Motorcycle Museum at Iron Horse, Monroe, NC (December 30, 2011)

Took a windy ride on the next to last day of 2011, went to Iron Horse which is a Suzuki/Honda dealer in Monroe, NC. They also, as do many dealers have a sort of motorcycle museum there (no admission charge either) and some great old classic motorcycles on display. This one is better than most, as the bikes are very old, such as this old Indian. While some are tagged better than others and some I can talk about some this bike is a bit of a mystery. Still though, you can see the bicycle roots of this old Indian which was the bike that competed with HD for so long. For a time they were built here in NC. 

Bike below is a 1929 Excelsior-Henderson motorcycle. That engine is unique, being an in-line four , but running along the frame. Triumph uses an arrangement like that with its Rocket III triple. This type of engine was also used in cars and in aircraft. The company was owned by Ignatz Schwinn (also famous for bicycles) and was formed from a merger of two companies. It ended production during the Great Depression around 1931. There was an attempt to re-start the brand just a few years ago, but it did not last long, coming out with one model. I think I have a photo of that bike in a long ago previous post.    

This black bike is a 1947 Indian Chief. It was 74 cubic inches, and put out 40 horsepower. Brand new this bike cost $475 dollars. Indian as I noted had a long history, and there have been a number of attempts to restart the brand. Currently the company puts out three versions of the Indian Chief, all of which are very pricy. It is owned now by Polaris, which is the parent company of Victory Motorcycles. That resulted in the closing of the North Carolina factory in Kings Mountain-I believe they are now being built in Iowa. It will be interesting to see what happens to the brand in the near future.     

Amazing old Harley-Davidson, this is a 1914 model. According to the info near the front tire it was one of the first chain drive models of Harley-Davidson, was around 500cc and put out a whopping 4 horsepower. Once again you can see the bicycle roots of the motorcycle, and this was just a few short years into the history of what is the longest produced American brand. Harley-Davidson has had an amazing history, and has turned out some legendary motorcycles over the 100+ years it has been in business. Truly, Harley-Davidson is not just a great motorcycle, but it is an American icon.

Bikes below are at left a Pope (that is the Gray one) and next to it is a Cleveland. Both of those are two of the many brands that came out in the early days of motorcycles. Henry Ford came out with the famous Model T which due to its low price put many motorcycle companies out of business, the car certainly being a lot more practical for families. However, motorcycles and motorcycling has endured over the years and there have been some remarkable advances during the over 100 years that men and women have been riding in America and around the world. 

Japanese Classic Motorcycles in Indiana

Went by S+S Powersports in Clarksville, Indiana during a Christmas visit home. Nice motorcycle shop (in fact I purchased a bike from them a few years ago...the last bike I purchased in Indiana) but love their small collection of classic motorcycles. This bike is a HondaV-65 Sabre. It came out about 1984, and had an 1100cc version of the Honda V-4 engine. That engine really got a lot of use having been built in a number of versions. A really good cruiser, the V-45 Magna (750cc) was a good version, but it was most famous in the Honda Interceptor. The engines were compact and powerful for the day.

 This bike has had a huge impact...it is one of the first versions of the famous Gold Wing. Originally a four the bike was evolved into the touring bike today largely by the people who owned it. Aftermarket fairings and baggage was added (these were famous with Vetter "Windjammer" fairings) over the years, and finally Honda came out with the touring version today. The Honda Gold Wing is probably the most popular touring motorcycle out there. It has grown a great deal over the years both in engine size and weight-hard to look at this and realize this was where it all started. However, this is the child so to speak that grew into the legend.

Street/trail bikes were popular in the 1970's and 1980's, and this is a Honda version of one. The pipes were made like that to give better ground clearance, and the engine in this bike is a 450cc twin. The bars were also designed to hold up against flexing on dirt. There were a number of these types of motorcycles then, over the past few years they have made a comeback. BMW, Ducati and the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers all make some version of what were known as Street/Trail bikes, and they are very popular. BMW's big GS1200 has even been used in around the world rides...most famous on the show "Long Way Around".
   

 Finally, few motorcycles have had the impact of this one. Known for basically small motorcycles Honda's 750 Four changed the game for those companies. Amazingly powerful and reliable for the day, the 750 Four lead to changes in motorcycling which still ring today many years later. This bike had a chain drive, kickstart and was air cooled. Current in-line four versions are usually water-cooled and still exist in a number of sizes. This bike though is no longer made by Honda, though they still do make in-line fours which remains a very popular engine type .

  

Uptown on Christmas Eve (December 24, 2011)

 Yesterdays post was mostly about motorcycles, but riding is also very much (if not more so) about the places we ride to. Today, took a ride to Charlotte, NC which is one of my favorite places to ride, as it is a very interesting city. Stopped at Bank of America Stadium where Tampa Bay played Carolina on a cooler than yesterday Christmas Eve. Good crowd there though a little light from what I have seen, did not go to the game, but enjoyed wandering around for a bit. That is a very nice and fairly new football stadium, have been to a number of games there with my son.

This is the Mint Museum in Uptown Charlotte, and as you can see, its decked out for the holiday! There are a number of museums in Charlotte covering a wide range of interests from art, to history to science. I have been to a number of them (but not all, not yet). There is a lot to see and do in Charlotte and on any given day its not a choice of what one will do, but rather what one can fit in. It is a fun place to explore and I like wandering around the streets seeing what there is to see, and what is new. Charlotte seems to be constantly evolving and changing and is never the same from day to day.

This is the new Duke Power Building-it just went up a couple of years ago. Neat building as they do all sorts of things at night with the lights on the building, and it puts on quite a light show during the course of the evening. Like to watch that when I am downtown (or Uptown as it is known) at night.
Charlotte has a lot of fine places to eat and especially fun out on the outskirts of the city. There are a lot of interesting neighborhoods with a lot of different character. Many have changed from what they were having been redeveloped or redesigned. One of the best examples is North Davidson or NoDa as it is known-once a declining textile area it became a mecca for artists, and is now one of the most hip and happening parts of the city. I have been there a number of times, and there are a few past posts with photos of that area.
I enjoy the rides around Charlotte, my only problem the last few years is so many places to see...so little time.
Want to take this time to wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas! May it be a wonderful time of joy for each and every one of you!

Badin Lake/RideNow (December 23, 2011)

 Photo was taken by Phil of me on the Vulcan (that is his bike in the background) at Badin Lake on December 23. After a few days of rain, got out and enjoyed a nice ride-sunny as you can see, temperatures in the 60's which is really, really nice for late December. Enjoyed a fine ride, hit some backroads and that is fun especially considering the "getting off from work and last minute shopping" holiday traffic near the malls. Badin is a very nice old town, and enjoyed that along with a ride though Rockwell, NC. Nice two lanes past farms, fields, and small businesses....covered close to 80 miles.  

 Phil and I met up at RideNow which is located in Concord, NC. Had to keep driving off salesmen- I know you guys are in the business of selling bikes, but I already got one from you a while back, and its fine. Also fine is the Kawasaki Ninja 250. Did you know that is Kawasaki's best selling motorcycle? Well it is, and with good reason. A nice vertical twin engine, easy maintenance, remarkable gas mileage, and a stone cold reliable engine. Great bike for a beginner, or for someone looking for cheap, reliable and fun transportation. Honda has joined the 250 types with its new single, and Suzuki also makes a nice 250 as well.
 

I had a Yamaha 350 a few years ago, this is the FZ-1 (1 as in 1000cc) but liked how it was done in the old Yamaha racing colors (though as I remember my RD-250 was yellow). A nice bike, not a sportbike but what is known as a "naked" or standard. Has a more upright riding position than the sportbikes, and though it uses a sportbike engine, it is de-tuned from those types. It also has less fairing than the sport bikes, which saves on repair if it falls over, and also makes jobs such as changing oil easier. Good compromise between raw naked power and also has a much more comfortable riding position.  

 I am rather fond of the Vulcan line (as I ride one) and these are two nice cruisers. At the left is the Kawasaki Vaquero (which means cowboy in Spanish) and to its right the Kawasaki Voyager. Both have 1700cc engines, V-twin, and water cooled. The Vaquero is a "bagger", while the Voyager is a full out touring bike along the line of many of the HD line, though not as equipped as the Honda Gold Wing. On either of these motorcycles long distance touring would be a piece of cake-they would take you anyplace you would want to go-coast to coast without a problem.   

Finally, this is a Kawasaki ZX-14. I am 99% sure this bike is a modified version, but it looked too sharp to pass up. The 2012 version of this bike is currently the king of horsepower, having been designed to out muscle the famous Suzuki Hayabusa. A detuned version of the ZX-14 is the engine used in the Kawasaki Concours sport touring motorcycle. Kawasaki unlike many of the other Japanese manufacturers has been both upgrading their older bikes as well as coming up with brand new models as well during the current recession. The are currently the best selling Japanese brand of motorcycles in the US.
So, thought I would share some of the bikes that got my attention today, and also a photo from the ride today. Plan tomorrow is to get out again, this time to roll into Charlotte, NC...one of my favorite places to ride, and one of my favorite cities in the region. That will be the subject of my next post! 

Formerly Davis Harley-Davidson, and News of the 2012 Motorcycle Racing Season

 Prior to the ride in the previous post, I made a stop on my journey to Davis Harley-Davidson in Burlington, NC. Harley is the iconic American motorcycle and have a few examples of them seen in this photo sitting outside on that December 10 day. Noted that the classic motorcycles they had on display (and they can still be seen in photos at the Davis Harley-Davidson web site) are gone. I also met the (very nice) new owner, for it has been sold and is going to be "Down Home Harley-Davidson" (again, according to the web site) in the very near future. Has been a lot of changes in motorcycle dealerships in the last few years and this is another example. 

However, this is another example of change this time to Harley-Davidson. For the last 10 years Harley-Davidson has been making motorcycles with water cooled engines. There are a number of reasons for that; water cooled engines make greater and more reliable power, nd burn much cleaner reducing emissions. Formerly the Revolution engine displaced 1130cc, they are now up to 1250cc and around 125 hp. Some of the much higher priced CVO models of Harley-Davidson may come close in horsepower, but pound for pound the V-Rod line is the most powerful stock Harley-Davidson line out there. 10 years ago the V-Rod was part of a push to appeal to a wider world market as well as to appeal to a younger one. This bike as well as other models that have come out in the last few years has hit the mark on those goals in many cases.

In the upcoming year I hope to bring more news of motorcycle events both in the Carolinas and Virginia but also of national interest. Be looking for those each month. Unfortunately, this being wintertime, such events are few and far between. Rides tend to be shorter and certainly slower (I made some comments on winter riding in my previous post). Of course when its too cold to ride its not too cold to enjoy some motorcycle racing. Speed Channel covers a number of motorcycle races, and they can also be seen on a number of national tv channels from time to time. Of course the first big event which goes along with Daytona Bike Week is the Daytona 200 in Florida. This year the races will run from March 15-17. The AMA road racing series used to have a stop in Virginia, but that was cancelled last year, and they will not return for 2012 either apparently. Flat track racing and motocross will also be held during Daytona's "Speed Week." Other series events of note include MotoGP which starts April 8 in Qatar but also has two American races- July 29 at Laguna Seca, and August 19 at Indianapolis.  If you like Supercross (you will believe a motorcycle can fly!) that season gets underway in Anaheim, Ca on January 7. AMA Pro Motocross starts May 19. As noted, AMA Flat Track racing starts at Daytona during Speed Week. I have been to quite a few events in that series-went to a few races at Louisville Downs in Louisville, Kentucky when younger, and also went to the two events held at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor  Speedway. Unfortunately, neither track holds those events any longer, and there are no NC or Virginia stops for what is some great racing.

Finally, a final note. He is an NBA Hall of Famer, perhaps the greatest player to play the game. Now the owner of the NBA Charlotte Bobcats Michael Jordan is also the owner of Michael Jordan Motorsports and fields a two bike team in Superbike. The team has won a number of races, and will be heading back to the racetrack in 2012.

Be looking for some more upcoming events in future posts, and as always-ride safe!

Brrr.......Cold Riding in Carolina

 Winter does have a bite to it, as does late fall. Took a ride on December 11 around the Concord, NC area. Amazingly I was not the only motorcyclist out on that day-there were a few people out riding (counting two other motorcycles; one Harley and one Honda VTX) along with a few hardy scooter types. I wanted to go by Charlotte Motor Speedway, like this spot. The tree is near the main entrance (the pole in the center with lines running down) which is neat when lit up. Drivers handprints and shoe impressions are in that walkway-aka "The Walk of Fame:"  

 The track has a great Christmas display, I hope to share some photos of that in a later visit this Christmas on my "Richmond and Me" blog. As for my ride, here I am dressed for the conditions. It was sunny, but it was barely above 30. Bare skin can quickly freeze, light layers, help keep you warm, I have my face covered, and cold weather gloves and boots. I also wore lined insulated jeans. Late fall/early winter riding is possible, but you have to fully dress for conditions. Though not a factor on this ride, also important to keep an eye on changing conditions. Rain when temperatures can quickly turn to ice and snow.

It was a bright sunny day though on my December 11 ride. I like Sunday mornings, traffic tends to be really light, and it is a good time to cruise down some quiet streets. It also is very important in late fall/winter to be especially careful-motorcycles can be a rare thing on the roads, and "out of sight" is often "out of mind". Always a good idea to be careful around other vehicles-even more so in the "off season". Riding this time of year is fun, as long as you consider such things as wind chill. For the ride I took I took it slower than usual and did not cover a great distance. This time of year a short ride is often better than no ride at all.
While on my way to Carolina this weekend, made a stop at Davis Harley-Davidson and enjoyed my visit there. That will be the subject of my next post very soon! Thanks for visiting, and ride safe!

Three Rides Around Thanksgiving

Blessed over the Thanksgiving holiday with some remarkable weather-sunny (for the most part) and very warm. Did a quick ride on Black Friday to do a quick bit of shopping via motorcycle (first time to do that on the bike, and first Black Friday in a long time) during the morning of the 25th, and later took a ride just for fun. One of the first stops in the afternoon ride was to Stewart Hass Racing in Kannapolis, NC which is seen at left. Unfortunately, the shop was closed for the holiday weekend, but it is a very impressive operation. I made a previous visit some time ago, and will do so again.   

During the course of the day rode around China Grove, NC and also visited Landis, NC. This is Landis in the photo at left, just before sunset. The white building is the original post office, not sure how old it is, but it dates back quite a way. Landis is a very neat old city, and there are some great roads in that area, which makes for some excellent motorcycling. As this was also during Black Friday I tried (with the exception of the morning ride) to avoid the malls, and especially the highways which were packed with shoppers and travelers. I had really nice ride though, and along with the morning ride was very happy.    

 Sunday, November 27, I took a ride around Concord. Visited the Concord Regional Airport which was decorated for Christmas. I like aircraft and it was near some other sights I wanted to check out such as Charlotte Speedway (which is set up for one of the biggest light displays in the region for the next few weeks) and Bruton Smith Boulevard which is also lined with light displays. I love this time of year, and although I will not be able to see the lights for some time, as it will be awhile before my next visit, it all looks fantastic. It is pretty nice being in Carolina over the holidays-they do a good job celebrating the season.

 Hard to believe in some respects, but the #1 tourist attraction (with so much to see in NC, this always amazes me) is Concord Mills Mall. The massive mall is partly seen here, from the seat of my Vulcan, and going off in the distance. Not only is the mall massive, but there are also a number of other smaller malls all around it. Going by there on a Sunday morning (this was taken as was the previous photo) on November 27) it is quite, but will be for the next few weeks especially the site of massive traffic backups, and huge crowds. Of course, that is not all that different on any other weekend.

Finally, a Sunday morning look at downtown Concord, NC, once again before crowds come calling. I like Concord, it has a lot of character in its downtown, and some very interesting stores. They also have some very good places to eat, and even a very impressive craft beer store. Like with Virginia, craft beer is getting to be pretty good, and to think that it is also doing so in Concord is pretty impressive. Not that long ago, Concord was a "dry" town, and you could not even get a beer there. It has changed a great deal in the years that I have been there. I do enjoy the region, and I certainly did enjoy some great rides...covered 130 miles in the three rides I took over the three days. Some clouds kept it overcast on Sunday, but both days temperatures were close to 70 and never saw a drop of rain. Looking forward to the next rides on the Vulcan very soon!

Fall Ride to Salisbury, NC (November 12, 2011)

 The day after Memorial Day, Phil and I got the motorcycles out for a ride to Salisbury, NC. There are some great roads out that way, and we wanted to enjoy the fall colors on what will probably be the last weekend before I get back again to North Carolina to see them. Ride took us up Old Concord/Salisbury Road, and I took us on a stop to the National Cemetery in Salisbury, NC. The cemetery is the final resting place for many of the heroes in NC who served the United States in a number of wars. We owe them all a great debt of gratitude. I also served in the US Navy a few years back, and it was a remarkable experience.    

Monument here was in memory of the 11,700 (though the actual number may be less or more even...records back then were sort of confused, but that is the number on the monument) of Union soldiers who died at the Confederate Prison that was in Salisbury, NC during the Civil War. It was near the site of the current cemetery. The dead (who died mainly of disease) were captured in various battles, and I read (as did Phil who is reading the information next to the monument) that many of the prisoners were transferred to Salisbury from another Confederate Prison which was located in Richmond, Va (there were actually two in Richmond). As I remember the prison was a converted cotton factory, and I believe it was destroyed when Union troops captured the town near the end of the war. Some of the foundation has been located of the building, and a building that housed some of the guards still remains in Salisbury. The prison dead are buried in 18 trenches that lie in front of this monument in unmarked graves.    

Riding on, we headed up Bringle Ferry Road, a nice twisty road which took us to High Rock Lake. A favorite stop along the ride, High Rock Lake is one of the many lakes in the area, and one of the most beautiful. This fall colors were not as striking as they have been in previous years, but both of the NC rides (and for that matter, driving in the car checking out fall colors in Richmond) were blessed with warmer than usual fall weather. I enjoyed the previous ride to Morrow Mountain, and the ride on November 12 was also very nice under fine riding conditions.
On the way back, we hit a nice series of back roads and enjoyed a very fine ride which covered close to 80 miles from beginning to end. Already planning the next ride for the next weekend I am in North Carolina, and can't wait.

Pre-Ride Posts (November 9, 2011)

Enjoying some time before work in Richmond, got a weekend coming up in NC and looking forward to a ride over the weekend coming up. Forecast looks very good both with good temperatures, and sunshine for the period. I hope to catch a final look at fall color, its been very nice in North Carolina as well as in my "other home" of Virginia.
A few items have captured my eye in the last few days. For one, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council and for the second year in a row Kawasaki leads the Japanese Manufactures in US motorcycle Market Share with 15.38% of the market. Honda has 13.97%, Yamaha 13.035 and Suzuki 7.17. Harley of course is the biggest in the US as far as market share. Also of note is this is just motorcycles...the shares change when you toss in ATV's and scooters.
Not sure when I will get to see it (as Virginia does not have a Ducati dealership) so I guess it will be when I see someone ride one. Some years ago I rode out to the dealer in Charlotte to see the then brand new Ducati 1198, now that bike is being replaced by the all-new Ducati 1199 "Pinigale". The bike features a new design engine (still a v-twin, called a superquadro) a monocoque chasis, and by all accounts it will be an amazing motorcycle. I look forward to seeing one in the very near future.
There are not to this point a great many new models due to the economy, mostly they are improvements on old versions, but there are a few here and there. One neat improvement is a limited addition "Steve McQueen" version based on the bike he rode in the movie "The Great Escape". Though he did not make the jump, the bike jump over the fence is one of the great moments in "motorcycle movies". McQueen was a avid rider, and was a big part of the classic motorcycle documentary "On Any Sunday.  Just a bit over 1100 of the "McQueen Triumph" will be produced.
So hopefully will get a few fall photos on here. Leaves thanks to weekend photos from my friends who rode to the mountains of NC this weekend are pretty much changed up there, but its pretty colorful in both Richmond and in the Charlotte area. Get out and enjoy..I plan to for sure! 

Seen in Richmond on a Fine Fall Day (November 5, 2011)

Nice day in Richmond, it was a beautiful fall day with a lot of great color here. Temperature was in the 60 range, and there were a lot of motorcyclists out running their bikes on this very fine day. Saw a lot of them, plus some different bikes while out. For instance this lime green Moto Guzzi is a very rare bike to see, and enjoyed checking this out for a while after enjoying a frosty cold beverage at Legend Brewing in Richmond, VA. Moto Guzzi is an old Italian brand, and has a long history having made motorcycles since 1921. This bike is a real beauty and is an interesting take on the popular V-twin engine (a BMW below also has a different sort of V type engine). They sell these at Ultimate Cycle in Richmond (or at least they used to, I assume they still do) but a very fine bike for sure. I enjoyed seeing this one and visiting Legend's was also good. Nice to check out the local beer, and they make some good ones in this city. Had planned to hit some bike shops today, but the bike shops came to me. Good when your ride in waiting for you in NC.

While out by Legends, went by Scoot Richmond. Sure scooters are not motorcycles, but like us they ride on two wheels, and they accept the same sort of adventure and danger, so I consider them brothers and sisters of the road. Liked this bike and for sure on a dark night you would see it coming. They were having some sort of event out in the lot (even a few motorcycles were there) and there was food as well as (gasp) beer there, though I did not have any while I was there. Scooters were popular in England back in the 60's during the "Mods and Rockers" period (The Who sang about those days) and as for today they sure make fuel efficient machines for the road.
Spoke about the BMW V-twin engine, saw this version off of Cary Street. Now they make in-line six and in-line fours as well as some twins (engines of the twins by Rotax who also make ultralight aircraft engines) but it was the Boxer that made the company a legend. They have made bikes since 1923, and have a long history in Germany. Known for technological innovation, BMW motorcycles come with a lot of items which are not found on other motorcycles, and have a reputation for stone reliability. Some of their touring bikes have been the best in the world. Their GS series motorcycles were a big part of the "Long Way Around" show of a few years back.
Finally, saw this Ducati Monster. One of the great designs this bike (think it is a 620, though could be bigger) is a real motorcycle classic. It is a basic air cooled engine on a basic trellis frame-both light and powerful. Ducati uses a different sort of system to make the valves work, which makes Ducati motorcycles some of the most powerful out there. Ducati is is another old brand which started production in 1926. They are heavily involved in racing and have been very successful at it over the years. There is a Ducati dealer in Charlotte, but not one that I know of in the Richmond area. That is a damn shame!

Fall Color at Morrow Mountain (October 30,2011)

Back in North Carolina, went on one of my favorite rides. Not quite a peak color (in fact, something like 40%) but I figure the next time I am home, it will be over. Seems like a strange sort of Fall-lots of yellow and red with some orange, but leaves are also falling fast this year. Weather has been sort of strange, but still have enjoyed what I have seen so far. Will be interesting to see how it all turns out this year; but fall and the colors to be seen in one of my favorite times of the year. Got in a 70 mile ride today, down some beautiful roads. Noticed this trip from Virginia to North Carolina a lot of road work going on.

Views from the top are really something to see, usually there are a lot of motorcycles up there-Morrow Mountain is a state park in Albemarle, NC. It was a bit chilly on this ride, 55 degrees when I headed out. Not a problem though, I was dressed for it, and for a change I was right on what I needed-it was perfect for the ride. Another thing I like about fall is the haze that is often seen up there was no where in sight (the same sort of smoke that gives the "Smoky Mountains" their name) and loved the clear views. It was a really fine ride, and I enjoyed being up there. Lots of people were there in their cars and a lot of photos such as these were taken.
After the ride went to Harmanco's in Albemarle (the park is also in Albemarle, NC). Noticed that the motorcycle dealership that was there is closed (I think Crossroads Yamaha is still open, but not sure) which is another loss from the economy. Love the food there, a good place to eat, and a friendly place to stop in after a good ride (or in this case, in the middle of one). Albemarle is a very nice town in fact, though not much is open on a Sunday. The bike seen here (a Harley) is not mine, but there are many photos of my Vulcan on these pages. It was a fine day for a grin inducing ride, and I really enjoyed this one. Even better, being fall, that is a bug free grin at that!

Pair of 2012's, and West Broad Street Bike Show (Oct 22, 2011)

Love to ride but this weekend the ride was far away so went out to see what I could come across and to be around some motorcycles. Came across this bike show by luck in Richmond (on West Broad Street) and enjoyed these two Kawasaki drag bikes. It was part of a car show, and have more photos on my Photo Page, as well as on my "Richmond and Me" blog. Nice free event with a few interesting motorcycles, mostly cars at this event, but the motorcycles that were there were very interesting. Nice to see customs that are not choppers (though there was one of those too). It was a beautiful day to be out and enjoyed exploring (though riding would have been better).

Went by the Yamaha dealer next door to Honda House (also on West Broad Street) where I saw this 2012 Super Tenere. It is an "adventure bike from Yamaha designed for street and trail riding. BMW, Suzuki and KTM (to name a few manufacturers) have bikes along this line. This bike is shaft drive, 1200cc, and will set you back around $14,000 (approximately, according to the Yamaha web site where you can get more information). These are popular bikes, can add some bags to haul gear and could really do some interesting exploring with this type of motorcycle. Bike seen here in red and silver is the new 2012 Honda Gold Wing. A great touring bike, the Gold Wing is still pretty much the standard for long distance travel on two wheels. A pretty expensive motorcycle but a great way to cover massive distance in comfort and style.
Finally another bike which was on display at the West Broad Car/Bike Show in Richmond. Think that long swingarm would keep the front end planted firmly down on the dragstrip. I also liked the paint job on this motorcycle, and thought it was a very creative work. I do like seeing motorcycling from a Richmond point of view. Have met some interesting people here, seen some interesting and creative bikes, and enjoy checking out the sights here in this very interesting and fun city.

Indian Summer Ride (September 16, 2011)

Amazingly warm day, and on a bright and sunny Sunday, I took a ride on the Vulcan-the first real ride in weeks. Photo here was taken on NC-74, also known as Independence Blvd. Even early in the morning (well, around 11am) it was warm. Had on a leather jacket, gloves and of course a helmet (and not the half-helmet either) but was very comfortable in jeans. Like the Sunday morning rides, as traffic is real light. My last ride a few weeks ago was very short, was in the rain, and did little more than get the bike home from the shop and clean it up. This was a much better ride. In this photo at left, I was riding toward Charlotte, NC.
Prior to the previous photo, I rode from Concord, NC to Monroe, NC. Seen here is the Union County Courthouse, which was built in 1886. Monroe was founded in 1843 and was named for James Monroe, the 5th US President. It is a nice town, population somewhere around 32,000 (give or take) and has a nice mall there, also a few good motorcycle shops. Riding around the old downtown is pretty cool, and like the old houses that can be seen there. In a few weeks there will be an air show at the Monroe Airport (November 4-6, 2011 to be exact). Details can be found on the Warriors and Warbirds Air Show at the web site, there is also a facebook page.
Last part of the ride was to Charlotte, NC which runs right down Independence/NC-74 (that road links all three places I featured here, in fact it also runs to the ocean and to the mountains of NC). I love riding to Charlotte, it is a very interesting city. While there, rode to the Uptown (that is what its called) and also into North Davidson, and University City, ending my day's ride after almost 2.5 hours and 80 miles right back where I started. It felt great to be back on the motorcycle, and I enjoyed it a great deal. To have such a warm wonderful day to enjoy it was a real bonus-you don't get warm weather like this often this time of year, even in North Carolina. In fact there were a lot of motorcycles out today; both in North Carolina, and also back on the road in the car when I headed back to Richmond later this night. Saw quite a few motorcycles on the highway tonight.
Important thing. Temperatures have changed quite a bit, and that had quite an impact on my tire pressures. For some reason temperature can change that, and did. Prior to the ride on Saturday I checked my tires. Before every ride I check the bike over-pilots do a preflight on their planes, and its always a good idea to check your ride over before throwing a leg over and turning the key. Remember when riding a motorcycle safety is YOUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY.

Back in the Saddle Again! (September 26, 2011)

Weather in Carolina has been awful this weekend, with some remarkable heavy (but badly needed) rain....Carolina Panthers game on Sunday was played in a monsoon. I was in Charlotte for the Carolina Hurricane pre-season game, that was indoors thankfully, but quite a pounding rain getting into the Time Warner Cable Arena. Between showers, got out and got the Vulcan from the shop. It has been ready for a few days, but could not get it due to being in Richmond (I live a unique life last few years) but finally got it back home. First thing I did was to clean the dirt off the bike, as it has been in the shop for a solid month.
Took it out for a brief ride after cleaning it, to blow the water out of it. Going to wax it in a little bit, but sure felt good to be riding again. To be sure was a short ride; conditions are not great for any sort of distance ride, and have a lot to do this morning. I sure have missed riding though, and it is good to have this back again. Will get out and get some nice fall riding in.
Weather killed some good plans; was looking forward to the BBQ thing at Tilley HD in Salisbury, NC on Saturday, but of course it was pouring rain when I went past that in the car. Amazing bad weather and not just in NC...this has been a wide area event. As the saying goes "into every life, a little rain must fall". In this case, it was a lot, still a great weekend, and the promise of things to come brightens my days ahead. Once again...let's ride!

Seen on the road (September 17-19)

While on the way to Louisville, saw these motorcycles rolling though Tennessee. This bunch was from Canada; was mostly Harley-Davidsons but included one Honda Shadow. Bike that was taking up the back was a trike. There are some beautiful roads in that area, and some great riding can be had. Some of my favorite roads to ride in North Carolina are mountain roads (speaking of riding, good news is that the bike is done at last, now hoping that when I get back to Carolina that the weather which the last few days has been wet to say the least) is dry long enough to get it home, or at least not too wet to where a drive is possible).
At a rest stop in Tennessee came across these bikers who were also doing some traveling on a beautiful day. This was on September 18 (previous photo on the 17th). The one bike is a Harley Davidson (in the background) an a Yamaha FJR 1300. For some reason have been seeing a lot of FJR 1300's of late. A nice touring motorcycle with a 1300cc 16 valve in-line four, the bike has a lot of nice features. As to the Harley, will have a few new 2012's to show off in my next post; Harley-Davidson has the new bikes out now, and as always they are fun to check out and see what "The Motor Company" is up to.
Saw this Harley-Davidson (you certainly would see it on the road, a good color for visibility) at a gas station in South Hill. There are bikers and then there are bikers...this guy was totally ready with a type of set up I have never seen...Harley for the open road, and bicycle for when he parks the HD. Certainly a unique set up, and this bike was mounted in an interesting way.
Enjoyed checking out the vehicles that I come across on the road, and often see some interesting bikes and groups when I do so. I have met some really interesting people on two wheels, and sometimes as seen here, even when I am not on two wheels. Motorcyclists are amazing people!

Down Time: Bikes in North Carolina

While in North Carolina on September 15, made a stop to check out the new motorcycles at RideNow in Concord, NC. My bike is still in the shop, but may be out and back in my hands this weekend! I ride a Kawasaki Vulcan, this is the Kawasaki Concours 14. The engine for this bike is the powerful ZX-14 engine, and it can really move the 688 pound bike with its 131 horsepower and 88 foot pounds of torque. This bike also uses shaft drive. The bike is a very good (I have read) sport touring motorcycle I am a big fan of the ZX-14, but would this version in my case to be a lot more practical for the manner in which I ride.
In a previous review I rode a couple of Victory Motorcycles, but did not get to ride the Victory Vision. This bike might be a 2012: Victory like Harley-Davidson come out with the new models earlier than foreign manufacturers. The Victory is a fine motorcycle though. I for sure like (though many don't) the sci-fi look of the bike, it is certainly a very interesting motorcycle. I found Victory transmissions to be clunky in the two bikes I rode a few weeks ago, can't speak to this one's, but found the v-twin engines Victory makes to be very impressive. Victory also has a very good customer satisfaction rating, they seem to be here to stay.
Does not currently seem to be in the 2012 Harley-Davidson lineup, but the Rocker models (there were two at one time) were/are interesting bikes. The seat has a trick feature; the passenger pad unfolds from under it. Of course this is one of the "factory chopper" bikes-Honda also had a bike like this (and still does) called the Fury. At any case, the HD came with the 1584cc Twin Cam 96B engine, a 90mm front tire, and a 240mm in the rear. A sharp looking bike, but not sure how it would handle with the extended front end (choppers tend to be great in a straight line, but curvy roads can be interesting. I have seen some 2012 models, will be showing them in a upcoming post. Thanks for visiting my page.