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What is Bama Rides?
Bama Rides is a motorcycle community and Alabama-based group of motorcycle junkies, sharing information about bikes, roads, rides, trails, and anything to do with motorcycles in and around Alabama. If you want to find out what is happening in Alabama, check out the forum and sign up for your free membership. All brands, styles, makes and models of motorcycles are welcome.
Free Off-Road Riding Class Saturday March 20th
We are sponsoring a free riding class this Saturday at Minooka Park in Jemison. The class starts at 10am, but get there when you can. We will have lunch provided for all Bama Rides members (join here) and the class is free for everyone. All Bama Rides members get into the park for $10 - please tell them you are a member at sign-in. The class will consist of a short introduction with instruction, and lots of skills-work, and one-on-one instruction on the trail. Please join us even if you have been riding for 30 years, we will have a great day of riding in a great off-road park. More details and discussion HERE
Alabama’s hidden history, discovered from a
motorcycle
Exploring Alabama’s David DeBandi takes us on a tour of an abandoned (and haunted?) state mental institution, with a profound set of images, and a bit of history of the Jemison Mental Institution in Tuscaloosa. More
A few minutes with Joe Bruton
After spending 17 years at Barber Motorsports Museum, Joe and his wife Cindy decided to start their own business restoring and servicing vintage machines.
Daytona Bike Week - My story, and I am stickin’ to it.
It started as a desire of mine to go to Bike Week.
I soon started making plans for such a desire. First, I enlisted the help of a “local escort” (LE). The compensation for such duties included but were not limited to food and drinks for the entire time we’re together. The LE had to know just a bit about the area, so naturally the LE had to be of legal drinking age. It was also a must that the LE be female. It was not a requirement or restriction that the LE be nice, intelligent, good looking, economical, or prompt (We will cover these as we go). Read the story
Dual Sport riding in Alabama
A nice day to do some off-roading in the urban areas of Homewood, we decided to do a tour of the old Sloss mines just off Lakeshore drive. The mining ruins of the previous iron industry still exist in their rotting forms. Enough to make an interesting day of riding and exploring to the area known to THE DIRTY DOZEN as - The Shire READ MORE
Zen and the new rider
My day was exceptional. This morning I put my bike up on stands and cleaned it, lubed the chain, gave it a good going over, dried and polished it. I showered, changed, geared up and warmed up my tires on the blacktop close to home while at the same time allowing my muscles to greet the machine and find rhythm with a few low-speed zig-zags. Read the article
Perspective of a Californicated girl turned Alabamian
Well it was like any other morning….except where there was supposed to be traffic, there was only open highway. Where there was supposed to be tall buildings, farmland passing by. Smog…replaced by sunlight breaking through fog. I actually got to keep my visor open to breath in clean air on the way to meet the first group of BamaRiders I would meet.
Funny what things go through your mind when you think you’re going to feel one way about something and instead a situation changes everything about everything and from there…nothing is the same.
Also funny was the Bubba and Jeb in the truck hanging out the window yelling “WHOOOooooo OOOOOOooo LIKE THAT TAIL!!!” Read the article
Motorcycle ride to Peru - Machu Picchu
The scenery is just mind blowing. Its hard to keep my eyes on the road. The roads are switch backs, esses, sweepers and every now and then a mountain stream will cross the road or a landslide will be all over it. The roads are bad to the bone, the best I have ever ridden or seen. I can’t describe the views. Just constantly picture perfect. Ansel Adams pictures everywhere I point my eyes. We ride through Urubamba town and start climbing in altitude through the Andes. Read the rest of the article
AMA Racing at Barbers - a new perspective
I have never really been a big race fan, I guess because racing has never really seemed to me to be a real sport. I was never that impressed with anyone’s ability to push a machine across asphalt faster than a bunch of other guys….. until Saturday. Yesterday, all that changed when I saw the Superbike race at Barbers. I saw things that were shocking. Guys doing things with bikes that were unreal. These guys were moving the bikes down the track in ways that defied laws of physics, human abilities, and any reasonable explanation. I was in awe.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have been to races before, and even shot them up close, but I have never seen men operate machines in a way that left me wondering how they did that. I have always believed, with enough practice and the right equipment, I could join the ranks with these racers and compete with them. But no longer. I even discovered a new slight flaw in the track in turn #2. I small dip exists on the exit of #2 that has always been invisible. Invisible, because at 40-60 MPH the other bikes appear to be riding on the flawless surface. At 90 MPH, the small dip becomes visible, as the bikes compress and the rear-end swivels, all in a turn, amazing to watch.
AMA Racing at Barbers - a new perspective
Goodwater Road - central Alabama twisties
North Tuscaloosa county has some hidden gems for motorcycle riders. One is Goodwater Road in north Tuscaloosa county, just west of the Warrior River. Same Lock 17, different roads, same great taste - lots of fun for any 2-wheeler. Read more
Motorcycle ride along Little River Canyon
A beautiful fall day experiencing the color change, in one of the most spectacular spots in Alabama to view fall colors. The ride is quite unique, the scenery is unmatched, and the company was top-shelf.
Will Power Motorcycle - unique Alabama
“What the hell is that?”- is what you hear many people say as they pass by the revolutionary design of the Will Power Motorcycle - a blend of diesel power, hydraulic-hydrostatic drive systems, and air suspension displayed at Barber Vintage Festival. A very unique design to say the least, this 2-wheel drive motorcycle has some very interesting features besides it’s looks. Read more about the Will Power Motorcycle
Barber Vintage Festival 2008
An amazing weekend to checkout some amazing bikes, racers, parts, people, and just a relaxing way to spend the weekend. If you did not make it out, you can read more about the Barber Vintage Festival
Motorcycle Mechanic Podcast
Introducing PB from AX V-Twin Performance in Vincent Alabama. Hopefully this will be the first in a series of instructional podcasts to help the biker learn a few things about maintenance, insuring proper operational conditions of your bike, and other safety related topics.
Upcoming events
There are quite a few upcoming events in the next few weeks, many we have placed on the calendar and posted details about, and many other that we do not know about. If you have any event, rally, or interesting bike-related activity you would like posted, take the first step and sign up for a free account here , or if you simply want to tell us what is going on, call or email us
