Open Road Cyles

Countryside Road in Lincolnton, NC

Spring has arrived and you know what that means…good weather to get out and ride. Here are some of the upcoming events for the month of April.

April 6, 13 and 20th. Bike Night at The Naked Oyster every Tuesday night,  from 6pm – Midnight.

April 11 – NC Transportation Museum Ride. Leave OPR at 11:30 AM.

April 17 – Cruising For A Cure IV Benefit Show. Lincolnton HS 9 AM – 2 PM.

April 19th – Open Road Riderz group meeting at Open Road Cycles

For more information about the Open Road Riderz Group, please visit Openroadriderz.homestead.com

This year’s first ride will be Sunday, April 11th to the NC Transportation Museum located in Spencer. Explore exhibits of antique locomotives, rail cars, automobiles and more. Take a train ride around the N.C. Transportation Museum’s historic 57-acre site. According to the website the museum is free. If you want to take the train ride, it is $6. We will leave out from Open Road at 11:30 am. Be sure to arrive before this time with a full tank of gas and ready to go. Check out the website. http://www.nctrans.org

Open Road Cycles will be sponsoring Tuesday night Bike Nights at The Naked Oyster starting in March.

Come on out and join us at the Naked Oyster Raw Bar on Tuesday nights starting at 6pm.

Naked Oyster is located at 7913 Natalie Commons Drive in Denver, NC. Check out their MySpace page.

If you haven’t read our older post, the Toys For Tots Run is less than two weeks away. The Open Road Riderz Riding Group has done a tremendous job preparing for the event. Full Throttle Magazine has been a great help in aiding the cause and sponsoring the after event at The Naked Oyster.

Riders should remember to register at Open Road Cycles between 11am and 1pm. The run will start at 1:30pm and end up at the Naked Oyster for a BBQ meal.

Donation boxes are available around town, at The Naked Oyster and at Open Road Cycles, for anyone not attending the ride but interested in donating a toy to the Toys For Tots Marine Corp Reserve fund. Money donated will go to the Wounded Warriors fund.

Planning for the upcoming Toys for Tots run was the main discussion at last nights meeting for the Open Road Riderz Riding Group. Several issues were discussed, including event advertising, T-shirt design, the route and sponsors.

The Toys for Tots run will be on Sunday, December 6th, 2009. Registration for the event will be from 11am until 1pm at the Open Road Cycles shop in Denver, NC. The ride will leave Open Road Cycles, traveling south on Highway 16, turning west on Highway 73. The route will turn north on Highway 27 traveling to downtown Lincolnton, go 1/4 way around the court house turning onto Aspen St. (old 321) to Car Farm Rd. and travel to Highway 150 back to Highway 16. The final destination will be the Naked Oyster Raw Bar on Highway 16. The Naked Oyster will provide a meal for the riders. Entertainment for the event will be provided by two bands, one of which is tentatively the James-Younger Gang.

Attending the event were representatives of the Full Throttle magazine. Full throttle is a free magazine focusing on motorcycle riders and events. It was decided that a half page magazine ad would be purchased to appear in the magazines November issue. Two articles about the Toys for Tots run will appear in the magazine in the issues before and after the run. Full Throttle will also coordinate the after run event at the Naked Oyster raw bar in Denver NC.

Sponsors for the event are still being sought. Sponsors can make contributions in the amounts of $50, $75 and $100. Sponsors who contribute will have their logos added to the event T-shirts. Logo sizes will reflect the donation amount. T-shirts will be printed prior to the event and be given to the first 100 riders who register for the ride. The remaining T-shirts will be sold for $10 each. If you are interested in becoming a event sponsor please contact the group at openroadriderz@yahoo.com.

Proceeds for the Toys for Tots run will benefit the U.S Marines Corp Reserve Toys for Tots program and the Wounded Warrior Project. Event riders will donate $10 per bike and a unwrapped present for each participant, including passengers.

Event: Toys For Tots Run
Event Coordinators: Open Road Riderz Group
Event Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009
Event Registration: 11am – 1pm
Event Ride Start: 1:30pm
Event Start Location: Open Road Cycles, Denver NC
Event End Location: Naked Oyster Raw Bar, Denver NC

A Toys for Tots run is now being organized by the Open Road Riderz riding group. The run will be held on Sunday, December 6, 2009. The route is still in the planning stages but will most likely wind around the Lake Norman area through the towns of Denver, Mooresville and Cornelius.

Anyone interested in helping with the event or becoming a event sponsor can contact the group at openroadriderz@yahoo.com. A planning meeting will be help at Open Road Cycles in Denver, NC on Monday, October 12th at 6:15pm.

It was a great ride on Sunday, August 9, 2009. My riding buddy Bob Lieberman and I met the group at Open Road Cycles at 9:3oam. As we stood in the parking lot waiting for the others, many of us huddled in the shade of a giant billboard. The predicted high temp of the day was about 95° and we were already feeling the heat. At 10am we fired up the bikes and got underway. The wind in our faces delivered some relief from the heat as we drove up Hwy 16, then headed east through Catawba and on to Statesville where we headed north driving past Wilkesboro. Our final leg towards Laurel Springs was a glorious drive through scenic rolling hills, slowly climbing to higher altitudes and cooler temperatures.

We arrived at Station’s Inn around noon, parking our bikes in the lot across the street from the Inn. Looking around the parking lot it was obvious that we were not the first to arrive. Dozens of bikes were lined up one after the other.  We took awhile to look around before crossing the street where we sat down to enjoy lunch outside on the porch at the Inn’s restaurant. The food was good and we were happy to be under some shade drinking something cold and meeting some of the other bikers who drove in from various locations. Every couple of minutes we would look up as another group drove around the corner and pulled into the lot. A live band was scheduled to start around 2pm, but we had to get back on the road if we wanted to get back home on time.

We left Station’s Inn around 1:30, heading west towards Boone. The road seemed like an endless series of graceful twists and turns under a welcome canopy of high trees blocking most of the afternoon sun. As we got closer towards Boone the shade slowly thinned and as we pulled into a gas station to fill our tanks we sought shelter in the shade. Sipping a cold bottle of water, I knew that the next couple hours traveling south on 321 was going to get hotter. And it did. As the elevation decreased the temperature increased and as every mile went on it seemed like the asphalt below our wheels was getting hotter and hotter.

Leaving 321 at Startown Road, we made one last pit stop before setting out for the last half hour of driving. One by one riders had broken off from the group until only four of us were left. And then there were two, and then one. As I pulled into my driveway I turned the key and dismounted my ride. My legs were wobbly, my arms, face and neck sunburnt and I needed another cool drink badly. All in all it had been a great day riding.

The Open Road Riderz Riding Group will be going to Stations Inn in Laurel Springs, NC on Sunday August 9, 2009. The group will be meeting at the Open Road Cycles shop at 9am and departing at 9:30. The ride is approximately 3 hours.

For more information about the Open Road Riderz, please contact them by clicking here.