It's Spit Shine Weekend

So you think your bike is the best around? Scrape off the bugs, shine up the chrome and ride it on down to D&S this Saturday for our annual Spit Shine Bike Show.

We'll have live music by Hog Wild, a BBQ, beer garden, and a chance for you to win a new Harley-Davidson Night Train® from Opus Radio. The day includes registration from 10 a.m. to noon; music from noon to 3:30 p.m. and trophy presentation and bike giveaway from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Cost to enter your bike: a $10 donation to Children's Miracle Network.

All makes and models of motorcycles are welcome. They will compete in nine categories:

• Antique Stock (Any stock bike over 25 years in age, that's 1983 if anyone's counting)
• Antique Custom (Any customized bike over 25 years in age)
• Heavy Weight (Touring type bikes)
• Mid Weight (Cruiser bikes over 1200 cc)
• Light Weight (Cruiser bikes 1200 cc and under)
• Women's Class (Any size bike, women-owned only)
• Screaming Eagle® (For Harley-Davidson Screaming Eagle bikes only)
• Radical Custom (Any bike that has been radically customized)
• And Trikes, Trailers & Sidecars (Just like it sounds)

If you don't have a bike to enter, don't fret. You can still be one of the lucky 102 qualifiers to win the Night Train® by listening to the morning show on The Drive, 102.7 FM. For more information, click here. There will also be opportunities to qualify all day Saturday at D&S. See you there!

Go on, Get it Dirty!

You spent all night Friday shining it up for the show, and Saturday hanging out in our parking lot. Spend Sunday collecting some brand new bugs! Our HOG Chapter will host the Spit Shine Poker Run, with registration from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Cost is $15 per hand.

Sorry! Our Party is Full!>

There's only so much room for so many women -- so our next Garage Party™ is fully booked. If you made the list, show up at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 8, for a fun evening with other women who are interested in riding. If you missed the deadline, contact jamie@dsharley.com to get on the waiting list -- or be first in line for the next one!

Screw It -- Let's Ride!

In case you haven't seen the national ads, Harley-Davidson has started a campaign that reminds people that "We Don't Do Fear." As the ad says:

"Over the last 105 years in the saddle ... We've seen wars, conflicts, depression, recession, resistance and revolutions. But every time, this country has come out stronger than before. Because chrome and asphalt put distance between you and whatever the world can throw at you. Freedom and wind outlast hard times. And the rumble of an engine drowns out all the spin on the evening news. If 105 years has proved one thing, it's that fear sucks and it doesn't last long. So screw it, let's ride."

We completely agree, and hope you do too. We are a community of people who have decided life is too short to spend it at home worrying on the couch. Send us a photo of you and your bike out there in the world and we'll proudly post it on our Community Page. Fear? We left it behind, miles ago...

Thanks for being part of the D&S Community. As you rumble off into summer, have fun, and ride safe -- terrie* and the Crew at D&S

It's Time For a Garage Party™!

Hey ladies - Have you ever thought about riding your own motorcyle? Or are you a new rider?

Well, here's your opportunity to take that idea a step further. Come to our next Garage Party™ on June 8. We are hosting a free event for women that is centered around two-wheels: it's your turn to check out the chrome, kick the tires, try on some leather, sit on some bikes, and ask all the questions you can come up with.

Our staff will be here to give you the information you need to know about riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles. You will learn how to pick out a bike that fits you, and how to customize it for your needs. Saddlebags, windshield, lowering kit - our Parts & Accessories guys can put together an accessories package to fit any style or any size rider.

Are you worried about what to do if a motorcycle tips over? Lori will be here to show you how to pick up a bike from its side and even teach you how to do it, too. She's a great coach, and like she will tell you at the event, she learned from experience. Make sure you wear jeans and sneakers if you plan on coming.

Do You Know a Woman Interested in Learning About Motorcycles?

Do you know a woman who says, "I would love to learn to ride a motorcycle, but..."? Tell her now's the time to get over that "but" and shift into first gear. She can learn more about motorcycling at our women-only Garage Party™. This is a free event that offers fun, beginner information for women with limited - or even no - background with motorcycles. Forward this invitation to your female friend and tell her to join us for one night of fun workshops and festive activities during this event geared toward women who dream of riding, but just aren't sure how to get started on their motorcycle journey.

Who Kissed The Pig?

Well, it's time for Bikers Have Heart -- when we raise money for a local kid with a life-threatening illness -- and there were a couple of new twists this year.

First, on Saturday, May 3, we held our traditional Yahtzee Run, where you have seven stops and roll the dice at each one. About 200 bikes mae the ride. Then we had a party on Front Street in downtown Medford that afternoon.

Our new piggy bank contest raised over $1,200 in quarters for Dominic Luciano (see below). And thanks to a group riding in from Grants Pass, Bikers Have Heart coordinator Kim O'Toole ended up kissing the real pig. We'll post photos of the ride and Kim's kiss on the snout in our album very soon.

Thanks to everyone, we raised $10,000 for Dominic, our injured mechanic Mike Burke, and Children's Miracle Network! Way to go!

Whether you were there or were unable to attend, you'll want to take a look at our photo album of the event.

It’s Bikers Have Heart season at D&S

Each spring we remind our riders and friends that some people are less fortunate than we are, and need our help. For the seventh year we’ve chosen a child in our community who is has a special need.

click image for larger view

Meet Dominic Luciano.

The kid with the great smile is a 15-year-old sophomore at North Medford High School. He loves to write and produce music, and he plays piano with a jazz ensemble at school. He builds and works on computers. And he has a terrible disease called “NF2.”

Neurofibromatosis Type 2 causes tumors to grow on the cranial and spinal nerves, and lesions on the brain and spinal chord. He’s had two brain surgeries – in Portland and Los Angeles -- since he was diagnosed in 2004. Now he is scheduled for his third surgery in June.

His dad is a single dad, raising Dominic and his 11-year-old brother, and he usually works construction, but is on disability at the moment. They have health insurance, but there are still mounds of medical bills as well as living expenses when he has to take the time off to be with Dominic during the surgeries.

The latest tumor is on the 10th nerve of Dominic’s brain and will affect both his swallowing and speech. He will need to travel either to Portland or Boston when school finishes in June, and right now he doesn’t have the money to travel or pay his 20 percent of the surgery costs.

So, what do you say? Want to help us help Dominic? If so, you can still send us a check made out to "Sparrow for Dominic Luciano." We will deposit it in his medical trust account with the Sparrow Club, a national organization that helps kids with life-threatening illnesses.

If you have an idea or need more information, email kim@dsharley.com or call and leave a message at her extension 541-535-5515, ext. 1004. Send checks to D&S Harley-Davidson, PO Box 1528, Phoenix, OR 97535.

To learn more about neurofibromatosis, visit Children's Tumor Foundation.

Need a Spring Service?

Don't wait 'til that sunny Saturday to get your bike ready for the road. Our Service Department calendar fills up fast. So, call Mark or Greg at 541-535-5515, at least a couple of weeks before you want to ride.

Need a new Harley?

Don't wait on that either. Harley-Davidson has cut back production, so we will have a limited number of 2008 bikes to sell. Get yours for somebody else does! Call Lori, Dean, Josh or Larry to find out what bikes are still on our list.

Need A Good Place to Ride?

Wait -- we've got a whole bunch of answers to that one. We list D&S-sponsored events here on this What's New page, but we also try to list everyone's events in on our Calendar. If you have a ride or bike show coming up, send the information to terrie@dsharley.com and we'll get it posted.

We Need You!

At D&S we're here to help you with whatever you need to be out there on the road -- and look good, even if you're just standing still. So, pick a good road, take a long ride, send us a photo and tell us all about it. We're waiting to hear from you.

And, as always. ride safe -- terrie* & the Crew at D&S Harley-Davidson.