Bikers at Malvern Hill! (October 16, 2010)

While out on a day of exploring Richmond and the area, at the Malvern Hill battlefield, met an interesting trio of bikers. First one (they all rode in together) was riding this classic Honda GL-1000. Originally the GL-1000 was designed as a bike in the "Honda 750/4" model; sort of a punched out version. However, it quickly got popular as a touring bike. Gradually, features were added such as saddlebags, fairings and the like. This model has a classic Vetter faring (his most famous creation was the "Windjammer". In fact Craig Vetter is a most interesting person to check out. This old motorcycle had some 30,000 miles on it according to the owner seen on the bike. It looked to be in outstanding shape, with little wear or tear. Also of note, the engine is an opposed four; the current 1800cc Gold Wing uses an opposed six.
The Star Motorcycle (I believe it is a Venture if memory serves me right) has some 10,000 miles on this bike. I am pretty sure this is a V-4 engine; sort of Yamaha's (aka Star in this case) answer to the Gold Wing. Bike has a lot of bells and whistles, and also a very interesting almost automobile like speedometer. Owner was riding with his wife, and they were also a lot of fun. One of my riding buddies in Concord is a big fan of Star Motorcycles, and rides one of the newer models.
A quick note on Malvern Hill, was the site of one of the major Richmond area Civil War battles, it is a very nice battlefield which has been very well preserved. Richmond is real good at doing that, and enjoyed walking around the area. There are a slew of great Civil War sites and museums to check out in the Richmond area.