Tag Archives: yamaha
The SR500 Chronicles 1
Late in 2023 I picked up an old 1978 Yamaha SR500 and started working on it and chronicling the build over at my YouTube channel. As a result of such extensive posting on YouTube this blog has been kind of ignored to remedy that situation I’m going to start sharing my videos here. I hope you enjoy them as I have a lot of videos in this series to share with you. In addition to the SR500 I have a 1983 Honda Interceptor 750 that I bought cheap and got running extremely well also. As of today 8/7/24, the Interceptor is as done as I want it but work on the Yamaha continues.
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2nd Annual Rails & Roads Show Results!
Now that the 2nd Annual Rails & Roads Show is in the history books it’s time for me to let those of you who weren’t able to make it or stay to the end what happened.
Last year we didn’t have any Kawasaki motorcycles at all but this year Team Green was well represented by some fantastic machinery including an H1R road racer
First I’d like to thank everyone who came out & brought a bike. Second I’d like to thank our generous sponsors & door prize donors;
1. The Motorcycle Law Group
2. Carolina Honda
3. T&T Distributing
4. Grainger
5. Bryan Bentley (Swamp Fox Motorcycle Restoration)
Over 300 people cast ballots for their favorite motorcycles in each category this time. Thank to all of you as well. Some of you may have noticed that on show day I was a little bit sick as I’m suffering from a sinus infection that made speaking and thinking difficult so I apologize if I made a mistake or 2 . Without any further ado let’s get to the results of this years show.
Class 1; American
In the right of the photo above is our third place winner, the 1989 Harley Davidson FLHTCU of Glenn Black. On the left side of the photo is the Second place winning 1977 Harley Davidson XLCR owned by Keith Seymour. First place went to the stunning red 1952 Harley Davidson K model that belonged to Carl Senne shown in the center above. Unfortunately no Indians ,Popes or Excelsior Hendersons made the show this year.
Class 2; British/European
Last year this class had a good mix of iron from across the pond, but this year only 1 Moto Guzzi showed up to stave off the British domination of the class. Third went to Ben Doar’s 1966 BSA Thunderbolt. In second place was the 1969 BSA Thunderbolt of Scott & Robin Dials. First place went to the bike featured above, an immaculate 1928 BSA Sloper owned by Robin & Scott Dials.
Class 3; Japanese 1-200cc
This tends to be my favorite class probably because I own at least 4 or 5 small displacement machines. Third place went to Gene Morgan and his 1983 Yamaha MX100. Everybody loves a Honda CT70 and Dan Mcqueen took 2nd place with his very nice 1973. First place went to bike pictured above, the exquisitely restored 1965 Honda CB160 belonging to Bryan Bently
Class 4; Japanese 201-600cc
Folks I have a confession to make, I really screwed up this class & that’s why you see 2 pictures above. It was hot that day, and if you were there you know that I was sick but there really was no one that I could hand my responsibilities off to. A serious clerical error was made while I was in a fog of antihistamines & borderline heat stroke. I was so excited to see the Hercules & it’s Wankel engine that when I asked the displacement the owner said it was 300cc, so my fevered brain stuck it into the Japanese medium size class. Hercules is an orphan brand but it’s a German brand not Japanese. Even so the results of the voting will stand & I’m not going to change a thing, just wanted you to know how a German built motorcycle wound up winning a Japanese class. My apologies to anyone who is upset with me & I shall endeavor to do a better job in the future.
At any rate class 4 finished up like this third place went to the fantastic Kawasaki H1 of Chip Tucker. In second place was the fantastic 1971 Kawasaki H1 of Mike Mcsween, (see above) In first place was the 1975 Hercules of Ryan McKeitham
Class 5; Japanese 601cc & up
These are the big boys, and there were some truly heavy hitters at the Rails & Roads Show this year. No Kawasakis were present last year but this year they made up for it with a vengeance.
3rd place in this class went to Kent Mangold’s 1979 CB750. 2nd place went to Chip Tucker and his gorgeous 1975 Kawasaki Z1B. Chip also took home the first place trophy with his 1983 Kawasaki KZ1000 Eddie Lawson Replica.
Class 6; The Motorcycle Freak Show
Open to any truly custom motorcycle from anywhere this years class had winners from 3 different countries. From China was the Hardknock Kikker of Mike Krenger in 3rd place. From England came the 1969 Triumph TR6 of Steve Pope and the 1st place trophy went to well done Bratstyle 1972 Honda CB350 owned by Dave Mims
Last years best of show winner was a highly customized Honda but this year it went to the beautiful old 1928 BSA that won the British /European class. I’d like to thank the Dials for bringing it to the Rails & Roads Show, and we hope to see you again next year.
Let’s not forget the important part, we were able to present the South Carolina Railroad Museum with $501 in donations to go towards their operational expenses. And we are making plans for 2019 but are planning to move the event a little deeper into the fall to hopefully avoid the scorching hot temperatures next year.
Restoration in progress at the SC Railroad Museum
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Dear American Flat Track, I Dare You
Dear American Flat Track.
I have a dare for you, in fact I double dog dare you. Invite owners of original 1980s vintage Honda RS750s to pull them out of mothballs, remove the damn restrictor plates and race mano-mano against the Indians.
Honda RS750 Flat Tracker
Harley couldn’t beat them without the AMA crippling them. Guess why I’m not an AMA member & never will be. Damn straight I hold a grudge forever. I had actually quit following flat track racing after I realized that I really wasn’t the Harley fan boy that I was pretending to be, and realized just how harshly & unfairly the Honda teams were being treated so I kind of just said, “fuck this bullshit,” and walked away. Apparently I wasn’t the only one because the series ratings tanked and it changed hands a few times, and quite frankly became minor league single brand racing.
Then I think it was in 2010 when I opened up a copy of Cycle World & read that Joe Kopp had won a major flat track race on a Ducati of all things. Digging into the story it turns out the new owners of the series were allowing motorcycles built around street bikes to compete against the ancient but well developed XR750 Harleys. And even better than that the competition was fairly equal, well as equal as it could be with street based motorcycle engines & frames racing against purpose built factory racers. Even Bill Werner the famous Harley racing tuner was running the Monster Energy Kawasaki team tuning a Ninja 650R. Flat track was worth following again! I actually have to give Harley Davidson credit for moving to the Street based XG750 race bikes and retiring the outdated old XR750.
But then along came Indian and now Harley like all of the other manufacturers is stuck using a true production based engine to compete against what is a completely custom built factory racing only machine. For a while I enjoyed their misery but I still have to give them credit for using XG engine.
Now let me stick the cold hard knife of truth deep into the back of the entire motorcycling press and the American Flat Track advertising staff. Everyone of you keep pushing this whole thing as an Indian versus Harley rivalry. Not really. This is an Indian walkover and in the majority of races the first bike behind the Polaris single purpose factory built racer is usually a Kawasaki Ninja 650, with the occasional KTM LC8, Ducati or Yamaha FZ07 taking it’s place.
I realize you guys think playing up this ancient history will help your rating and magazine sales. How’s that working out for you? We watch Fans Choice or read the results on the web or in the magazines. We see the truth. You keep writing headlines like Harley & Indian are running neck & neck when nothing could be further from the truth. All the other bikes are just competing to see who has the fastest production bike based racer behind the Polaris Indian factory race bikes. All of you have lost credibility with us because the race records never match your stories.
A perfect example of this is in Cycle World issue 1 2018. Kevin Cameron interviewed Bill Werner about his time as a flat track tuner & never once mentioned his time tuning the Kawasaki 650 Ninja. No wonder the rag has morphed into a quarterly hipster art rag like Iron and Air. Same for the rest of the once great publications, no loyalty to their fan base and a marketing strategy stuck firmly in 1994.
Here’s a hint for you, the Boomers are checking out and Gen X is taking over. In high school we didn’t drool over Harleys, for us it Interceptors, GSXRs, and Ninjas that we dreamed of. We expected our Jap bike magazines to be Jap bike magazines. We didn’t mind you reporting on the heavy cruisers but leave the serious “Murican Motorsickle” propaganda to publications like American Iron & Easyrider. Also no more headlines about Indian Versus Harley where you don’t even mention the Kawis, KTMs, & Yamahas that usually come in between the two. It just makes you into liars plain & simple.
Here’s my final statement; I’d pay good money to see an old Honda RS750 pulled out of mothballs, the restrictor plates removed, tuned by the best mechanics & ridden by the best riders the Honda Racing Corporation can provide, running a few races just to show the world how it’s really done. I bet you a hundred bucks it would win.
American Flat Track meet the The Mighty RS750
PS Dear American Flat Track, I don’t want you to make the Indians slower, you just need to let the other teams make their bikes faster. Oh yeah the Fans Choice TV broadcasts are terrific. Thank you for them. Please don’t let it get too boring again.
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1st Annual Rails & Roads Motorcycle Show
The 2017 Rails & Roads Motorcycle Show was held yesterday and here are the results.
Before I dive into the numbers and pictures let me say thanks to all that came out to support the show, and to Tom McGrath’s Motorcycle Law Group who provided the trophies for the show.
I’d also like to acknowledge those who provided swag & door prizes, especially Carolina Honda in Columbia S.C. for the helmet & gloves that they provided. Thank you so much.
Rails & Roads Motorcycle Shoe door prizes
We gave out awards in 5 classes. We had trophies for 7 but no one with Kawasaki or a Suzuki showed up ( I guess they were afraid of all the Hondas ). Even so we still had at least 25 or 30 bikes in the show itself. All voting was done strictly by people choice and here are the results;
1st place American
Class 1 American
2nd place went to a gentleman named Tony (last name escapes me) and his beautiful ’96 Harley Davidson Road King.
1st place went to Mark Fisher who brought out his wonderful 1947 Indian Chief pictured above.
1st Place in the European/British Class
Class 2 European/British
3rd place went to Daniel Horn with his original unrestored ’72 BSA Victor 250
2nd place went to Doug Parker & the very nice 77 Moto Guzzi Convertible that he rode to the show.
1st place went to Mark Fisher and the absolutely stunning 1952 Vincent Black Shadow shown at the beginning of this section.
1st Place Winner Honda.
Class 3 Honda This was the largest class with machinery ranging from 1964 all the way up to 1989.
3rd place went to Bryan Bentley and his 1964 C102 Cub.
2nd place went to Todd Brown & his wicked looking ’80 CB750SS Cafe Racer.
1st place went to Donald Wiseman & the well restored ’73 CL350 shown above.
1st Place Winner Yamaha
Class 6 Yamaha
3rd place went to Tony Berry and his 1979 XS1100
2nd place went to Bryan Bentley and his little 2 stroke 1969 Y5
1st place went to Donald Wiseman who brought his unrestored original 1973 TX500 in the image above.
1st Place winner in the Freak Show
Class 7 The Freak Show; while mainly intended as a custom class it was also used as a catch-all class for orphaned Japanese makes as well.
2nd place went home with Mark Krengel & his Kikker 5150 Bobber
1st place was claimed by Jerry Cole who brought the fantastic little bike in the above picture a 1972 Hodaka Wombat 125.
Best of the Rails & Roads Motorcycle Show
The voting for this trophy was a tight race between two black motorcycles. My gut instinct told me that just like in the ’50s the only thing that would beat a Vincent was another Vincent. But when all the votes were counted Best of Show went to the stunning 1980 Honda CB750SS of Todd Brown. Featuring an upside down fork & other serious upgrades, including custom wire wheels (Honda’s funky old Comstars are stock on these bikes) it was a truly tasty custom. The best part of all? He rode it to the show and it sounds as good as it looks.
Best Of Show 2017!
We’re really happy to report that we were able to raise $175 dollars that was donated to the S.C. Railroad Museum to help with the upkeep of the museum and its rolling stock.
We made a few missteps, adapted on the fly, learned some lessons and we plan to return to Winnsboro S.C. next year with an even bigger better Rails & Roads Motorcycle Show presented by the VJMC of The Carolinas.
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The Rightsizing of the Motorcycle Industry
Rightsizing of the Motorcycle Industry
As I drove around last Saturday to hand out flyers and solicit door prizes for the upcoming Rails and Roads Vintage Motorcycle Show (September 16th 2017 in Winnsboro SC) I stopped at a few dealerships and a few independent shops. In all places the welcomes were warm, but I noticed something very strange. In most cases there was almost no one in the stores besides the employees. When I worked at my local Honda dealership, every Saturday was a madhouse; an empty store on a Saturday was unheard of. It must have been inevitable that after decades of main stream success that it may be time for a rightsizing of the motorcycle industry.
Of course the recent news that Harley Davidson was going to layoff some production workers was something no one could have imagined 10-15 years ago. Before that Polaris announced the shuttering of their Victory motorcycle brand. The one bright spot in the market for Polaris is the success of the Indian brand that merged the solid technology of the Polaris company with an old legendary American brand name.
It’s not just cruisers, sport bike sales are off too. All across the market things are not as exciting as they used to be. The big 4 Japanese manufacturers are fortunate enough to have the ATV & side X side UTV market to keep them going, but even that segment has been affected by the tightening of the consumers spending habits. And this seems to be a global slide as the Nikkei Asian Review recently published an article entitled “The Motorcycle Becoming Thing of the Past.” According to this article, motorcycle sales in Japan are only 11% of what they once were. It’s sad to think that motorcycling is going away in the country that proved to the world that it was possible to build reliable, oil tight, powerful & lightweight motorcycles.
The bright spot in the world market for motorcycles is the increasing demand in India where according to the Times of India demand for 500cc and up motorcycles has increased at a 23% calculated annual growth rate from 2014 to 2017. This has led to a number of large players building factories there to pry some of this lucrative business away from Bajaj & Enfield.
Another happy trend is the vintage motorcycle industry. Although it is in very real danger of falling victim to the same over-exposure & over-saturation as the “American Chopper” crowd from a few years ago, right now the demand for genuine vintage motorcycles whether restored or customized in either the “café racer or “Bratstyle,”is extremely high. Now when you buy that old Japanese 4 or even small displacement twin you have to pay real money for it, if you don’t someone else will. A lot of motorcycle manufacturers have noticed this trend and now offer ready to ride retro style machines to allow you to experience the joy of vintage motorcycling without the misery of actually restoring a vintage motorcycle.
But the motorcycle companies are not the only ones that suffer from a soft demand for motorcycles, the Touratech company makers of some of the finest accessories for the adventure touring market filed for bankruptcy protection this year. This is yet another symptom of the rightsizing of the motorcycle industry. According to the Touratech U.S.A. blog operations will continue as normal during the company’s reorganization.
Motorcycle magazines are another thing hit hard by the rightsizing of the motorcycle industry. The audience is fickle even when times are booming it’s tough for publishers. Two of my all-time favorite motorcycle magazines came & went during the nineties at the height of the motorcycling boom in the U.S. The Old Bike Journal was one and the other was Twistgrip. Both of them came and went pretty quickly, The Old Bike Journal lasted longer because it had a broader audience, but both of these publications came and went during relatively good times.
Recently on Facebook, Buzz Kanter the publisher of American Iron Magazine shared his thoughts on the state of the industry giving some examples of how tough it is to survive and thrive in today’s market. I am going to share his exact words with you in the succeeding paragraphs. (Yes he generously granted permission for all to share them.)
“Call it Industrial Darwinism if you wish. But the business world is really all about the survival of the fittest. I have questioned for a few years how the motorcycle industry could support so many manufacturers, distributors and magazines. I now believe we are about to have a serious shift and downsizing.
I predict a growing number of changes in the motorcycle industry in the next year or so.
Too many motorcycle-industry businesses are over finanically over leveraged and will not be able to carry the debt. Others seem to be poorly managed. But others look healthy, creative and sustainable.
I expect more consolidation of big name motorcycle industry brands, some companies going out of buisness, and a very significant reduction of motorcycle magazines.
Paisano (Easyriders Magazine, V-Twin Magazine, Wrench Magazine, Road Iron Magazine) has announced they are folding all their motorcycle magazines except Easyriders, which they are reducing from 12 to 9 or 10 issues a year.
Bonnier (Cycle World Magazine, Motorcyclist Magazine, Hot Bike Magazine, Baggers Magazine, Sport Rider Magazine, etc) has been cutting back on their magazines’s sizes and frequencies. They just announced they are folding Sport Rider, and I expect more radical cuts in staff and product there.
So what does this all mean? I believe the motorcycle industry is ripe for a “rightsizing” where there will be a rebalancing of supply and demand. As demand for motorcycles, motorcycle parts and motorcycle services continue to decline, so does the financial support of those who serve these markets.
We at the growing family of American Iron media (American Iron Magazine, American Iron Garage, American Iron Salute, and American Iron Power magazines, plus our growing on-line operations) are working hard to understand and react to these changes with strategic and creative ways. We’d like to thank everyone involved with the amazing world of motorcycles for your support as we move ahead into the future.
If you have read this far, I’d appreciate your reaction and suggestions, also please feel free to share this post.”
This is sobering stuff from an acknowledged industry leader. The cuts at Bonnier especially bug me because Cycle World is the only one I subscribe to and is the current home of my favorite motorcycle writer of all times Kevin Cameron, but time and the economy march on relentlessly so we must all adapt or die.
Now this all sounds like a lot of gloom and doom, but there could be a lot of positives to the rightsizing of the motorcycle industry. As motorcycling has grown and become more mainstream the many of the long time hardcore motorcycle enthusiasts (especially American motorcycle loyalists) have resented being taken for granted and seemingly being pushed aside as the dealers and motorcycle companies ran chasing after the hordes of trend followers who saw motorcycles as cool fashion accessories to be discarded when the next big thing comes along.
Another advantage is that the companies that survive the rightsizing will be more competitive and have a sounder financial footing for the future. I just hope the ones that do can produce products that I like and still stay in business.
Part of the problem with the motorcycle industry is enthusiasts like me, people with eclectic tastes in motorcycles that no one else but me really wants. The problem with modern motorcycling for me is there are so few motorcycles available that I would have. The short list in order by desirability is;
- Triumph Bonneville Street Twin (Yes the 900cc version I’d never miss the other 300cc.)
- Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer or Bobber (I prefer the Roamer with its chrome and 19” front wheel)
- Honda CB1100 (This bike can do no wrong and would actually be my first choice for a cross country ride, it just blends into the background too easily.)
- Honda Africa Twin (Only adventure bike I’d want)
- Royal Enfield Bullet (Love the style, riding position etc. but I’d have to keep a Honda in the garage next to it, you know just in case.)
a real 2012 Royal Enfield Bullet
Look at this list other than the Triumph does anybody else want one? I must not want one too badly either, the newest bike I own is a scooter an 01 Honda Helix, the next newest one is a 1980 CB650, & the others are from 1964, 1971 & 1972. Too many people bitch on the internet about what they want but when someone builds it they don’t go buy it. I plead guilty as charged to that. Prices are too damn high, income is down, and my 37 year old ratbike is just as roadworthy & reliable as anything I can buy.
This friends leads to the real reason for the “rightsizing of the motorcycle industry”, the customers just aren’t buying. There are a million reasons why not. In my case personally it’s the value of what you get versus what you pay. I can sign the line and get any motorcycle I want, but quite frankly to me they’re not worth the cost. Others just simply don’t see anything new that they want even though they don’t mind spending the money. Plus many vintage bikes especially the Japanese ones are damn near as reliable as anything made today for a fraction of the cost once they get fettled properly. Combine this with a general decline in interest in the experience of driving by younger people it’s easy to see why the industry as a whole is downsizing. The customers just aren’t buying.
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Destination Eustis 2016 Motorcycle Show
Friday at the Destination Eustis 2016 Motorcycle Show
There wasn’t really a lot going on yet when I rolled into the Destination Eustis 2016 Motorcycle Show early on Friday March 4th. So I went ahead and set up my base camp for the weekend. To stretch my budget this year, instead of staying in a hotel I decided to sleep on an air mattress in the back of the enclosed trailer. This actually made a decent camping arrangement as a simple tent heater kept it nice and cozy on the cool early spring nights.
Afterwards I went digging around the swap meet just to see what was there. I didn’t take as many pictures this year because I had an actual shopping list of parts that are needed for two very different bikes, one a 45 cubic inch Flathead Harley and the other a Honda CT70 Mini Trail. Didn’t find much for the mini but there were a couple of vendors that had some good deals on parts for the Flattie.
One of the absolute coolest things there was this little Model T replica for sale. The seller drove it around all over the place, and I hope some happy person took it home.
Other than a little shopping I just hung around the main exhibition hall and offered my meager assistance to the really hard working folks in the VJMC who were getting everything ready for the show on Saturday. Once darkness had fallen and supper was over it was time to retire to my little campsite and knock back a brew before turning in.
Saturday at the Destination Eustis 2016 Motorcycle Show
Fresh perked coffee early in the morning, sitting in a chair outside while cooking breakfast over a camp stove. The only way it could have gotten any better would be if my lovely partner had been there with me, but alas she had to work.
After making myself reasonably presentable it was time to head over to the main hall again and watch as the neat old bikes filed in to register for the show. Rather than trying to post them individually I put a few of them in a slideshow for you.
There were of course a few extra special bikes that really stood out and demonstrated that even though this may be one of the smaller “Bike Week” events it attracts some really high caliber machinery.
First up is an ultra rare Flying Merkel, who doesn’t enjoy seeing an old timer like this in good running order?
There have been a lot of custom cafe racer or muscle-bike style custom Goldwings showing up on the internet and it was great to see this wild ‘Wing show up to take home 1st place in the custom class.
No vintage motorcycle show is complete without at least one classic American racer, and the stunning Indian flat tracker fits the bill perfectly.
The Best Of Show award went to my friend Mike, who brought this absolutely immaculate 1975 Kawasaki Z1B. He restored this bike himself from a rusty derelict. Look for more pictures of this one in the next week or two.
One of the best things about going to a VJMC organized show is the fact that the judging is done by audience voting. This makes results almost completely unpredictable, and does away the bullshit & hurt feelings that result from selection by a panel of judges. I’d also like to acknowledge the hard work of the Vintage Motorcycle Alliance, they run the swap meet and set up the vendor areas and without them and the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club, this event would not be what it is.
Click here to learn more about the Vintage Motorcycle Alliance
Click here to learn more about the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club
Until next time, Peace Y’all
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The 2015 Bull City Rumble
The 2015 Bull City Rumble
Every year for the last 11 years during the Labor Day weekend holiday the club Ton Up North Carolina has been hosting a great multiday event for vintage motorcycle enthusiasts in Durham North Carolina. The main focus is on vintage café racer styled customs, restorations, competition bikes, and vintage scooters. Ever since I discovered this event three years ago the Saturday bike show has been permanently added to my calendar.
One of the great things I love about this event is the fact that every year at least one really oddball custom will show up. The top motor freak at this year’s show was a diamond plate covered Goldwing that had everyone scratching their heads.
This being a café racer club there was plenty of fine British & European iron on display including an original unrestored 1983 Triumph TSS with electric start.
Numerous Moto Guzzi motorcycles were on hand such as this T3 and this old Ambassador
I can’t tell you exactly which one of the two it was but one of these immaculate AJS machines that won best of show, both look so pristine I don’t think it matters
Fellow VJMC member Mike McSween was showing his terrific pair of restored vintage Kawasaki road racers with his 1971 H1R 500, number 56 in the picture taking home first place. The other green jewel in the picture is his 1972 H2 750 triple.
Anytime I get within a mile of a Vincent I have to take its picture. Even though I am normally a Japanese bike fanatic, Vincents like this 1952 model really are my ultimate dream machine. Perhaps one day…
The award for the best Japanese motorcycle went to this highly detailed & wonderfully conceived CX500 Honda.
No matter what angle it is viewed from the artistry & talent of the builder is just amazing.
Until 2014 there was no class for American motorcycles and while this was still the smallest class it did attract some high quality equipment including a 1950’s vintage Indian and this fine looking Harley Davidson J model.
I must confess that when the American class was first introduced that I and a couple of others had mixed feelings about it. We feared that an influx of the so called American bikers would destroy the character of this event and make it into yet another chrome, mullet, & tattoo show for us (and our fat wallets) to stay away from. Fortunately this has not happened so far. I was there for nine hours this year and only heard one person make a disparaging remark about the motorcycles with superior engineering, handling & reliability. Since she was blonde I’ll forgive her for not having the intellectual acumen to understand that some of us view our motorcycles as something more than just a two wheeled “Members Only” jacket.
It was great having Rommel Harley Davidson there as a sponsor and I really enjoyed checking out the new Street 750 demo trailer that they had set up. Check it out on the video below at the bottom of the page.
Other motorcycles at the show that I really liked included this very tasteful black Suzuki café racer. These late 70’s & early ‘80s Suzuki cycles don’t get nearly the love from restorers or customizers that they should, even though they were probably the best all-around motorcycles of that time period.
If you love vintage turbo bikes there were a Yamaha Seca & a Honda CX parked side by side on the street.
Everywhere you looked there was a good selection of vintage & retro machines, fine people, good eats, and plenty of excitement, and I am already planning to return next year. Check out the Ton Up NC website at http://tonup-nc.blogspot.com/ for more information.
I took so many pictures at the 2015 Bull City Rumble that I decided to put the best of the rest into a slide show.
Here’s the youtube video that I made of the event. Watching this is probably the best way to get an idea of the scope of this event.
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The 2015 National Bikers Roundup
Last weekend one of our local county council members & I took in a visit to the Darlington Dragway, our goal was to get an overview of the 2015 National Bikers Roundup and show all of the locals who were unnecessarily anxious about the presence of a large group of African-American bikers in our community. Folks, even at the Memorial Day Bikefest, the bikers are not the problem. The National Bikers Roundup organization, rented the venue, got all of the necessary permits, coordinated with local law enforcement, and had more than adequate event staff on hand to keep everything rolling smoothly. We had a blast check out the video & the pictures below!
I’m not going to write a lot in this post as I’d just be repeating a lot of what I’ve already said in the video.
Peace Y’all
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The 2015 VJMC National Rally Day 2
It is the end of the second day of the 2015 VJMC National Rally, and a little rain is falling from a passing thunderstorm this evening but for most of the day the weather was beautiful and the group rides went off without a hitch.
We all had a great time on a various rides to various different places in the mountains. My wife and I actually followed the tiddler group up to the Sugarland visitors center, after a brief visit to the museum we proceeded to the Metcalfe Bottoms picnic area where we had a nice lunch.
In the meantime the convention center continues fill up with an ever increasing assortment of nice bikes as people rolled in.
It turns out I’m not the only one who brought a 185 Suzuki.
Above is an entire row of classic Kawasakis.
Here’s a nice original XS500
After a great BBQ supper we listened to a presentation from Pete Boody the owner of Pistol Pete’s services who is restoring the prototype Goldwing serial number 2. Pete gave us a good run down of the early history of the development of the Goldwing and the difference between the prototypes, the pre-production units and the final production units.
It has been a terrific day and I do have some video footage from the ride that is up on YouTube.
Peace Y’all
Welcome to the Asylum 