Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/703695
64 nAugust 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Dom Mazza LAKE GEORGE, N.Y., JUNE 6–11—Over the course of the Americade rally, over 20,000 bikers come to this premier Adirondack Mountains motorcycle event in upstate New York, some from as far away as California and even foreign countries. As usual I came up with my friends Pete and Neil. We have been attending this event, now in its 34th year, since the mid 80's. We again booked our rooms for the week at the Quality Inn on Canada Street. We have found the hospitality and amenities go above and beyond. It is also in the village of Lake George and across from Americade headquarters, demo rides and many onsite events. On Monday pre-registration opened (Tip: we have found it is better to wait until after lunch when the line shortens to pick up your weekly pack- age). Monday night is the Americade opening celebration which includes entertainment, music, remarks by Americade Director Christian Dutcher and lots of Rider Magazine door prizes, along with other prizes donated by the many motorcycle event spon- sors. At the conclusion of the opening event was a stunt show by the Busted Knuckles Stunt Tour. Stunt riders King Tony and Eric Rocks rode Harley Big Twins and Sportsters. The stunts included burnouts, jumps (over spec- tators), pyro (driving through fi re and igniting the rear tire) and some wild riding tricks. I hope that they are one of the acts that return next year. On Tuesday I took a ride up to one of the newest additions to Americade called the DirtDaze Adventure Bike Rally, held at the nearby Painted Pony Rodeo grounds in Lake Luzerne. This is something the Americade director thought might bring a whole different breed of rider to Lake George. The event was geared for the adventure bike rider on those big on/off road bikes you see with the steel saddle bags with lots of "Where have I been?" stickers on them. It included demo bikes by KTM, vendors, a camping area, obstacle course events and off-road training with pros Jimmy Lewis and Mike Lafferty. The obstacle course was fun to watch and what you can do with those motocross bikes is amazing. From what I could see, this rally was a plus. Later on Tuesday I went down to the Americade Expo Trade Show on Beach Road to see what the vendors had in store this year. On the way there I stopped off at the Yuasa Free Battery Check to ask a question about a prob- lem I had with a battery. I'm glad I did it then, as there was a line there all week. Then it was off to the Kuryakyn tent with another issue I was having with one of their LED taillights. As the salespeople were very busy, one of the mechanics stopped what he was doing to answer my question. He said I needed to replace the taillight, as the circuitry is sealed and cannot be repaired. I changed it out and the prob- lem was solved. I also made a stop at the MotoPumps tent. These are small pumps that you can put in your bike or keep at home to infl ate your tires. At the Expo you can get just about anything you need for your ride and in some cases get parts installed too. On Wednesday I checked out the demo ride area which included all the latest bikes from Harley-Davidson, Victory, Indian, Suzuki, Yamaha, Can Am, Motor Trike and the Polaris Slingshot. Most interesting for me was the Victory Empulse TT, an elec- tric bike that goes 100 mph, has six speeds, dual mode and charges in less than four hours. I found it a little too high for me, as the battery takes up a lot of room. Also interesting was the Polaris Slingshot. It is advertised as a three-wheel motorcycle, but it looks more like a sports car, with a steering wheel and a small car engine. You would have to check with your state to see what it would be registered as and if a helmet is required (that's a "yes" in New York). A fashion show, also held on Wednesday, saw some of the motor- AMERICADE 2016 Upstate moto festival Test rides and trade show round out touring rally Motorcycles on Canada Street, Lake George Rod Banner of MotoPumps explains his product to customers at Americade Expo One of the motorcycles entered in the Light Parade "A cruise on Lake George, known as the Queen of American Lakes, is a must, at least once, as the lake is over 30 miles long and up to three miles wide."