Motorcycle lands on man at Sturgis

Motorcycle accident at Buffalo Chip leads to several lawsuits

STURGIS, SD. (October 19, 2017) — An Alaska man who had a motorcycle land on him during a show at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has filed a lawsuit against the rider, the bike manufacturer and the show host.

Royce Rath was in the crowd during the Aug. 7, 2016, concert that featured performances by Lita Ford and Kid Rock. Between those performances, a designed and modified for race Indian motorcycle without a front brake was driven on stage by Roland Sands. The bike failed to stop and rolled off the stage, landing on Rath, who was one of four people injured in the accident. 

The Buffalo Chip's Main Stage

The bike was designed on purpose without front brakes.

Rath suffered permanent disability, medical expenses and the loss of wages and earning capacity, according to his lawsuit. Besides filing suit against Sands and Polaris Industries Inc., the owner of Indian Motorcycles, the suit names the Buffalo Chip Campground, which hosted the show, for failing to use reasonable care to ensure the safety of Rath and others watching the show.

The lawsuit says “Defendant Buffalo Chip Campground, LLC, knew or should have known that allowing an individual to ride on a motorcycle without front brakes, across the stage surrounded by patrons, could endanger those patrons”

SOURCE: Argus Leader

‘American Chopper’ Returns

Discovery Channels "American Chopper" Returns in 2018

ORANGE COUNTY, NY. (October 18, 2017) —The motorcycle building series American Chopper, starring father and son duo Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr., returns to Discovery in winter 2018. The series, showcasing the battling Teutuls and the bikes they build, aired on Discovery and TLC from 2002 to 2012.

“American Chopper was one of Discovery’s most popular series ever,” said Rich Ross, group president of Discovery, Animal Planet and Science. “Everyone is eager to see what the Teutul family has been up to. This winter, you’ll find out.”

The Orange County Chopper team

The Teutuls boast A-list celebrities as clients. Paul Sr. has revamped Orange County Choppers in Newburgh, N.Y., turning it into a complex with a shop, café, bowling alley, restaurant and showroom. Paul Jr. has a son of his own. According to Discovery, “The two estranged builders also hope to reconcile their infamously fractured relationship.”

American Chopper is produced for Discovery Channel by Original Productions in association with executive producer Craig Piligian. For Original Productions, executive producers are Jeff Bumgarner, Sarah Whalen, Ernie Avila and Matt Braley. For Discovery, executive producers are Craig Coffman and Todd Lefkowitz.

SOURCE: Fox News

WATCH: South Bend Indiana Biker Gets Final Wish

Indiana Bikers come together to honor dying man's last wish

SOUTH BEND, IN. (June 13, 2017) — An awesome group of motorcycle riders in Indiana came together to fulfill a terminally ill cancer patient’s last wish: To hear a Harley one last time.

Matt Hampton took the liberty of organizing a group to help Jon Stanley hear the roar of a motorcycle before he passed away. Stanley was Veteran and an avid biker until he was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer in February.

This past week, Stanley’s health took a turn for the worse.

Stanley’s brother-in-law Michael Smith informed David Thompson, who organized the event in South Bend. For a few hours Thompson posted details of the event on Facebook, more than 100 bikers gathered together to ride past Stanley’s house and grant his last wish.

Stanley was brought down from the house and got to sit in a sidecar while the engines revved. Stanley’s wife, Brenda, told WBND, “that’s the last thing he heard, the revving, the bikes. I know he’s happy.”

Sadly we learned overnight Stanley died just a few hours after this special tribute. We're sending our condolences to his friends and family.

SOURCE: ABC57 NEWS

Nashville Bike Week: Organizer Arrested In Kentucky

Nashville Bike Week Organizer arrested on warrants covering 4 States

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (June 6, 2017) — Deputies from multiple Tennessee agencies arrested Nashville Bike Week's organizer on Monday on multiple warrants.

According to the Humphreys County Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested Mike Axle in Bowling Green, Ky., at the Country Hearth Hotel just down the street from the National Corvette Museum.

RELATED | Tennessee Motorcycles and Music Revival 

The Warren County Sheriff's Office said it received a tip that Michael Lewis Axle, also known as Michael Lewis Leffingwell and Christopher Ashley, was at the hotel.

Michael Lewis Leffingwell AKA Michael Lewis Axel handcuffed and searched

He was arrested with active warrants in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri with charges including probation violation, failure to appear and larceny. The WCSO said other charges may be forthcoming.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) said Axle is also known by the name Michael Leffingwell. That name has an existing perjury charge in Sumner County and a felony theft conviction in Nashville for a business called 'Got Concrete.'

The BBB put Nashville Bike Week on its misleading advertising list and claims the event responded to questions about complaints with expletives.

Nashville Bike Week has faced a series of setbacks since the event's announcement in 2015. The event is set to take place this fall from September 14-24.

In March, its former venue, Loretta Lynn's Ranch, took NBW off its calendar. The ranch said NBW “failed to meet the financial terms of the agreement.”

Shortly after, the Tennessee Department of Health ordered Axle to stop selling tickets to the event. Axle told Fox 17 in a previous interview that his attorney advised him that he hadn't sold enough tickets to be ordered to stop.

Last week, the group announced it signed a contract to host the event at Opryland in Davidson County. Within two days, NBW said Opryland will no longer be hosting the event.

SOURCE: Fox17 News – Nashville