On A Hot Sunday Morning in Concord, NC (July 8, 2012)

 Got out early on Sunday July 8 before the heat (which was once again over 100 degrees heat index wise later in the day) got really bad. Besides, like riding on a Sunday morning-the traffic is light, businesses are empty and the world is quiet. Thanks to my stock exhaust on the Vulcan, I do not blast my presence as I ride. Made a stop at Charlotte Motor Speedway, like to ride by and around the outside of the big track (at times I have ridden on it, which is pretty cool, they allow that from time to time) as I rode up NC-49 to Harrisburg, NC, and then up to the track. While I was in the area, I also rode out to the Concord Mills Mall, and to the Concord Regional Airport. Both of those places were quiet-though a few planes were flying. Concord Mills is the #1 tourist attraction in North Carolina (which in my opinion is sort of sad with so much to see, but it is big for sure), and the airport in Concord is one of the busiest in the state (the busiest is Charlotte-Douglas just up the road a few miles). 

Took a short ride on the way back up Union Street which has a number of really cool houses, many of which are historic. I love riding down that tree lined road. Downtown is small, but has a number of neat stores, and some good places to eat. I have a good time there, though most all of them were closed on  this Sunday morning.
For the day, ride covered some 45 miles. I got a few miles down some backroads, and enjoyed it. It will be a while before I get out again, but looks like more normal Summer weather will be in the area. I have enjoyed a nice vacation, and sure will be looking forward to the next one-but soon its back to Richmond and time to get to work again.

Victory Motorcycles and the Hot, Hot Ride (July 7, 2012)

A very hot day, Richmond, VA hit a record of 104...here in Concord it was not far from that-a very toasty day. Went for a real nice early ride down some backroads in the area before noon, but it did get warm later on really quick. Riding in this heat is like riding into a furnace-hot air is hot air even moving at speed. Made a stop during the first ride at RideNow Powersports in Concord, NC where I saw this (at left) 2013 Victory Judge. Nice looking bike and love the color of it (it also comes in black). Like the fact that if you want an American made motorcycle you now have another choice.  

 They have been making Victory Motorcycles for a few years now. At left (seen here in black) is what is known as the 8-Ball, which is the most basic Victory Motorcycle. I rode a few of them a few months ago, and they are nice motorcycles, though at the time I found the transmissions a bit "clunky". Those transmissions though do have a real long warrenty, so what is a little noise I guess? Nice looking bikes, and this model is a 2013 model, which I found out from seeing the new tank badge on the gas tank. Nice bikes, and they have quite an impressive line up, from what is called "The New American Motorcycle Company".  

Later in the day, rode out to Buffalo Wild Wings which is in Afton Village in Concord, NC (seen here in the background with my Kawasaki Vulcan in the foreground). Nice sunny day, but as I noted it was hot, hot, hot. For the last couple of weeks, temperatures have been real close (and sometimes over) the 100 degree range over a huge area of the US of A. Has made for some toasty warm riding, but riding certainly beats not riding. That said, sure glad for air conditioning at stops such as this. Went to see some former co-workers here, they gathered for a while and it was a lot of fun.
For the day, got in a total of 66 miles, the early part of the ride (before noon) was cooler, for the later (starting around 1:30, got back around 4PM with a good break in between) it was warm. Bike has held up probably better than I have in the heat over the last week or so, really has been rough, but it also has been a really good time. It is summer after all, but dealing with record breaking heat has been something else. Looking forward to more seasonable summer temperatures which are said to be on the way in the next few days.   

Road Trip To Louisville/Southern Indiana (July 1-5)

Though I traveled by car, did see a whole lot of motorcycling while I was out on the road on my way to the Louisville area. Went to visit family and friends, and have a few more photos on my "Richmond and Me" page. Seen here at a rest stop in Tennessee are a group of bikers heading to parts unknown. Neat rest stop (like the cabin added on) and saw a lot of motorcycles on the way up there. As it has been, some toasty riding, with temperatures in the 100+ range, and also some nasty storms happened while we were out there, especially in Virginia and West Virginia. Lots of power outages in those areas.   
Saw this bike below...ape hangers seem to be popular in Southern Indiana. Nice motorcycle, and of course in Kentucky and Indiana there are no helmet laws. Did see a lot of people riding with them, and also without helmets. Thought this was a very nice bike though. 

Took this photo at S+S Powersports in Clarksville, Indiana. Purchased by Honda 600 Shadow from them, since replaced by the 1500 Vulcan (which I purchased here in North Carolina) but it was a great bike. These are some classics...A Honda 750/4, Honda CB450 (dirt/road version) an original Gold Wing (when it was a big Honda without all the touring items), and a V-45 Sabre. Nice group of bikes and they all look factory fresh! Many bike shops have interesting old bikes, part of the reason I like to visit them. These though are a very fine collection. I did a lot of riding over the years in Kentuckiana, and really have enjoyed them a great deal. It is a fun place to visit, and a good place to live. Lots of good memories, and always good to come back for a visit. 

A very Hot Ride in the City (June 30, 2012)

 On June 30, got out early on the motorcycle-temperatures were expected to be well over 100 by noon, with a heat index even higher then that. A heat wave had much of the area in its grip, and that is expected to for the next few days. Rode out to Charlotte, NC, in this photo you can see some of uptown from the motorcycle, and the Time Warner Cable Arena at the right. The arena is home to a number of sporting and musical events. I always enjoy riding in the city, as there is always a number of interesting sights to see and often quite a few new things are either going up, or going on.   

This is one of the big buildings in Charlotte, I like the look of this one both from a distance and from up close looking up. Again, took this photo from the Vulcan while stopped at a red light.  Charlotte is filled with a number of interesting parks, many fine places to eat, and a lot of good events happen there. It has a great variety of neighborhoods, wards, and downtown apartments to check out. A lot of people live in Uptown Charlotte.
There are some really fine museums there, also I enjoy watching the light rail trains run. I have been to a number of sporting events, such as the NFL, NBA, ECHL hockey, and soon to be coming will be AAA Baseball. Last month Charlotte city officials agreed to kick in on the Charlotte Knights baseball stadium. It will be built near the Carolina Panthers Bank of America Stadium, and construction is planned to be finished for the start of the 2014 season. The Charlotte Knights now play in nearby South Carolina.   

I did make a short stop in North Davidson, seen here is the Dog Bar (where you can enjoy a drink with your dog) one of the many interesting places in the area. Nice part of Charlotte with a lot of nice developments. One of the earlier ones which was lost due to termites (as I remember) was the mill which was turned into apartments. That development was closed by the city. However, quite a few have sprung up since then, and the area has a lot to offer. Not bad for a rather decaying former mill town section of the city. Artists and musicians flocked to the area for the cheap rents and have turned it into one of the most interesting areas of the city.     

Gold Hill Bike Show and the "BatBike" (June 23-24)

Got into NC on Saturday morning, on Saturday afternoon went to The Gold Hill Antique Bike Show in Gold Hill, NC. I like that place, was one of the original sites in North America (starting in 1799) where gold was found and a big gold rush area developed from that. Lots of neat old buildings (though largely a recreation of that time) but you can see the old mine shaft.
As for the motorcycle, thought this was the best of the show, an old BMW. Neat thing was this was in running condition, heard the bike run, and the owner rode it back home. A very fine motorcycle. 

This was a old Yamaha 650, think it dates to the 1970s, and this is also a very fine bike. There were a lot of Harley-Davidsons, Indian's, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, Bultaco, Triumph and BSA at the show just to name a few of the bikes on hand. It was a very good show, always a real favorite of mine to visit.   After the show, rode out to a nearby airfield run by the Cabarrus R/C Club, and checked out some of the radio controlled aircraft out there. Got a photo of one of them, and my motorcycle in the background. It was a warm day, but a nice day to ride and liked getting out after a few days in Richmond, it felt good to ride.   

On Sunday June 24, went out to Huntersville, NC. Found a very neat ironworks place while out with a lot of interesting sculptures-and that included this version of the "Batbike" which I saw there. Like unique things, and there are a not of them to be found in North and South Carolina. It was a fine ride too...a bit cooler than the day before (it is summer after all) because I headed out earlier in the morning. I have a few photos of the town(s) I mention here in my "Richmond and Me" blog.
For the two days, got in 104 miles of total riding, and enjoyed the sights along the way.

Rides in the RVA (June 16-17, 2012)

Ok, on a very fine June 16 Saturday with temps in the 80's and very low humidity, I was out exploring in Richmond. It was a good day to be out in a car, but a better day to be out on a motorcycle. Take for example two guys who were riding these Harley-Davidson's to Capital Ale House on Midlothian Turnpike. Nice bikes, and enjoyed talking to them over a beer, they also are skydiving fans...which is pretty cool as I am a big fan of aviation as well as motorcycling. We had a good time, not to mention that Capital Ale House is a great place to enjoy a great variety of beer (though always in moderation!).     

Took this photo on June  17 at Forest Hill Park, where there was a (and I might mention very fine) Allman Brothers Tribute Band playing. This is a 900cc BMW Boxer twin. Called a boxer because of the opposed cylinder head design coming out of the engine at 90 degrees, this is the design of the bike for quite a few years. As of now, they still make those (rumor has it these air cooled  boxer twin bikes will be water cooled starting in 2013 though we will see) they also make a number of other bikes, including a remarkable and class leading in line four sport bike, and an inline six touring bike (both of those are water cooled).   

Finally, at the Forest Hill Farmers Market (back again on June16) I got this photo of this couple on a Kawasaki KLR. Both days as I noted were wonderful for riding....made me wish my motorcycle was in Richmond this weekend. This will be the last weekend before officially Summer is here (which happens by the way on June 20-around 11PM for the record) and that means some great riding and motorcycle events both in Richmond and in the Carolinas (both North and South) will be happening. I plan to enjoy as many of them as possible, considering that I live in both places, and hope to share them here with all of you!   

Shakedown Ride to Taste of Charlotte (June 10, 2012)

 Did some work at 24,000 miles on the Vulcan. It was time for the oil change, spark plugs (the V-twin uses four plugs) and cleaned the K+N air filter, among a few other things. Got the bike dialed in, got to check a few things on it (always a good idea, as is a good pre ride check before every ride) and it felt like a new machine on June 10 when I headed to Uptown Charlotte. Photo at left was taken there heading to "Taste of Charlotte". Funny to do that, as just the week before I was at "Broad Appetit" in downtown Richmond, VA. Fun to visit both places as I really enjoy food. The ride was great, headed there via NC49/NC29 which is a more sedate way to get to Charlotte (the other method is via I-85). More lights and a lower speed limit, but that was perfect on a Sunday near noon. Clouds were building but that kept the heat down, and there was a nice breeze. Stopped to get a photo of Rosedale (built in 1815) on the way in, which goes to show there are a few old things in Charlotte (besides me).

This is the view from Taste of Charlotte. I always enjoy going Uptown, and usually it seems on most weekends (as followers of this blog will note) there is something going on down there. Very good food fest, I liked the food and beverages there, and there was a nice (and like with the Speed Street event, fast growing) crowd on hand. I think there are normally some 75,000 that attend this if the Charlotte Observer is correct. Good food, and a lot of things to see, also music plus a number of giveaways. There was even a place to get a free haircut. I could have used that, but will do that in the next few days in Richmond.  

While I was there (this is a motorcycle blog after all) saw this Suzuki (from the name plate on the engine) which I am pretty sure is a TL-1000. Nice V-twin which is no longer made, but a pretty quick bike (Honda also had one along these lines during the same time called the "Super Hawk").
Headed back via the same route as I came up, though did make a short stop in North Davidson (aka "NoDa") which is one of the most interesting parts of Charlotte. Ride covered just around 45 miles over a two hour period, but did a bit of walking and enjoyed the sights.