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!