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!