Vintage motorcycle enthusiasts will gather up their goggles and waxed-cotton jackets this October to attend the annual Barber Vintage Festival at the Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama. “It’s probably one of the most unique vintage motorcycle events in the country right now,” said Jeff Ray, executive director of Barber Motorsports Museum. “This will be our 15th … [Read more...] about Barber Vintage Festival to celebrate classic cycles
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride: Sharp dressed men riding for a cause
Of all the sensations felt while riding a motorcycle, perhaps the oddest was the flapping of my sport coat and necktie as I rumbled my way to the start of the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. The gleaming white-pearl and chrome Victory Kingpin, borrowed from a friend just for the occasion, rumbled happily down the autumn highway to the staging area as I wrestled to keep … [Read more...] about The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride: Sharp dressed men riding for a cause
Tri-City Touring: A dozen reasons to ride East Tennessee
A bolt of lightning strikes the ridgetop as a thunderstorm stalls atop Sam’s Top, which is part of the towering border between North Carolina and Tennessee. The churning clouds and hazy mountains blur together with a faint glimpse of sunshine in the gap between sky and earth. I notch the bike’s windscreen to its highest position and decide to forego stopping to put on rain … [Read more...] about Tri-City Touring: A dozen reasons to ride East Tennessee
Hot Springs: A Strange Attraction Secluded in Western NC
Something about the secluded valley draws them here, as it has for millennia, to the confluence of Spring Creek and the French Broad River, to where a rare hot spring emerges from the earth and ancient man painted symbols on rocky cliffs, to where paws, hoofs and feet formed the great Appalachian Trail. Some locals half-jokingly refer to it as “the vortex,” and today’s … [Read more...] about Hot Springs: A Strange Attraction Secluded in Western NC
Notes from the Road
A change of seasons arrives, bringing new adventures as the mountains’ green cloak fades. My mesh jacket trades closet space with my favorite leather one. Autumn vanquishes those excuses not to ride as the summer heat diminishes and the afternoon thunderstorms relent from what seems like a rigidly scheduled 4 p.m. downpour. For a few more months I won’t have to face winter’s … [Read more...] about Notes from the Road
