Mountain Man Ride (October 26, 2009)

Got up Monday October 26, 2009 to a cold and overcast day. What was going to be a five person ride, turned into a two person ride; Steve and I headed out on the bikes to Blowing Rock, NC. Due to the road construction on NC-321 (our favorite route) we got on NC-115 and then took NC-421 to Blowing Rock. Photo at left (indeed all of these) were taken at "Grandview Overlook" on the amazing Blue Ridge Parkway. We went with a forecast of WSOC Channel 9 that rain chances were zero, was ugly looking all day long, but they were dead on with the forecast, it was perfect. As for the cold (temps in the 50's all day) being from the great midwest I was dressed for it; thats the key to a successful fall/winter ride.
We stopped at the Daniel Boone Inn for lunch, but was packed, so went back to Blowing Rock to The Canyons and ate (its right at the top of NC-321. It has great views and the prices were really great. Most mountain places to eat like to charge an arm and a leg, but they don't. I went by there on a previous visit, but did not eat, glad I got to this time...I will be back! Time was a factor this trip, so did not get to make a ride into downtown Blowing Rock itself, but did get out on the parkway. Colors were probably a bit past peak; not a lot of yellows, mostly some brown and red remaining, and a few bare trees too. One thing I like about weekday rides...light traffic.
We did see a few motorcycles (and some cars) but not the bumper to bumper weekend traffic. We also rode through Boone; another beautiful area. I was also very impressed (though a quick view) of ASU, looks like a fine school (and they normally have a kickass football team). Nice ride back to Concord, and got home near 5pm (we met up at 10am at the Texaco on Popular Tent Road). One bad deal, bike kickstand in the garage came up, and the bike went over. I caught it, but did a bit of damage to the floorboard bracket on the bike (luckily nothing else hit). Looks like Kawasaki saw that coming; looks easy to replace (though sure the price will give me pause). Still things happen, and could have been worse. Still rideable, but like to get that fixed. All else well, hope you all have safe rides; and bundle up guys!

October Rides in Concord (October 3-12)

Got back to North Carolina for a week off, arriving on a Saturday morning (October 3) and did get in a short ride around the area. Was a nice sunny day, and cool...for the first time in a long time wore a jacket and gloves. Nice to get out after a longer than usual period. I got in another ride a few days later but ended up dodging rain showers, and that was less than an hour. That is where I took this photo though of the bike and the store I came across at left. Short rides, but good ones (better short rides than no rides at all). A busy week, with a five day visit to Louisville, Ky to see family and friends, purchased a new car (2009 Nissan Versa), and went to the Panthers/Washington football game.
Was wild being back in Louisville. Kentucky and Indiana have no helmet laws, and saw a mix of people; some with helmets on, some without. South Carolina (except for Myrtle Beach, which has passed a helmet law to stop the bike rallies, currently being fought in the courts)does not either. I don't have a problem with people not wearing them, though I don't ride without one. Have a few friends who have taken serious injuries without a helmet on.
Watched Sons of Anarchy while on vacation, really like that show. It has taken some interesting twists and turns of late, also one of the most popular shows on cable. Speaking of motorcycle gangs, the Pagan Motorcycle Club has been in the news in Richmond, one of its members got killed in a police raid in the Richmond area, they had a big funeral in town (all that while I was gone).
Two new bikes have caught my eye, and will be looking at them when they hit the dealers. The first is the long awaited Honda 1200 Interceptor with the V-4 engine. It has a lot of interesting features. I also like the new Kawasaki Z-1000 which has had a major redesign. Interesting that the bike manufacturers even during this recession (or perhaps better put in spite of the recession) are putting out some very interesting motorcycles.
I am hoping in my next visit home to get a good mountain ride in, from being in the mountains (between Charlotte and Louisville is Tennessee) saw the leaves even at the highest elevations are just starting to turn. That though will soon change. Makes for some great rides in the fall of the year on the remarkable Blue Ridge Parkway, and I hope to be there soon!

Commonweath Powersports (September 26, 2009)

What is now yesterday as noted in the previous post went to both Colonial Harley-Davidson and Commonwealth Powersports which is nearby. I saw Commonwealth off in the distance. I thought it was called Burcham Cycles (thats the name on the building) but found it had changed owners when I talked to a friend from Richmond. Photo at left though was a helmet that I got a photo of at Colonial Harley-Davidson. I am a big fan of aviation (always liked aircraft and worked in the Navy in a P-3 Orion squadron) and like that helmet! Anyhow, if you go to Colonial Harley-Davidson, you can see Commonwealth Powersports from the parking lot.

It is a big dealership with some open bay doors. Like Colonial it has a lot of space, and a very good looking service department. Store was very clean, and also noted that it had a number of customers in there. That is a good sign in times like these, have noted it has been slow at most of the motorcycle dealerships during the on-going recession. Commonwealth seemed to have a lot of items for sale such as shirts, hats, jackets, boots, etc..and as my buddy (who rides a Yamaha noted) a lot of Yamaha related items. Most Japanese motorcycle stores do not sell a lot of clothing related items.
They have a lot of motorcycles, and carry Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki motorcycles. As a sort of different touch, they also have a really nice looking Corvette in there as well on display, with the original purchase window sticker! I enjoyed the visit to this store, which was a great place to spend some time when your motorcycle is some 300 miles away and its a very ugly looking day outside!

Colonial Harley-Davidson (September 26, 2009)

On a rainy, gray dreary day in Virginia, what could be better than visiting a bike shop? That was my thinking this Saturday morning when I got into the Neon (which unlike my Kawasaki Vulcan is a real POS) and drove to Colonial Harley-Davidson at 1701 Temple Parkway in Prince George, VA. The shop was easy to find (being rather huge) and having a bright orange roof as you can see in the photo at left. There were quite a few cars in the lot (but no bikes owing to the weather) which shows that great minds think alike (or at least bikers know where to go when it looks like the skies will unload any minute.
They had a really good selection of motorcycles and surprisingly even some new Buell Motorcycles. I like the Buell line (and if you have not seen the new "2010 Buell Blast" video, check it out at the Buell web site). While very innovative motorcycles (with features such as fuel in the frame, and oil in the swingarm) they have been hampered by the use of Harley-Davidson engines. Great for cruising motorcycles, but a bit lame for sportbikes. The 1125R uses a Helicon 1125 V-twin engine; fuel injected, water cooled (two radiators) designed by Rotax (who has also made motorcycle engines for BMW, Aprilia as well as small aircraft engines. That should help level the field. The bike has (according to reviews) put the Buell more into competition with other sportbikes out there.
In addition to the Buell's they also had a big line of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. I checked out some of the 2010 models, plus the shop area (very nice and well equipped), as well as the very nice customer lounge. Been to a few Harley-Davidson shops (many of my friends ride Harley and like to be near the shops on rides...I joke it is to get parts that fall off, though they are much better made than a few years ago) and really liked this one. I was greeted but not hassled and was free to wander around without being bothered which is nice. They also have a large selection of clothing and motorcycle items (I found a great helmet that I may go back for with an aviation theme. I liked this motorcycle shop.
Nearby was another shop, this one was Burcham Cycles which sells Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha motorcycles. I also visited that shop, and will comment on that visit in my very next post.

Random Monday Motorcycling Thoughts (Sept 21, 2009)

Took this photo during my last visit home, and am a few days from riding again with a trip to Concord coming up in a few days. Wandered around RideNow in Concord, NC...always interested in the new bikes coming to the market.
So far, few have come out from the Japanese, but a few are of real interest. Sounding more and more like the V-4 is the real deal, and we will be seeing that this year. From the sound of it, as is the case with previous Interceptors it will be loaded with much of Honda's new technology. Should be a most interesting motorcycle.
I have been reading some really negative comments about "electric motorcycles" at the Motorcyclist.com web site. For sure many issues remain with those bikes, but early models have been interesting. As far as performance, Mission One's electric bike (same one, or same type raced at Isle of Man in the first electric bike race) set an electric bike record with a average speed of 150.059 with a top speed of 161. That is more than respectable. I also have been following the speed records being set by the electric "KillaCycle" which is a drag bike. It has run as fast as an ET of 7.82 @174 mph. Considering the time of development, this is very impressive. More research is being done into hydrogen powered motorcycles. To me, it is less about being green (though that is a plus) but a big positive is the oil supply in the world. While gasoline prices have been moderate this year, I doubt that will be the case when (and hopefully soon) the economy takes back off. Battery technology is coming along. I have featured Zero Motorcycles model in a previous post, I think that in the upcoming future those kind of bikes will take on a greater role.
Fall starts tomorrow, which is my favorite time of year (though getting cooler, fall weather is not quite here yet) but looking forward to great rides under the multi-colored tree canopy soon to be seen around most of the US.

WS AIr Show/Hendrick Motorsports (September 12-14)

Interesting weekend which started with a stop on the way to Concord at the Winston-Salem Air Show. I had a great time there, and also saw this motorcycle there, a police bike on display. The traffic was really heavy (took the car there to the show, it was just a slight detour on the way home) but a great air show! I am a huge aviation fan (spent some time in a VP squadron in the Navy) and enjoyed seeing the planes on display and flying. Many pilots are also avid motorcyclists, you tend to see a lot of motorcycles at air shows. If you ever get the chance, check this air show out.

On Sunday, I got the motorcycle all cleaned up (removed the summer dust) and took it out for a ride. Took this photo of the freshly cleaned Vulcan Classic at Frank Liske Park in Concord, NC. I like that park and especially like those Sunday morning rides. It is a great time to get out with very light traffic as most people are either in church or reading the Sunday paper (or in the case of this Sunday, getting ready for football). Did not go far, but did enjoy a nice ride on a very comfortable Sunday morning. I am totally ready for fall to get here; great to have less heat and humidity.


On Monday, I took a more substantial ride, along with visiting some friends from work still in Concord, I got a good ride in. Along the places I visited was Hendrick Motorsports. Photo here is a mechanic working on one of Dale Earnhardt, Jr's cars (he has many to race). Always enjoy those shops, and many are located in the Concord area. Got a good distance on this ride, went even into parts of Charlotte in the course of the day.
Once again, not a great deal of distance due to the Richmond situation I am in, but some good quality and very smile inducing rides.

Looking forward to my next visit home, hoping to get a ride to the mountains soon in early October. Not only with weather conditions, but also looking for some leaves to be falling soon, have been seeing the first signs.

Back to Morrow Mountain (September 6, 2009)

Always nice to be back in Carolina, and got a really fantastic riding day on Sunday September 6, 2009. Steve (leaning against the pole, rides the red Harley Ultra Classic), Bill (in the shadow, rides the Honda Gold Wing) and though I am not in this photo, thats my Kawasaki Vulcan Classic in the middle...all rode on a beautiful Carolina Sunday. This was our lunch stop at Harmanco's in Albemarle, NC. Good place to eat, and also to watch a little motorcycle racing and a lot of football on the televisions in there. It is a favorite stop of ours during rides in that area, and we go by often. Harmanco's is known for its Cajon food which is very good.
Took this photo at the top of Morrow Mountain. Lately I have been there a great deal; I think this is my third visit in recent weeks. Always a great ride though and amazingly it was Bill's first visit to a place which draws bikers to itself like bees to honey. It is a great country ride out there, and a fantastic view. Steve took us back to Concord via some of his favorite backroads, which was a great deal of fun. I have been on some great rides with these guys and this was another in the series. Starting up there to see the first early hints of fall, with a few leaves coming down from the trees. Fall is my favorite time of year to ride and just a few more weeks away until its that time of year. Course, its still warmer than fall weather, but the humidity was down a great deal, and it was fantastic for this time of year on the mountain. Morrow Mountain is a North Carolina State Park by the way, with all sorts of things to do in addition to the great motorcycling to be found there..and best of all, its (largely) free; at least no admission charge.
I did get out for a short ride on Monday, took the motorcycle to visit a former working buddy (as are Steve and Bill by the way) and rode around Concord for a bit. Again a perfect day for a cruise out in the wind, and another fun ride, this time in town. Looking forward to the next visit home, hopefully in a few days!