May 26, 2012  Memorial Weekend  At Rolling Thunder's 25th Anniversary rally in Washington DC, 5 extraordinary tribute bikes were unveiled in honor of US military service personnel both past and present, and commemorating 25 years of Rolling Thunder's tireless work on behalf of veterans affairs and the POW-MIA recovery effort.  Please visit our Gallery to see photos of the events and the 5 tribute motorcycles, with special attention given to the USAF bike in our "Bikes" section.
 
A synopsis of the 5 bikes and their builders follows.  Please check out our Links for contact information and further details.
 
U.S. Air Force Tribute Bike  --built by Billy Lane of Choppers Inc., with sponsorship and support from The Horse Backstreet Choppers magazine and other generous contributors.

U.S. Army --Jay Allen, of the famed Broken Spoke Saloon, presented his custom-built U.S. Army bike, which inspired the concept for Rolling Thunder’s 25th Anniversary observance.

U.S. Coast Guard--byMike Thomas ("Kiwi Mike"), of Kiwi Indian; a restored 1945 Indian Chief, published in American Iron magazine.  

U.S. Marine Corps --courtesy of Brigitte Bourget/Bourget’s Bike Works, featured in Iron Works magazine.
 
U.S. Navy --created by Darwin Holdsworth, of Darwin Motorcycles, covered by Cycle Source magazine.
 
Billy Lane feels extremely pleased and honored to have been given the opportunity to build the United States Air Force tribute bike, which was also featured in numerous articles of The Horse Backstreet Choppers magazine.  (See Media section.)  The most significant aspect of Billy's build is described in two amazing videos; one was produced by Jay Allen as an introduction to the USAF bike and presented at the unveiling.  The other is a production of the United States Air Force, describing the bike build and Rolling Thunder's mission, and was released shortly after Memorial Weekend 2012.  Both can be found in our Video Gallery. 
 
The 5 tribute bikes will tour the US throughout the year, appearing at veterans and military installations, as well as other bike events, with the possibility of the bikes eventually going overseas to the troops.  A schedule will be published on our Events page, as it becomes available.

1/1/2012 - News from Billy: ...It is exciting for me to know that Choppers Inc. continues to move forward in the bike world until my return, with my sister Georgia behind the wheel. Choppers Inc. will always remain a part of the family, offering old-fashioned service and the highest quality American-made parts, built for the motorcycles we all love so much. 2012 is going to be a great year at Choppers Inc. There will be new products and some exciting changes. Stay tuned, and watch for updates here and on our facebook page.
Thanks for your support.
Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Billy Lane