COBRA

Roll On Columbus is a family friendly, motorcycle enthusiast focused charity event to raise money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Doors will open Saturday, May 22nd at the LC Pavilion in the Arena District of Columbus, Ohio at 12:00 PM.

There will be vendors, dealers, demonstrations, live music, vintage bike show, custom bike show, The Trials Guys, The Motosphere, MiniGP racers, MSF demonstrations, fun, games, prizes, and much more. The entire day has been planned to keep every age entertained.

Let’s show our support for the children!

Like last year, the ARC class is still being held as a pilot class in Ohio. There are just a few classes this year, and they’re all coming up quick. Masa and I took the class last year (at different times) and I considered it to be an excellent course for just $25. It’s mainly being held 3x over Memorial Day Weekend.

This is a one-day class on your own scoot that reinforces the principles taught in BRC and ERC, and adds a few more things — like sliding your butt half-off the seat for better turning control. MSF has a FAQ about the class here.

If anyone is interested, here is the information I received about it…I’m considering going again myself (trying to take some kind of course every year).

The ARC-ST is still being considered a “pilot” course in Ohio, so it is extremely limited this year at ODPS in Columbus and at the MSF Campus in Troy.

The Columbus offerings are over Memorial Day weekend - one class each day on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (May 29, 30, and 31). There is 1 opening (as of 11.05p on 3/31/10) for the only other Columbus class - Sunday, April 18th. The Columbus classes are scheduled from 8a-5p and include an hour for lunch.

There are currently 8 openings for the class in Troy on Sunday, May 9th. That class is scehduled from 9a-5p.

To register on-line ( https://www.dps.state.oh.us/MOScheduling/MO_Ohio.aspx ), select Franklin County (for Columbus) or Miami County (for Troy). The ARC-ST classes are listed as ERC classes, but will have either “ARC-ST format” or *Advance RiderCourse* in the description.

I hope we’ll be able to expand the number of classes and sites next year (2011 season), but that remains to be seen.

Thanks for your interest in the course, and if there are any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

“Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Buell Motorcycle Company, will leave the company to establish Erik Buell Racing, an independent motorcycle race shop.” (full press release)

Woohoo!!!!

Erik Buell Racing

MORE INFORMATION: Here are the details on where we’re meeting Sunday morning (October 25).
Pilot Station/Wendy’s at 3600 Interchange Road, at the corner of I-70 and Wilson Rd.

Kickstands up at 9:00, so show up early for food/gas

IMPORTANT UPDATE: This ride is turning out to be a pretty significant event.  The BadWeb forum now has a heavy thread on the QuickBoard with riders across the country showing their support and desire to ride.  A few of those “in the know” have made contact with the factory and there is a green light for us all to show up mid-day on Monday, October 26.

If you arrived at our humble website from outside of central Ohio, please see the BadWeb thread for details and hopefully riders in your area.

ORIGINAL POST FOLLOWS:

Shocked…stunned…at a loss for words.

Buell Motorcycle Company is closing their doors. For good.

Buell has a very emotional video from Erik on their website. Here are a couple of New York Times links with some additional information.

New York Times AP Article

New York Times blog report

In a last ditch effort to see the business (in it’s current state) as well as attempt to extend condolences as well as appreciation, Mike F. is riding to East Troy and has generously offered to lead a group of any and all who want to come.

The rough plan at the moment is:

• Leave Columbus the morning of Sunday, Oct. 25th
• Arrive in East Troy Sunday evening
• Stay in a hotel/motel
• Spend as much time as possible at Buell Monday morning
• Ride back Monday afternoon/evening

That means we’re looking at about 500 miles a day, two days in a row. It may be a bit uncomfortable, and a bit emotional.  But it will be well worth it to pay respect to a motorcycle company and the visionary man who built it.

It’s a very sad day for Buell owners. Buell has always been one of the most distinctive bikes on the market. With the factory doors now closing for good, these awesome machines have just become even more rare.

If you’re interested in the ride, you can email us at contact@cobrabuell.com or post into our BadWeb forum.  More details will follow.

From the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:

Tiny Buell Motorcycle Co. has made some noise on the national sport bike racing circuit, and the company hopes to leverage the success into sales.

Sunday, for the third time in two weeks, a Wisconsin-made Buell sport bike won a national road race. The victory came against Japanese and European competitors that have dominated the field for decades.

Read the full article here…

Not from the race in the article, but another recent one.