Classic Bike Shows

You know, this photo makes a good point. Its a Honda VT500 Ascot, around the 1980's, and is in beautiful condition. Classic design with a V twin engine, though was not made very long by Honda. I looked at this bike at a Classic Motorcycle Show in Salisbury, NC on May 17, 2008. Right behind it is a 1970's era Suzuki Titan 500; one of the great two-cycle motorcycles of that era.
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.