The Bikes of IndyCar

Pretty cool day at Richmond International Raceway on June 27, 2009. Was the day of the SunTrust IndyCar Challenge at Richmond International Raceway. Had a great time (and have a lot of photos on Flickr of the race, and a link to that on my page if you would like to see them). Woman on the moped at left is none other than Danica Patrick who drove the #7 Andretti Green Race car to a fifth place finish at the race. It was a really good event, enjoyed seeing some of the drivers up close and personal, and enjoyed the racetrack. Richmond really has a first rate facility, and it was a ton of fun. I am making plans to go there again next year!


Team Penske drivers and crews bopped around on these small mopeds. Thought they were very cool, and looked like a lot of fun. Always thought that two wheels are one of the best ways to get around, and apparently IndyCar teams are in agreement.
For the record, Scott Dixon won the race which was very fast (pole speed was 167.315) and to be honest really enjoyed how the cars kicked up a nice breeze while running. In fact, it was a perfect Richmond night, and was a really fun time at the racetrack!

Racing Museum Tour Ride (June 22,2009)

As mentioned in my previous post, got in a good ride on Monday June 22, 2009 in Concord, NC. I had also taken a short ride the previous day to visit a friend (we went to Quaker Steak and Lube in Concord). On Monday took care of some state business (got the inspection sticker for the bike, and saw the Fury...also on previous post) and went riding to some of the motorcycle museums. Many of those photos can be seen on my Flickr photo link.
At any case, saw this motorcycle at Hendrick Motorsports. Its a customized Yamaha Star motorcycle, with uprated engine and paint. As I remember the bike had a alligator/shark skin seat. The bike was purchased by Rick Hendrick to support the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. Great displays at the Hendrick Motorsports Museum; it is one of my favorite in the area. I also went to the Roush Racing Museum and also to Earnhardt-Ganassi. All three are near the Concord Regional Airport.
It was a beautiful day for a ride, sunny and hot but the humidity was down, and I had a great time on the bike. Always good to get out. Starting July 3 will be home for some 13 days. I plan to do some bike maintenance, but also should get in some really good rides. I plan to take full advantage of the visit.
On a different note, would like if possible to check out the Joe Gibbs Motocross Racing team. Its a project of his son, and is also located in Mooresville (as is the Toyota team his Dad runs). The team is sponsored by Toyota and Yamaha. I will hopefully do that during my visit home, and will be doing some research on the team (and you can too) via the web.
As always...ride safe!

2010 Honda Fury

I was riding in North Carolina over the weekend of June 20-22, one of the things that had to be done during this trip home was the annual state motorcycle inspection. While getting that done, saw the new Honda Fury. Honda got a late start in the "chopper craze" which may have well faded at this point (as can be seen by the decline in popularity of shows such as "American Chopper" and the other bike building shows of the past few years), though Honda has (as Honda does) made a remarkable version. The bike is based on the VTX1300 engine with fuel injection and water cooling. You can see the radiator just behind the front wheel in this photo.
The bike has a long lean look, in fact it has the longest wheelbase of any Honda motorcycle with a 71.2 inch wheelbase. The thin tank has a 3.4 gallon capacity. I liked the led rear brake lights , and the small "instrument panel" is also very sleek looking. The bike has shaft drive, but like the radiator it is very understated. As is typical of the type, the bike has a large rear tire; a Dunlap 200/50R-18 on the rim. The bike has a five speed transmission. ABS is also available on the bike which has an MSRP of $12,999-$13,499. The ABS is higher at $13,999. The bike comes in silver as seen, also black and there is also a red one. The seat is low, and it was unique to sit on a Honda like this, though it did somewhat remind me of the low seating position on my previous Honda Shadow; though a much longer and leaner bike for sure. The bike weighs in at around 663 pounds but in typical Honda fashion was very balanced. I would have liked to have ridden it, but did not get the opportunity at Ride Now Powersports in Concord, NC where I saw the bike.

Honda certainly is creating some interesting motorcycles even in these difficult times. Along with the Fury, they also have the automatic transmission DN-01 for sale (previously seen on this blog as well), and I have been reading reports that a new V-4 may be coming out soon from Big Red. Honda has been getting a sort of "boring" reputation of late, and has been letting other companies steal their thunder. It is good to see the company responding of late with a number of interesting bikes (including some very highly regarded sport bikes). I have owned a number of Honda motorcycles over the year, and am always interested in what the company has to offer.

Bike Show at Hooters

Read in the Richmond newspaper (actually in an ad) that there will be a Bike Show at the Hooters of Chesterfield which is located near the Chesterfield Towne Center just off of Midlothian Turnpike on Saturday June 20 starting at noon. Depending on when I get out of work Friday night/Saturday, might ride by and check that out before heading to Concord for my three day weekend there. While looking at bikes is very cool, riding my Vulcan is even better.
Have done some looking this morning though at some motorcycle PC games, and have seen some good ones out there; especially the MotoGP game series. I am going to have to look at that. Even though I am a huge aviation fan, I don't fly (though did some in the Navy as part of the aircrew on a P-3 Orion) , but do like the flight sim games. I am thinking that a motorcycle sim would be "better than nothing" while in Virginia, with the added bonus that I ride a cruiser and would be fun to go roaring around a track on a sportbike. Knowing how real the flight sims can be (did take a flight lesson some years ago, a piece of cake after hours spent on Microsoft Flight Simulator) think the motorcycle games would be pretty neat too. I will be looking into that this weekend at some local computer retailers.
On the subject of bike shows; did want to mention that the Annual Antique Motorcycle Show will be held in Gold Hill, NC on June 27, 2009. I will be here that weekend, but have gone the past few years. Its a great old village, the admission is free, and the bikes are pretty neat. I have some photos from last years show on my Flickr photo page (link to that on this page); lots of neat old Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles, also some cool British and Japanese bikes tend to show up as well. Great riding to be found in North Carolina...and I plan to be doing some there this upcoming weekend.

Random Thoughts and Musings

Interesting thinking of motorcycles on a Friday. Easily the worst night of the week work wise, we do this huge cleanup with water, hopefully (but not often) out by 11pm (last Friday.....4AM) so happy thoughts do help; and not much happier than bikes.
Noted that this Sunday, Speed Channel will have the Springfield Mile live. I like Speed, they have good motorcycle racing coverage, and have gone back to live for a number of races after trying some delayed coverage last year. The Mile is a classic flat track dirt race; usually pretty exciting. Was once pretty well "owned" by Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but now a number of manufacturers have gotten involved. Used to go to a lot of flat-track races in Louisville, and also went to two (no longer held) in Concord at "The Dirt Track". Catch it Sunday if you can.
Also noted that this Monday (June 15) will be the annual "Ride to Work Day". Take that motorcycle or scooter to work (weather permitting) and have a good day. Motorcycles are better for the pocket fuel wise (and note....gasoline prices are going up) plus a great deal of fun. I would say they save fuel, problem I had riding to work was I tended to take the long way home when I rode to work. Did always put a huge smile on my face. As my bike is in North Carolina waiting for my next return (see previous post on the last ride a few days ago) will only be able to join in spirit this year. I have ridden to work though, and often. ina
Noted this week that Harley-Davidson is having some real problems; sales are way down, many of the bikes (thanks to sub-prime loans to keep sales up) are being repossessed, and they are cutting production and employees. I am a fan of the brand; lots of history and of course some great looking motorcycles.
However, for me, Harley-Davidson is not really an option. The bikes for some reason (I am 6'2") such as the Sportster are pretty small motorcycles, and the prices are amazingly high. I am also not a fan of air-cooled technology; the only bike that really appeals to me is the V-Rod with the water cooled engine. However, for roughly 1/2 the price Kawasaki gave me the Vulcan (thankfully paid for now) 1500 Classic with shaft drive, a bigger 1500cc water cooled engine, and that remarkable Japanese reliability. As a bonus, the bike was assembled in a factory in Lincoln, Nebraska. Harley is still stuck (due largely to consumer demand) on air-cooled V-twins; no other options are out there. Buell did sort of finally break away and now offers the 1125R with a watercooled engine, but most of their line still uses HD engines as well.
I would like to see HD make more bikes like the V-Rod (though the V-Rod is not doing well with the faithful, its a big seller in Europe), like to see them continue to improve reliability and features, and most of all would be nice to see the price come down. Many dealers still sell the bikes at MSRP and then add on to that; hard to get a real deal on Harley-Davidsons. Plus, even the vaunted "buy one and sell it used for the same price" is not so true anymore, with all the repos out there to be snapped up. I wish them well, but sure would like to see some changes in the Motor Company.
Just some news and random thoughts. Wish I was riding today; instead of washing down the equipment. Will be soon though!

Oh well, such is life (June 6-8, 2009)

Was planning to feature photos from Hog Happenin, was planning to go to Hog Happenin, but work had other plans. Friday night at work continued on to Saturday morning and into 4am. Pissed and totally worn out, I did get some sleep in the apartment, and got back to Concord Saturday around noon with a total of some two hours sleep. Should not have been driving a car, and a bike was out of the question as was Hog Happenin 2009.
I did get a ride in Sunday morning after some rest. Visited a friend, and rolled around Concord for a few hours. Was (as was Saturday) a beautiful day here with sunny skies and nice temps.
I did get a real good ride in on Monday (had a bank day, nice as hell to be off work) with Steve Dixon seen above in China Grove, NC on his 2005 HD Ultra Classic. We hit a lot of back routes to Salisbury. Stopped for lunch at a Lone Star, and visited Tilley HD in Salisbury, NC. Came back through Faith, NC, just a great ride and it really took the edge off a very stressful visit. Getting out in the breeze with a lot of twisty roads on a beautiful day makes it hard to be mad for long. Its the most relaxing thing out there, and the company I was with was very good.
Got to say this though, for Hog Happenin 2010...I will be calling in that Friday.