Last section from the remarkable weekend of January 29-31 included two visits to Speedway Harley-Davidson in Concord. Located on
Bruton Smith
Boulevard just up from the Charlotte Motor Speedway and near the giant Concord Mills Mall (the mall is the largest tourist attraction in North Carolina...go figure) it is a very nice Harley dealer. Always a lot of nice events there; often bands play there, and a number of great rides (I have been on their big toy ride near Christmas). Currently Saturday's they have free hot dogs and hamburgers. Nice Sales staff and a big dealership. They even have a lot of motorcycles to check out!
Photo here is of a pair of 1200 cc Sportsters. I was always a fan of the Sportster, though I never got one. Biggest problem was that they leaked oil and vibration was a real problem. A few years they finally took a look at the vibration, and got the oil leak problem under control, and by all reports they are now fine motorcycles. Of course now I am over 6 feet tall, and a Sportster is not really an option. I do like them though, especially the XR1200 (one can be seen in the back, the black bike) which is said to be a pretty good performer (for a Sportster anyhow). An old show on tv with Michael Parks called "Then Came Bronson" was about Bronson riding around the country on a Sportster. I remember it, also had a good theme song ("Long Lonesome Highway") back in the day when this bike was one of the big bikes on the road. Times and motorcycles have certainly changed; with engines getting larger and larger. Future trends in fuel, and certainly cost of those bikes may impact that in the years to come. Harley is the most expensive of the major American manufacturers though its a small list.
Seen here are a pair of special edition motorcycles from Harley-Davidson, these are the Firefighter editions. Harley certainly makes some beautiful and iconic motorcycles. I am glad the brand exists as an American institution. They have even been changing over the years with the V-Rod line of motorcycles, and that water-cooled engine is really remarkable. Always interesting to see what they have to offer, and always they are the first to get 2011 bikes out on the market. It has been another tough year for motorcycle sales with most manufacturers showing less bikes sold, and many a decline in profits. Harley as I noted in a previous post sold less motorcycles, but made more of a profit due to a number of restructuring moves. Due to the early arrival of their bikes has been a real focus on Harley of late (and a failed attempt to see the new Honda's..which are not there yet) but it has been enjoyable to check them out. Harley is a big part of the motorcycling past and present, and is still riding into the future!
Last section from the remarkable weekend of January 29-31 included two visits to Speedway Harley-Davidson in Concord. Located on Bruton Smith Boulevard just up from the Charlotte Motor Speedway and near the giant Concord Mills Mall (the mall is the largest tourist attraction in North Carolina...go figure) it is a very nice Harley dealer. Always a lot of nice events there; often bands play there, and a number of great rides (I have been on their big toy ride near Christmas). Currently Saturday's they have free hot dogs and hamburgers. Nice Sales staff and a big dealership. They even have a lot of motorcycles to check out! 
Photo here is of a pair of 1200 cc Sportsters. I was always a fan of the Sportster, though I never got one. Biggest problem was that they leaked oil and vibration was a real problem. A few years they finally took a look at the vibration, and got the oil leak problem under control, and by all reports they are now fine motorcycles. Of course now I am over 6 feet tall, and a Sportster is not really an option. I do like them though, especially the XR1200 (one can be seen in the back, the black bike) which is said to be a pretty good performer (for a Sportster anyhow). An old show on tv with Michael Parks called "Then Came Bronson" was about Bronson riding around the country on a Sportster. I remember it, also had a good theme song ("Long Lonesome Highway") back in the day when this bike was one of the big bikes on the road. Times and motorcycles have certainly changed; with engines getting larger and larger. Future trends in fuel, and certainly cost of those bikes may impact that in the years to come. Harley is the most expensive of the major American manufacturers though its a small list.
Seen here are a pair of special edition motorcycles from Harley-Davidson, these are the Firefighter editions. Harley certainly makes some beautiful and iconic motorcycles. I am glad the brand exists as an American institution. They have even been changing over the years with the V-Rod line of motorcycles, and that water-cooled engine is really remarkable. Always interesting to see what they have to offer, and always they are the first to get 2011 bikes out on the market. It has been another tough year for motorcycle sales with most manufacturers showing less bikes sold, and many a decline in profits. Harley as I noted in a previous post sold less motorcycles, but made more of a profit due to a number of restructuring moves. Due to the early arrival of their bikes has been a real focus on Harley of late (and a failed attempt to see the new Honda's..which are not there yet) but it has been enjoyable to check them out. Harley is a big part of the motorcycling past and present, and is still riding into the future!
No comments:
Post a Comment