May-Motorcycle riding in the Spring of 2012
Motorcycle season is in full swing; and this is one of the best times of the year to ride. Not too hot, certainly not too humid, and the bikes are out all over. While many of us ride all year long (which is possible to do in North Carolina, at least the Southern part of it) this season is certainly a lot better. There are also a lot of group rides happening and of course many bike nights are cranking up. The rest of the motorcycle racing season is starting up too, with MotoGP underway, and many other forms of motorcycling. There is also just the sheer joy of riding-and I have been to some interesting places which I am pleased to share with you below.
Took a ride in North Carolina on two days in a row- almost a 50 mile ride on Saturday April 7, and a Sunday ride- a bit over 50 miles, on Easter Sunday. Photo at right was the Easter Sunday ride, went sort of early and rode through Kannapolis, NC (making a visit to the ballpark where the Kannapolis Intimidators play) and riding out to Landis, NC and China Grove (which is the photo at right). A very nice little town, it was pretty close to dead quiet on Easter Sunday. That makes for a great time to ride, early on Sunday mornings; traffic tends to be real light. I like that, makes for some comfortable riding, and you can really put the "cruise in the cruiser". Sometimes you just want to get out and enjoy some good riding via some great backroads, and I got to enjoy some great backroads both days. Been spending a lot of rides (especially last month) in Charlotte, NC and that is a fun place to ride, but in the Spring there is nothing like a good ride in the country, and I enjoyed these rides.
In case you did not know, I love aviation, in fact I have noted (as have many pilots) that riding has a lot in common with flight (and the Wright Brothers and Glenn Curtiss both used a lot from what they learned from bicycles and motorcycles respectively in building their planes). Watched this Piper Cub (or Piper Cub replica) flying at Goose Creek Airport. In fact, a biplane was also doing touch and goes at the airport located on the very scenic and curvy Lawyers Road (just outside of Stallings, NC). This was a very good part of a very fun ride; as you can see the skies were clear blue, and the temperature was perfect if a little warm for this time in the Spring.
A great week off from April 15-22 and got in some really nice rides. Got in a good ride with a friend (a full 140 miles for the day) to the Revolutionary War battlefield at Kings Mountain, NC. That was quite a ride on a very breezy day. I got in a very fine solo ride around University City. I also got a ride in with my friends in the Charlotte Vulcan Riders (one of the chapters of the VRA) and enjoyed that a great deal. I don't get to ride with those guys often enough-it was fantastic! As for the bike at right, its a BMW R1200RT which I got to check out at Eurosport Asheville during a trip to the mountains. I also got to see (for the first time the new K1600 (with the in-line six) and also the S1000RR (though had seen that before). Nice dealership and a great time in Asheville, NC which is a wonderful place. We also visited Lake Lure, NC. Beautiful place (and have ridden both of those areas many times before. Do note-a number of signs are up that Lake Lure will be enforcing noise limits for motorcycles; not banning them (as many communities in the US are doing) but if you are too loud, you could be ticketed and fined. Loud pipes may save lives, but they also can get you some substantial tickets in a lot of communities. Loud bikes are made to get attention, will congratulations; it is working. Unfortunately, it may not be quite what was intended or expected.
Motorcycle News, Views and the Occasional Rant
Been doing some reading on Motus Motorcycles which is moving on plans to bring out its two models of American made motorcycles. The bikes are very pricey being beyond $30,000 but are powered by a 1650cc liquid cooled V-4. The engine was designed by Pratt and Miller which is headquartered in Michigan (which also has a division in Mooresville, NC....called Corvid Technologies. Pretty high tech company, and the engine puts out around 165 hp for the "cheaper" (a bit over 30K) version, and 185hp for the "R" version (around $36K). The have started a dealer network; one of which will be Motus Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, and the other Redline Performance in Yorktown, VA. I visit both cities and hope to see the bikes in the near future. Read that they may come out in the fall, as 2013 models. Motus Motorcycles in headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.
Willie G. Davidson, grandson of founder William A. Davidson, and the head of design at Harley-Davidson is retiring after 49 years with the company. He will still be found at some bike rallies and some HD events in the years to come. Willie G is 78 years old and was one of the 13 who purchased Harley-Davidson back from AMF and basically got the company back on firm footing. His retirement will take effect on April 30, 2012.
Wonderful story on the heroes welcome given Cpl Garrett Carnes, USMC who returned to his hometown of Mooresville, NC on April 20 from a hospital in Maryland where he has been recovering from the loss of much of his legs in a roadside bombing explosion in Afghanistan. He rode into town on the back of his father's motorcycle and with a 150 motorcycle escort from the Patriot Guard Riders. The bikers had escorted Cpl Carnes from Virginia, and thousands of people were on hand to greet and salute him as he rode into town.
Not really news, but learned that MV Agusta was founded on February 12, 1945 from the former aviation business of the company. That history also continues as a helicopter firm in Italy today. As for the motorcycle firm, still producing motorcycles-it was purchased for a short time by Harley-Davidson, and then sold back to the owners. As with many of the Italian firms, they make motorcycles famous both for their power and their beauty.
This is news though, read that Ducati, another great Italian motorcycle company which was founded in 1926, has been sold to Audi AG (which is part of the Volkswagen group) for a reported $1.1 billion dollars. Ducati has been on a roll the last few years, the racing program has been successful on most levels, and sales have been increasing. They have put out some great new models including the 1199 Panigale S (and just the straight Panigale with a lower price), the Monster line, their Multistrada (built for the road and off road) and the Diavel (which is their take on what a cruiser should be....interestingly saw my first one on the road a couple of weeks ago on the way back to Richmond from North Carolina).
As noted above, greatly enjoyed my ride with the Charlotte Vulcan Riders. Tough for me to be an "active" member as rides and events the club holds (they do a lot of charity work as well) don't often match up with my times back with my family in North Carolina (I don't go home every weekend) but was able to be on the club's first ride in 2009, and have been able to make a few more. Most motorcycle brands have groups that ride together, Harley Owners Group has HOG, but Yamaha has Star Riders Club, of course Kawasaki has Vulcan Riders Club (all are independent groups, a group of riders started the Charlotte club as noted in 09), and I know BMW has active rider groups as well, as does Honda (especially for the Gold Wing riders). Its a great way to get out with a group and do some really interesting and fun events. Check with your local bike shops, or in many cases information can be found on the internet...and get out and ride!
Rides, Events, Shows, Gatherings and Items of Interest
A very nice Carolina museum is the American Classic Motorcycle Museum in Asheboro, NC. It has a fine collection of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and best of all, admission is free. There is a gift shop and diner on the site as well. Also worth a visit is the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, NC. The museum charges admission but offers a remarkable collection of many classic motorcycles, most of which are in running condition (and its not uncommon to hear some of them run during a tour). As a bonus both areas where the museums are located offer some fantastic riding. For more information check out their websites.
A very favorite event of mine, the Carolina Classic Motorcycle Show will be held at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC on May 12, 2012, from 9am-3pm. Admission is $5 but that also gives you in addition to a great show of motorcycles from 1900-1990 but also one of the finest train museums that I have ever seen (and I have seen a few). I will see you there at this one!
The Myrtle Beach Bike Rally will be held May 18-28 at Myrtle Beach. The city has taken steps over the last few years to discourage this event; though it seems that has toned down a great deal since the economy has soured over the last few years (imagine that).
The Atlantic Beach Bike Rally will be held (also at Myrtle Beach) May18-28. This is a change which extends the dates previously, and matches th HD Rally dates above.
One of my favorite motorcycle events, Hog Happenin which is held in Lincolnton, NC will happen this year June 1-2, 2012. No admission charge, its a bbq festival/contest, and the town also has it has a major motorcycle event with the town closed off except to motorcycles. There are also bands, food and beverages, and the riding in the area is some of the best in the state of North Carolina. I hope to be there this year!
The Antique Motorcycle Show will be held in Gold Hill, NC on June 30, and it is a really neat event in a very cool place. Happens to be one of the original sites where gold was found in the US (and site of one of the first gold rushes in the US). Included with some really interesting motorcycles are some very nice buildings (old ones) and a look at one of the gold mine shafts. This event is also free, and has another bonus-riding there is a really nice ride. Highly recommended, and I hope to be there this year.
More events will be coming soon. Always on the hunt for Virginia events and will be listing some of them here. Be sure to always check with event web sites for changes in dates, times, for pricing (if any) and other information you might need.