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!