A look Back and Moving Forward!

Over the Christmas holiday (which has been nothing short of wonderful) have been fortunate to get some good rides in with some very unseasonable temperatures many of the days that I was off work. During some of those rides have thought back on many of the great rides of 2008 that I have enjoyed both riding solo, and also in the company of my friends.

The photo seen here was taken at the 2008 Hog Happenin, which is held in Lincolnton, NC. This event is always a blast (even in 08 when temperatures soared to nearly 100!). A combination motorcycle event/bbq cookoff it always brings in a huge crowd of motorcycles and motorcyclists. In fact, only motorcycles are allowed to park in town. As far as events go, it is always at the top of my list (and that is where it sits for 2009 as well!). I also greatly enjoyed the "ride to the sea" this year with Bill and Ed. In July, the three of us rode our bikes to Wilmington, NC to check out the battleship USS North Carolina, as well as the beaches there. It was a remarkable (and long) day in the saddle; a very fun one day trip which I will long remember. I made also this year a solo trip to the mountains of North Carolina, and rode the remarkable Blue Ridge Parkway which was all decked out in its Fall splender. Riding the Parkway is some of the best riding (I believe) to be found in America. Along with these rides, were many great rides all over the Carolina area. I rode to a number of aviation events to see some historic aircraft including B-17's, a B-24, P-51 Mustangs, and even a Ford Tri-Motor. Of special note was the ride to the Winston-Salem Air Show. That event has not been held for a few years, and was quite remarkable and a fantastic time. I also have that on my list for 2009.

2009 will be a most interesting year for me though. I will be working in Richmond, VA (due to a job transfer) while still keeping my house here in Concord, NC. So I will be in two worlds. This site is going to be mostly "about" motorcycling, for the bike will remain here in the Carolinas where I will ride it on weekends and on vacation. However, I plan to explore motorcycling in Virginia as well, and will bring some of the sights to be found there. I hope to attend the motorcycle races at VIR in 2009, and am looking forward to that. I also expect to hit some great and interesting events here. It ought to be a very interesting year.

A quick note as I close my posts for 2008. Got a very nice Christmas present among many; the Kawasaki Service Manual for my bike. This will be especially helpful for many of the service projects I have planned. I do much of the work on my bike (and with shop costs locally of some $75 an hour, that list is growing) and enjoy working on the bike. I am also blessed in that the bike is stone cold reliable, but maintenance to prevent problems is a big part of that reliability. If you do not have a good service manual for your bike, I strongly suggest you get one. Much of the work is easier then you might expect, and it is always a lot of fun and a great idea to keep your bike maintained.

Looking forward to a very, very interesting and different 2009. As always ride safe!

The Bikes of Concord...and beyond

Interesting day today, spent some time with a good friend, and a former riding buddy at that. We share a passion for guitars and motorcycles (he though does not still ride, while I still do), but on a cold December 22nd day we headed out in his truck to Matthews Fun Machine in (of all places) Matthews, NC. Amazingly I have not been there all these years, but did enjoy the visit. A nice motorcycle shop with an interesting bunch of motorcycles. They had some Aprilia, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha (and Star), as well as some other interesting brands. The motorcycle at left is the rather new Star 1300. I had not seen one in person, and liked this bike a great deal. It is watercooled, with a belt drive, and of course a V-Twin engine. Yamaha is doing quite a bit with the Star line, some very interesting motorcycles in that brand.

Outside I saw the Can-Am Spyder. Very interesting machine (can't really call it a bike) and its certainly a different sort of "trike". It is powered also by a v-twin of 990cc's made by Rotax (known for making aircraft engines, but also engines for Aprilia and BMW) the machine is totally unconventional. I have seen one in operation, and seems like it would be a great deal of fun.It looks to be a very unique ride, and I believe they sell in the $14,000 range.

Greatly enjoyed the visit to the dealership, friendly people without being pushy, seems to have a large service department, and was a nice place to visit. I think I will be returning to Matthews Fun Machine.

On Sunday, Patty and I went out to breakfast at Punchy's Diner. Kind of an interesting Carolina thing, many of the places to eat here have displays of cars, and a few (such as Punchy's) have motorcycles from time to time. The photo below was taken at Punchy's which is a good place to eat. I like the food there, as well as the sights in the area.

Punchy's is also motorcycle friendly and many of us often gather there either for a meal before, or after a ride. They do change the displays from time to time, and fun to see some of the motorcycles they have on display.

Speaking of motorcycles, did read today that the Honda Hoot for 2009 has been cancelled (another loss from the economy of late). For the last few years it has been held in the Knoxville, TN area, though just a few years ago it was held in Asheville, NC. I hope this event returns soon, it was a fun gathering, and a well put on event. While a Honda event, anyone riding was welcome to attend.

Once again, Merry Christmas to all of you, and best wishes for a Happy 2009!