Tour Update
April 15, 2021
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Hill Country Motorheads Motorcycle Museum |
Hill Country Motorheads Motorcycle Museum (tour stop no. 19) owner Pat Hanlon fell in love with motorcycles at a very early age. Being from an Army family of seven in El Paso, TX and having few luxuries, Pat pooled lawn mowing and paper route money and bought a new “old school” minibike from White’s Automotive for $99. He and his brother Mike Hanlon shared the bike until the wheels almost fell off and enough money was saved to purchase their first full size trail bike, a brand-new blue 1971 Suzuki TS90. A replica of the 1971 Suzuki TS90 is the first bike to greet you as you enter the museum.
Not being able to afford a “real” European motocross bike, the brothers stripped the Suzuki and modified it to race.
Pat raced motocross in the 1970’s – 80’s and after he stopped competing, he started collecting. In 2014, with then just over 100 bikes in his collection, Pat decided to share his continued passion of motorcycles by opening a museum. In March 2018, Pat and Janell Hanlon opened the doors of Hill Country Motorheads Motorcycle Museum in Burnet, Texas. The 7,000 square foot museum now houses a collection of over 300 bikes with 120 bikes of the collection on exhibit. Hill Country Motorheads is a treasure trove of 1960’s-1980’s memorabilia, custom, street, flat track and dirt bikes all paying tribute to the glory days of motorcycling.
Pat and Janell have poured much love and care (plus some blood, sweat & tears) into the museum, and feel the actual reward of owning a motorcycle museum is meeting fellow bikers. As Janell states, “The biker community is a very strong and loyal community and we have become good friends with many museum guests. Bikers support bikers and it’s because of this bond that we have been successful with the museum.”
In 2020, Hill Country Motorheads Motorcycle Museum was named Best Motorcycle Museum by subscribers of Ride Texas Magazine. The museum is tour stop #19, worth 5 picture points plus more points for purchases. Stop in and enjoy the hospitality. Open Wednesday – Saturday 10-5, closed major holidays and month of January.
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Mark your calendars. Plans for a Sept 11th weekend event in Kerrville are being developed. This event will benefit Veterans Assistance Dogs of Texas.
Events being considered are:
- Bike Blessing
- Raffles to benefit VA Dogs of Texas
- A suggested bike ride (multiple tour stop pic opportunities)
- Vendors on-site
- Meal and Rider T-Shirt (profits going to VA Dogs of Texas)
- Ride specific patch from VA Dogs
- Dinner meal with speakers
Stay tuned for info...
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The Y.O. Ranch Hotel has set-aside a block of rooms at a special rate for the riders on the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas. The discount rate is good for nights of September 10th and 11th.
Register now, before they book up all the special rate rooms. Use the button below to book a reservation and get the discounted rate for the tour riders.
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Tour stop 44 is the only mobile tour stop on the tour. Lone Star Rider's (Rex Covington) trailer is tour stop 44.
Here are four dates/places where Lone Star Rider is scheduled to be:
- May 29, 2021 at Tour Stop 35 - South Main Iron in Paris, TX
- July 10, 2021 at Tour Stop 19 - Hill Country Motorheads Museum in Burnet, TX
- September 11, 2021 at Tour Stop 10 - Y.O. Ranch Hotel in Kerrville, TX
You can also find his location by going to his GPS tracking page. He carries a GPS tracker that updates about every 15 minutes. To go to his tracking page, click the button below. You can contact Rex via email at rexjc@mac.com. |
$1,000 Spending Spree
from Moto Liberty
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Moto Liberty is one of the great sponsors of the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas.
On May 15, 2021, they will conduct a drawing of registered riders on the 2021 tour. The rider whose tour flag number is drawn will win a $1,000 spending spree from Moto Liberty!
You do not have to have make a stop at Moto Liberty to be in the drawing. I will provide the owner of Motor Liberty with the flag numbers of all of the registered riders. She will then draw from those numbers to select the winner. After she selects the winning flag number, I’ll provide her with the name and contact information for the number drawn. The drawing will take place in the store.
The idea and funding of this drawing was originated by the owner of Moto Liberty. Thank you Audrey for being such a great supporter of the tour!
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Rider 96 at Kerrville National Cemetery. Please remember, this cemetery is the replacement stop for Stop 40.
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Registration is now open!
There is no cost to register for the safety forum. It will take place on May 1, 2021 from 8:30 am to noon.
This year's forum will be conducted virtually.
Topics to be presented include:
- Rider Behaviors that Increase Risk
- Increasing Rider Training and Licensing
- How Clubs and Groups Can Improve Rider Safety
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Rider 508 at Antelope Creek Leather |
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Situated at the convergence of the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers lies the fabled hamlet of Gonzales, the birthplace of Texas Freedom. On the morning of October 2nd, 1835 the “shot heard round the world” rang out as Texian colonists engaged the Mexican Army at the first battle for Texas Independence. Later, in March 1836, the Immortal 32 would answer Travis’ call for help at the Alamo, only to meet death fighting for Texas freedom.
It is in the historic town of Gonzales, you will find the haunted, historic, and magnificent Old Gonzales Jail. It was built in 1885 and closed in 1974. It harbored many a criminal, and even a celebrated folk hero, Gregorio Cortez. The Old Jail sits in the shadow of the historic Gonzales Courthouse, where many a trial was heard, and multiple men sentenced to jail and in some cases, death. One such tale surrounds Albert Howard, who 100 years ago in 1921 proclaimed his innocence by cursing the Courthouse clock prior to being hung to a gallery of eyewitnesses. Now for 100 years, the four faces of the courthouse clock struggle to keep synchronized time.
When you make it to Gonzales for your tour stop picture, be sure to visit the Old Jail Museum.
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When you enter the jail museum, take your tour flag into the Chamber of Commerce office (within the building). If you show them your tour flag, they will give you a free "Come and Take It" Koozie. |
Reviewing Rider Tour Stops |
The tour stop pictures are generally reviewed sequentially, by flag number. However, I will review picture submissions for riders upon request.
On days that I review rider picture submissions, I pull a report from the software that gives me all of the picture submissions that have been uploaded up to that point in time. The far right column on the "2021 Tour Riders" page gives the date that I reviewed your tour stops. If you submit a picture on the same date that I reviewed your pictures, but later in the day than when I pulled the report, it will not be reflected on the website until my next review.
I review 100% of the pictures submitted. As there are 1,253 registered riders on this year's tour, this is a very time consuming process (just multiple 1,253 x 50).
It takes a good while for me to get to the bottom of the list. When I get to the bottom of the list, I start over again. The list is always going to be out of date, until the end of the tour. When the picture submission portal is closed (at the end of the tour), I will do the final review.
This year, we added bonus points for including a copy of Ride Texas magazine in one of your tour stop pictures. To ensure that I don't miss seeing the magazine in the picture, please click the last selection in the drop-down box (it's after the stop 50 selection) to select the "Bonus" option.
PLEASE be careful to enter your correct flag number when uploading your tour stop pictures. No credit will be given if the wrong flag number is entered. There are too many riders on the tour for me to correct them for the riders. If you enter a wrong flag number, you will need to resubmit the picture under your own flag number to receive credit.
It will take me some time to do the initial review of all riders. Your patience with this process is appreciated.
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Receipts From 2021 Sponsors
If you want an opportunity to win a prize, submit receipts (up to 3 per specified sponsor) during the tour.
In accordance with the rules for participation, receipts from specified tour sponsors earn additional points. The receipts must have been issued on or after March 15, 2021.
Be sure that the name of the sponsor or non-profit, date of purchase, and amount of purchase/donation is visible on the pictures of receipts that you submit. Be sure to write your flag number on receipts you submit. If a receipt is to be split by a couple (hotel, food), write both of your flag numbers on the receipt. The split receipt will need to be uploaded twice (once for each participant).
Sponsors whose receipts earn points are:
BONUS POINTS – For five (5) bonus points, take one picture of your bike at a tour stop with your tour flag and a copy of Ride Texas magazine. You pick the tour stop location, but only submit one picture. Submitting multiple pictures with the magazine in the picture will not increase the bonus points – just send one. For a list of where you can get an issue of Ride Texas magazine, see this link.
Non-Profits whose receipts earn points are:
When you fill-out the on-line form, please enter "Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas" in the "Name Here" box so that VA Dogs will know you are a rider supporting their cause. We will ride to honor all Veterans. You will receive a receipt via email. Submit a picture of the receipt to receive donation points.
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To make donations to Lone Star Rider's Fund Raising page for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), submit a picture of the receipt you receive via email from the ADA. When you fill-out the on-line donation form, put your name in the "name recognition box" and in the personal note box, enter a note to state that you are participating in the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas.
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Please do not reply to this newsletter email. Use the " Contact Tour Director" button, if you have a question. Thank you. |
Visit the Tour Shop and checkout the great tour gear we have to offer. |
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Have a question about the tour? Be sure to check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) web page with the button below. If not answered there, you can also contact me at the Contact Tour Director button. |
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Small businesses (like our sponsors) employ Texans. If you can, buy from a Texas based small business and help keep fellow Texans employed in these challenging times. On-line ordering for merchandise, gift cards, future lodging, etc. is often an option. |
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For information on How to Protect Yourself from Covid 19, see the CDC website.
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