him to new places — he has plans for similar motorcycle trips in Africa and Asia.

The major things Chacon said he'll remember is the people — especially the generosity of the children he met in Latin America.

"They were so happy and giving and generous," he said. "Some of the poorest people I encountered were also the most generous."

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Source: Daily News (Landau, 11/20)

Lone Star Rally 2013 in Photos

The 2013 Lone Star Rally got off to a soggy start Halloween night due to a passing squall, but sunny skies the rest of the weekend brought out bikers by the thousands for the 12th annual motorcycle rally in Galveston, Texas. By Saturday, motorcycles stretched for as far as the eye could see down the Strand as the party kicked into high gear.

From 'Moonshiners' to 'American Guns,' there was lots of celebrity appeal at this year's rally. Not to be outdone, the action at the Seawall paralleled the festivities downtown thanks to a ride-in bike show held by the IMBBA in addition to the 'Baddest Bagger' contest held at the same time.

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Source: MotorcycleUSA (Harley, 11/04)

Multicity motorcycle ride across Texas kickoff event

Yesterday, October 22 marked the Kick-off Celebration of the first ever Kiehl's Texas Run for TWOxTWO; An extension of Kiehl's LifeRide for amfAR, a charitable Motorcycle Ride. On their fourth operable year the charity has raised over $500,000 for amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.

The Kiehl's Texas Run is a Four-stop, five-day charity motorcycle ride across Texas led by Kiehl's President Chris Salgardo, accompanied by Kevin Robert Frost, the CEO of amfAR, and other riders who have committed their time to raising HIV/AIDS awareness. This year Tim Lopez of the Plain White Tees is joining the multi-day ride.

“We’ll be stopping for hand lotion breaks and small concerts,” he said.

The charity ride started in Austin, and will make a few stops in Houston, Longview, and Dallas from october 22-26.

Big Ed's next jump: Texas showman aims to soar in the footsteps of Evel Knievel

BRIDGEPORT, TEXAS — In 1973, Big Ed Beckley made his first motorcycle jump, soaring over five cars in the small town of Dighton, Kan.

Then 23, Beckley earned $350 for the feat during the heyday of famed motorcycle jumper Evel Knievel.

Beckley was hooked.

"The coolest thing was I got paid more in that one night than I did in a week at the truck stop," said Beckley, who lived in Scott City, Kan., at the time. "I was like, 'Whoa, no wonder Evel is doing this.' His lifestyle looked really cool, and that's what I wanted to do."

The next year, Beckley watched with fascination as Knievel tried to fly over Idaho's Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket. That attempt, which drew worldwide attention, failed when the parachute opened prematurely, sending Knievel down into the canyon, where he landed near the river's edge. He had only minor injuries.

Beckley never forgot the stunt.

With the 40th anniversary arriving next September, Beckley, now 63, plans to star in the sequel to Knievel's jump.

On Sept. 27, he bid a whopping $943,000 in an Idaho state auction to lease the landing site on one side of the canyon.

"I've never done anything like this before," Beckley said with a laugh. "I've got a lot to learn how to fly this thing so I don't smash into the north rim of that canyon wall."

The first order of business for Beckley - who calls himself the "world's largest motorcycle jumper" - is to lose weight. He's already dropped about 100 pounds, down from a peak of 389.

Then, riding a rocket-assisted motorcycle that has yet to be built, he plans to soar across the canyon on Sept. 7, 2014, the day before the 40th anniversary of Knievel's jump.

Beckley insists that he will have a better outcome than Knievel.

"He got himself a big bottle rocket," Beckley said. "He actually made it to the north rim, but the parachute opened early and blew back into the canyon. My deal is completely different."

Weight loss isn't the only challenge facing Beckley.

He will have to reach speeds above 300 mph, then fly his rocket-powered motorcycle 1,600 feet across the canyon, then slow down enough to land safely on the other side with the help of parachutes. While he has made numerous jumps, his longest has been 156 feet, a fraction of the canyon's span.

"The only problem is you've got to be doing over 300-something mph through the top of this deal and about 400-something feet in the air," Beckley said. "This canyon is not some other motorcycle jump. This canyon is 460 feet deep and about 1,600 feet across."

While he plans, Beckley has one more event scheduled locally. On Oct. 19, he will jump over 10 cars at a festival in Boyd, Texas.

But the Snake River jump is taking up most of his time.

At his office behind his home in Bridgeport, Texas, which is filled with photographs and posters of previous jumps, as well as several motorcycles, Beckley has been swamped with calls from around the country since he won the auction.

A promoter best known for his monster truck and motocross shows, he relishes the possible financial windfall from jumping the canyon.

With two other main investors, Beckley believes he can sell the television rights for a multimillion-dollar sum.

"There's only three principal investors, including Ed Beckley," he said. "And I'm the one that stands to reap the most benefits."

If this one succeeds, Beckley - in true Evel Knievel fashion - boasts that he will do jumps across the Mississippi River in St. Louis and the Nile River in Egypt.

Beckley moved to Texas in 1974 and regularly did motorcycle jumps at a track in Odessa. He was badly injured that year when the handlebar of his motorcycle impaled his leg in a crash.

He wouldn't jump for four years as he recovered.

When he returned in 1978, motorcycle jumps were at the height of their popularity, and he crisscrossed the country appearing at drag strips and raceways.

At one point, he came up with the idea of trying to jump from one World Trade Center tower to another. In his office, Beckley has a framed photo of himself standing in front of the towers. He says the stunt was called off when New York Mayor Ed Koch was voted out of office and replaced by David Dinkins.

During the 1980s, Beckley jumped at places like Reunion Arena, Madison Square Garden and the Silverdome outside Detroit. In the Madison Square Garden jump, he said, he propped his bike up against a security guard's toilet so he would have enough takeoff distance.

In 1994, he stopped jumping and became more focused on his son's motorcycle racing career.

He would start jumping again in 2012 but was injured in a test jump at an event in Salt Lake City. He spent days in intensive care, then recovered from his injuries and jumped 10 cars in Billings, Mont., in June 2012.

His website, bigedbeckley.net, details his recent jumps and the plans for his Snake River adventure.

"I just kind of got off into his life, and now I'm getting back into mine and I'm having a lot more fun," Beckley said.

Even though Beckley has committed nearly $1 million to the Snake River jump, it isn't guaranteed to take place. He still must win over a number of officials in the Twin Falls area.

"We'll certainly be looking forward to the opportunity to capitalize on the anniversary of the Evel Knievel jump," said Shawn Barigar, president and chief executive officer of the Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce. "But I'll be honest: There are a lot of unknowns right now."

Other state and local agencies must also sign off, Barigar said.

"The process that happened with the state only dealt with the landing side of this jump," said Barigar, who also serves on the Twin Falls City Council. "There will still be an application and permitting process for our side of the canyon."

The hesitancy stems not only from ensuring the safety of the jump but also from making sure that Twin Falls doesn't take a financial hit.

During the Evel Knievel jump, some vendors were left with unpaid bills.

"Some of it is fact and some of it is folklore," Barigar said. "It's hard to know what happened 40 years later."

But Barigar said there is support for the jump if it is done correctly. Forty years later, the jump site is still a tourist attraction.

"I think there is cautious optimism," Barigar said. "... People back then didn't understand the scope and impact, but this time people are certainly thinking about the possibilities."

Beckley began wooing Twin Falls officials more than a year ago. He understands the doubts, but he believes he can address those concerns and bring a lot of attention to the city.

"I want to be elected mayor, not burned at the stake when I'm done," Beckley said.

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Source: Fresnobe (Hanna, 10/16)

Information on Roar by the Shore road closures

The Corpus Christi Police Department welcomes Bikefest ‘Roar by the Shore’ to Corpus Christi for its 20th Anniversary.

On Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, at 5:00 p.m., Bikefest 2013 will be holding a parade beginning at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and ending just North of the Concrete Street Amphitheater. Traffic Officers with the Corpus Christi Police Department will be providing traffic control throughout the motorcycle route. Side roads will begin being blocked off at 2:00 p.m. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., the Parade route will close to traffic until it ends at 7:30 p.m.

Motorcycle riders will gather on Shoreline Drive around the Texas A&M University and proceed northbound on Ocean Drive and Shoreline Boulevard to Power Street. At Power Street, riders will take a left onto Chaparral Street and head southbound to Belden Street where they will ride on, taking a right onto Tancahua Street. The riders will continue to several designated parking lots north of the Concrete Street Amphitheater.

Street closures will include Ocean Drive, Shoreline Boulevard, Power, Chaparral, Belden and Tancahua Streets.

Motorists are asked to take alternate routes to avoid this area. The downtown area of Corpus Christi is expected to have congested traffic. Delays are to be expected. Please be patient and courteous.

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source: Alice Echo-News Journal (Willden, 10/11)