Did some great riding on a beautiful Carolina day from 9am-1pm. Best part of the days ride was going to the Carolina Classic Motorcycle Show in Spencer, NC. Not only is it free, but its a chance to see some remarkable and rare motorcycles. Plus, as a bonus (not that there is anything wrong with them) but the vast majority are NOT Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Many unique and even one of a kind bikes are seen at this show. At left is a BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) which is a British motorcycle no longer in production. They made beautiful (and very fast) motorcycles though, and this is a wonderful example. Many more can be seen on my photo page!
At left is a Honda 450. That bike was beautiful, and in my opinion was the best of the show. I would have sworn that it had just come off the sales floor, though it dates to at least the 1960's-1970's period. I remember that type, but not that specific motorcycle. That is the beauty of this show, because we can not know where we are going, if we do not know where we have been. The Japanese brought some really good competition to the motorcycle industry, as during the 1970s the British and American bikes of the day were (frankly) not very good. New Triumphs are pretty much state of the art, and Harley after the AMF period, has some real fine bikes now!
One of the motorcycles that turned the motorcycle world on its ear, is the Honda 750 Four. After that came out, motorcycles went into a amazing cycle of development. In some cases, that is not all good in my opinion. Engines got bigger and bigger, Kawasaki soon came out with the 900/four, and then came 1000's, 1100's, 1200's , 1300's, 1400's (you get the picture). In fact the biggest standard mass production motorcycle engine is the one in the Triumph Rocket III which is a whopping 2294cc (or 140 cubic inches) . In a nod to the past, the Rocket III is named for a former production BSA motorcycle.
Seen here is the bike show itself. Held at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC the show was fun, also enjoyed the many trains, cars, and aircraft that can be seen there. The fact that it is all free (except for train rides which can be had for a very small reasonable fee). The museum is being expanded, and will be adding some displays in the near future. It has been over the years one of my favorite places to visit. Spencer and nearby Salisbury, NC have some neat historic sites, and as a bonus to a biker, some really great nearby roads to ride as well. If you are ever in the area, it is well worth a stop, and as I have noted the cost is free, and you can't beat that.
Another great looking bike is this 1954 Triumph Tiger. A great British bike, it was produced for many years, but in the 1970's ended production (think that is the right time frame). It was "brought back from the dead" and greatly improved. Some of the models are actually built in Thailand, though many are also made in England. They have brought back many of the classic bikes such as the Bonneville, but also some really great sport bikes such as the Daytona 675 and as mentioned earlier the massive Rocket III. Triumph has greatly improved the quality of the bikes and their reliability, and is now one of the faster growing motorcycle companies in the world.
Did some great riding on a beautiful Carolina day from 9am-1pm. Best part of the days ride was going to the Carolina Classic Motorcycle Show in Spencer, NC. Not only is it free, but its a chance to see some remarkable and rare motorcycles. Plus, as a bonus (not that there is anything wrong with them) but the vast majority are NOT Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Many unique and even one of a kind bikes are seen at this show. At left is a BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) which is a British motorcycle no longer in production. They made beautiful (and very fast) motorcycles though, and this is a wonderful example. Many more can be seen on my photo page! 
At left is a Honda 450. That bike was beautiful, and in my opinion was the best of the show. I would have sworn that it had just come off the sales floor, though it dates to at least the 1960's-1970's period. I remember that type, but not that specific motorcycle. That is the beauty of this show, because we can not know where we are going, if we do not know where we have been. The Japanese brought some really good competition to the motorcycle industry, as during the 1970s the British and American bikes of the day were (frankly) not very good. New Triumphs are pretty much state of the art, and Harley after the AMF period, has some real fine bikes now! 
One of the motorcycles that turned the motorcycle world on its ear, is the Honda 750 Four. After that came out, motorcycles went into a amazing cycle of development. In some cases, that is not all good in my opinion. Engines got bigger and bigger, Kawasaki soon came out with the 900/four, and then came 1000's, 1100's, 1200's , 1300's, 1400's (you get the picture). In fact the biggest standard mass production motorcycle engine is the one in the Triumph Rocket III which is a whopping 2294cc (or 140 cubic inches) . In a nod to the past, the Rocket III is named for a former production BSA motorcycle. 
Seen here is the bike show itself. Held at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC the show was fun, also enjoyed the many trains, cars, and aircraft that can be seen there. The fact that it is all free (except for train rides which can be had for a very small reasonable fee). The museum is being expanded, and will be adding some displays in the near future. It has been over the years one of my favorite places to visit. Spencer and nearby Salisbury, NC have some neat historic sites, and as a bonus to a biker, some really great nearby roads to ride as well. If you are ever in the area, it is well worth a stop, and as I have noted the cost is free, and you can't beat that. 
Another great looking bike is this 1954 Triumph Tiger. A great British bike, it was produced for many years, but in the 1970's ended production (think that is the right time frame). It was "brought back from the dead" and greatly improved. Some of the models are actually built in Thailand, though many are also made in England. They have brought back many of the classic bikes such as the Bonneville, but also some really great sport bikes such as the Daytona 675 and as mentioned earlier the massive Rocket III. Triumph has greatly improved the quality of the bikes and their reliability, and is now one of the faster growing motorcycle companies in the world.
2 comments:
Right on, I attended the show also, my first time, beautiful bikes, and a great gathering of motorcyclists from around the region - I'll be back again next year. The Honda CB450 was a '65, BTW, guy who restored it was inspired by his father's identical bike when he was a kid - neat!
Chris
Yeah, thanks for the info on the CB450. A lot of great motorcycles, but that one (in my opinion) really stood out. Looked like a lot of work, time and money went into that one. I make that show an annual event. In fact the museum has a number of really good events during the year; it is a real local treasure!
Post a Comment