Harley group planning fundraiser for motorcycle technician who died in crash

IDAHO FALLS – A local Harley-Davidson riding group is paying their respects to a fallen friend after he died in a motorcycle vs. bicycle accident in June.

Kyle Dwyer, a master technician at Grand Teton Harley-Davidson, was well-known in the Harley community for being the go-to if you had issues with your bike.

To pay their respects, The Grand Teton Harley Owner Group (HOG) is holding a fundraiser on Saturday to raise money for Dwyer’s family.

“It’s our way of showing support for everything he’s done for us, for working on our bikes, and for being the good person that he was,” says HOG event coordinator Bridget Kirby. “It’s such a tragedy, it’s tough and it’s touched us all.”

According to Kirby, Dwyer was taking a motorcycle out for a test ride when he collided with a bicyclist, Arn Peter Berglund of Idaho Falls. Both died from injuries sustained in the accident.

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Fundraiser flyer for Kyle Dwyer’s family. | Courtesy Bridget Kirby

“It’s our way of showing support for everything he’s done for us, for working on our bikes and for being the good person that he was,” says Kirby. “He was such a kind man. Just soft-spoken, kind, someone everybody really, really liked.”

The fundraiser will include breakfast for $5 and a raffle with prizes from many local businesses. Raffle tickets will be sold for $1, six for $5, or an arm’s length for $20.

One of the bigger prizes will be a Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine that has been recycled into a lamp.

“Most of us know Kyle just from going to Harley, and I’ve only been here four years. And his daughter, because she worked there too,” says Kirby. “We wanted to help, doing a fundraiser for them.”

The event will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and be held at Grand Teton Harley-Davidson at 848 Houston Street.

After the event, the organizers will be taking all donations and tying them up in a nylon drawstring backpack, before giving it to Dwyer’s family.

“Harley is a family. It sounds weird, but anybody that rides, that’s why you see them do the upside-down piece sign when they ride,” says Kirby. “When they ride by each other, that means, ‘Keep the rubber down.’ Keep two wheels down.”

Grand Teton Harley-Davidson will also be organizing a memorial benefit ride on July 29, through what Dwyer’s friends know as his favorite ride, the Mesa Falls loop.

It will cost $20 to ride, and begin at 9 a.m. at Grand Teton Harley-Davidson in Idaho Falls. Afterwards, there will be music, a food truck, games, stunt riders and more, according to the event’s Facebook page.

The GoFundMe for Dwyer’s family can be found here.

If you’d like to donate to the HOG fundraiser, organizers will be accepting donations at the event, or you can send donations via Venmo: @GTHOGCHAPTER