Tuesday, August 26, 2008
NC Transportation Museum, Spencer, North Carolina
Friday, August 22, 2008
Classic Bike Shows
Classic bike shows are a great way to see the past, and even to a degree the future of motorcycles. You can not really know where you are going, if you don't know where you began. Many motorcycle companies have an amazing history. Many brands from the past are no longer made; and some of the old manufacturers have been made a long time. This year Harley-Davidson is 105 years old, but Triumph is celebrating 106 years, and a manufacturer called Royal Enfield has been making motorcycles since 1901!
Classic shows can celebrate all brands, or a specific brand. For instance the Salisbury show had NO Harley's on hand, but it was mostly Japanese and European motorcycles. Many of them looked just as I remembered, right off the assembly line in many cases, while others showed they had been ridden (and many were ridden in).
On June 28th, I rode out to Gold Hill, NC for the 2nd Classic Motorcycle Show. There the bikes were mostly Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles. Many of them were in remarkable shape, and most were in running condition. It was fun to hang out with the owners of the bikes, riders of other motorcycles (most of us who came, came on two wheels), and to see what has led to the bikes of today. Some of the motorcycles were amazing for the time, and a few of them would hold up well against the bikes of today. Some have concepts and designs that are being re-explored in today's motorcycles.
Not only can you see classic motorcycles at bike shows, but many locations have motorcycle museums. We are blessed with two good ones in North Carolina, one which sadly will be closing, and another which has been updated since my last visit. I will be rolling there in the next few weeks, and will cover that in an upcoming post to the blog.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Lincolnton Hog Happenin (June 7, 2008)
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
So you want to ride a motorcycle? (Part 2)
This goes back to what I was talking about in an earlier post. The very first thing one should get is training on operating a motorcycle safely. As I noted the classes can well save your life, they also can save on your insurance costs.
I have been talking to a new "want to be" rider at work who is planning to buy his first bike: the new 2009 Star V-Max. As I have told him, that is probably not the best selection for a beginning (or long away from riding) motorcyclist. For that matter, it may be a bad choice for the somewhat experienced rider. Not because its a bad bike, but rather because it has performance that will come faster than you might believe.
The trick with riding a motorcycle is not to blast down roads at triple digit speeds; the trick to me is a to enjoy the ride, visit new places, and most importantly come home to tell about them. Evading cops, getting tickets (and higher insurance), or even worse....medical bills from crashes tends to suck all the fun out of riding.
Plus, there are so many good motorcycles that give (1) great fuel mileage (2) lower maintenance costs and (3) react with a lot less quickness that make riding a lot more fun. Getting way over your head is a great way to lose it.
So, get the training first. Get the best protective gear you can afford, and use it. Slow down and enjoy the sensation and the scenery instead of blasting though it. If you want to go fast, get to a race track. Many of them have "track days" for motorcycles, and even there you can get training on how to ride at higher speeds if that is your wish.
Getting hurt sure tends to suck the fun out of a good day riding!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Riding North Carolina (An Overview)
Fall is the time for great mountain rides. Riding in the cool air, under the multi-colored trees is filled with a number of "oh wow" moments. I can not say enough about riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is nothing short of a national treasure. With a number of places to pull off to see the remarkable scenery, it is nothing short of remarkable. There are also a number of towns to be found among its length such as Blowing Rock, Asheville, and many more which are interesting places to explore in and of themselves.
There are sometimes direct (aka highways) to various destinations, but sometimes not. That is often a good thing. To be honest, drivers in North Carolina tend to drive pretty fast. It is not uncommon to be passed by a car going much faster than you. The driver is more times than not glued to his or her cell phone, lost in conversation. Traffic at times can be pretty heavy as well. Times happen when the shortest distance between two points is via the highway, but even though fast, its not often the best way to get to a place. In fact, often its not even a possible way. For instance, to get to the Outer Banks, or to Myrtle Beach for instance, there is NO direct highway route.
To get to those places, as well as many others there are a number of backroads. North Carolina Routes such as NC-73, NC-29, NC-49, NC-52 (among many others) are usually two or four lane roads that pass through some beautiful scenery, interesting towns, and past amazing sights. If you ride in North Carolina, I would suggest you seek those routes out; you will be glad you did.
Some of the larger cities can be very interesting. I enjoy riding around Charlotte which is going through some amazing changes, interesting growth and has a lot to offer. I have also enjoyed Asheville, Winston-Salem and Greensboro. There are some remarkable things to find in those areas.
Also of special note are the mountain town of Chimney Rock (with the beautiful sight of Lake Lure which you find after riding on a twisty road; a remarkable thing to discover), the ride up NC-29 to Mt. Airy (which is the town which Mayberry was based on), NC-49 or NC-73 to Albemarle where Morrow Mountain is located.
Of course riding in North Carolina, NC-74 will take you to many places; its part of the route in one direction into the mountains, it also was the route I took with friends to Wilmington, NC.
One of the great things about this state is taking a ride "thataway"...to explore new places and things. It is big enough that even after 10 years there is still a lot to see, and many new places to explore. I intend to share many of those places on this blog over the next few months and years.
I hope in the next few months to get to Raleigh (I have yet to be there), explore some new sights in the mountains, to get back to the sea again, and to return to some old favorite places.
Also nearby and a very interesting place to ride, is South Carolina, but I will save that overview for another post. I hope you will enjoy my travels on the roads of the Carolinas, and will find something in them that will interest you.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Bike Nights in America
Usually finding a bike night is easy. Check with local bike shops, area gathering places, heck....its not uncommon to come across them when you are out. Stop in and see what they have to offer, at the very least it should be a really good time.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
So you want to ride? (Part 1)
Second; you need to take a look at the various types of motorcycles. While they have two wheels, they are different in many ways, and do different things. If you are looking to ride to commute to work, understand that bigger engines use more fuel. Some motorcycles do not get as good of mileage as some cars. Some motorcycles also require you to use super premium fuel. Chains and sprockets can be expensive, many motorcycles require valve adjustments (some with hydraulic lifters do not), and all of them use tires that you will find expensive. Further those tires tend to wear out much faster than car tires. Do some research on what the bike you want will cost you. You also need to check into insurance costs; again rates can vary widely depending on the type of bike you ride.
Other costs to consider are accessories for the bike (such as windshields or saddlebags) which you might want, as well as the previously mentioned protective equipment. For the new rider (in fact I have never ridden without one even when its not required) a good helmet is a wise investment.
A good way to save money on a motorcycle is to keep it maintained. A good way to maintain it, is to do it yourself. Especially during riding season, motorcycle shops can be very busy, and even basic service can take a long time. Getting a good service guide (either a factory guide, or some of the one's published for your bike which you can find at local or on-line booksellers) can get you on the road to being able to do that. If you take the bike to a dealer or repair shop, make sure to keep the work up to date, for your life can depend on that bike being in good condition.
Be looking for the next post in this series, coming soon!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Ride to the Sea (July 1, 2008)
We got into Wilmington around 11pm. First thing we did was follow the signs to the USS North Carolina. This WWII Battleship was really interesting, and we enjoyed checking out the various decks on the ship. It has an amazing history, and unlike many ships in the Carolinas, it never saw post war action. It is basically as it was in World War II. All sorts of guns all over it, and inside the ship was set up as they lived it. We spent around 2.5 hours there, wandering around the decks, and up and down the ladders. Thats Bill standing by the 16 inch guns.
From the North Carolina, we rode to Carolina Beach. Once again traffic was light, and parking was easy at the beach. We had lunch at a local place, sea food was the order of the day. it was pretty good too! The beach was not very crowded but I was told that it got that way in the afternoon. We hung out on the pier there till around 5:30. The beach was really nice, had never been there before, but liked checking it out.Would be a nice place to bring my wife to, not as commercial as Myrtle Beach, kind of reminded me in a way of Folly Beach in Charleston, SC. Bill wanted to get some crabs to take back home, and having a Gold Wing he could do that thanks to that big trunk on the back! Once we had done that, we rolled back to NC-74 and pointed the motorcycles toward home.
The ride back was much the same as the ride there, though this time we rode into the sun which was sinking in the west. We made an early fuel stop, and a dinner stop later on (Thickburgers at Hardee's; not bad really, but quite a messy meal). We did have one problem, Bill and Ed both had only sunglasses, so we stopped at a Wal-Mart and they got some clear goggles. Night riding really brought the bugs out. I had my helmet with the clear face shield, and sunglasses that I could put in my pocket.
We got back around 11pm; a long day in the saddle, and a total of some 430 miles of riding. I have ridden at the sea, but it was a different sea and another time many years ago. Have been to the mountains many times, but this was a real experience, and really enjoyed the day on the motorcycle. Prior to the ride, checked my bike over and had it ready for a long day on the road. That paid off well, as I had zero problems during the ride, as did we all.
Welcome to my Web Page
Hello! I have been an avid motorcyclist for many years, and have ridden a number of bikes in a number of places. I have owned motorcycles in Indiana, Kentucky, Hawaii (during my days in the US Navy) and currently the bike you see at the left in North Carolina (seen here during a ride last year on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a 2005 Vulcan 1500 Classic, which I purchased new in June of 2005.
I have been publishing a riding journal on Yahoo 360 (part of my web page which you can see on this sites "about me" page where the link can be found) which details the adventures we have been on in a number of interesting places.
What I want this site to be is about motorcycling. Motorcycles which catch my eye, the things I have learned over the years about motorcycling, tips and information; all with a Carolina focus. I have lived here for some 10 years now due to a job transfer in 1998, and have found the Carolinas a very interesting place.
I hope that I can give you some items of interest, and that you enjoy this blog as much as I feel I will enjoy creating it.
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