Charlotte Motorcycle Show (February 25, 2012)

 Cell phone photos seen here (actually pretty good) were taken by my friend Phil (often seen on these very pages) at the 2012 Progressive Motorcycle Show which came to Charlotte, NC. I could not be there, but Phil sent these, and a few more photos from the event which was held February 24-26. Bike at left is a very radical custom, and there was as will be seen a great variety of motorcycles at the show. Such events are a great way to see what is new (and often old) in the world of motorcycling.  

 Bike at left is a Ducati Diavel which means "Devil" in Italian. The bike which is the company's version of a cruiser has a 1198cc engine (also their version of a V-twin, though more of an L-twin) which puts out 1198cc and a claimed 162 hp. Ducati is known for performance, and few stock cruisers would be a match for this motorcycle. Nice to see a change from the typical cruiser configuration, and certainly one of the most interesting motorcycles to come out in the last few years.

This is an older motorcycle, not sure what is is (Phil did not say) but it is in perfect condition. Early in the history of motorcycles, there were many, many brands out there. As time went on, they became fewer and fewer. Many of the oldest brands have continued on through, or have come back from the dead...including Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Indian, Moto-Guzzi, and a few others. I like he old classic bikes, and enjoy shows that feature them. There are a couple of those coming to Carolina in the next few months.    

Finally, this a custom Star Raider. Star (a division of Yamaha) is starting a sort of factory customization program much like Harley-Davidson's CVO bikes and I believe this is one of the works seen here. It is one sharp motorcycle though.
Unfortunately I was in Richmond today, and as noted could not make the show. However, I did see some bikes today-had it in my head to check out a few, and got to see some bikes of interest. That will be the feature of my next post. Do appreciate Phil sending me these fine photos though!