Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/990731
24 UCW JUNE 6-12, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JUNE 7-10 • HOG HAP- PENIN' 2018 at American Legion Fairgrounds, 1 American Legion Ave., Newton, NC. Hog Happenin' is a regional bike fest and Kansas City Bar- beque Society sanctioned North Carolina State Championship Bar- becue Cook-off that brings motor- cycle owners and barbecue teams together. Call 828-522-4122 or email hoghappenin@gmail.com for more information. View the event page at www.facebook.com/ events/1970875779833532/. 910-867-2364 • 4624 BRAGG BLVD. LIVE MUSIC by MOTORJUNKIE Prizes & Food BIKE NIGHT JUNE 16 th starts at 6PM MUSIC FAYETTEVILLE AFTER 5 Festival Park in downtown Fayetteville • www.faydogwoodfestival.com/ events/fayetteville-after-5 June 8 Slippery When Wet July 13 On the Border FAYETTEVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Festival Park in downtown Fayetteville • www.fayettevillesymphony.org July 1 Independence Concert THE DRUNK HORSE PUB 106 S Eastern Blvd.•910-835-8347 June 9 The Weekend Classic, Hungover, The Second After, Glow THE TAPHOUSE AT HUSKE 411 Hay St. • 910-426-5650 June 8 Michael Dermott June 9 Karaoke Korner w/ Gilbert Baez PAUL'S PLACE 719 Starling St. • 910-779-2898 www.paulsplacenc.com June 6 Kenny Huffman June 9 Spank June 13 Morris Cardenas LUIGI'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 528 N McPherson Church Rd. • 910-864-1810• www.luigisnc.com June 8 '80s Unplugged June 9 Quilted Sky June 15 Through the Night FROM THE ROAD Affordable motorcycles by JIM JONES JIM JONES, Motorcycle Enthusiast. Comments? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910- 484-6200. People in the motorcycle industry work hard to get people to buy their bikes. ey work even harder to get consumers to buy into their brand and stay with it. Look at Harley-Da- vidson. ey are geniuses at market- ing. ey market to every age, but the upper-tier motorcycle brands are out of reach for most first-time buyers. When I say upper-tier brands, I mean companies like Harley-Davidson, BMW, Ducati and now, Indian. Other brands have not had the commercial success of Harley-Davidson, but they have brand name recognition for other reasons, like reputation. A few years ago, I was at an event and was able to hear BMW's vice pres- ident of marketing speak. He told us that BMW has an 88-year marketing plan. At the time, their concern was first-time motorcycle sales because, as an industry, those sales had been declining. ey looked at various data points to decide their roadmap – aver- age income, number of years of riding experience, and the cost of first-time bike sales. As a new rider, you have two choices: New or used. Cost is a big factor for the new rider. Tradition- ally, the upper-tier brands are not the first bike a person owns. ese companies continue to work to get people into their showrooms. Harley-Davidson does a great job at community events and creating branded clothing, and most dealer- ships offer motorcycle riding classes. e folks at BMW are changing the marketplace again. is year, they have introduced the G 310 R with a starting price of $4,750, which includes anti- lock brake system, or ABS, brakes. A few weeks ago, I visited my friends at Garcia Motorsports in Ra- leigh, and they had just gotten in on the G 310 R. ey are very accommo- dating and let you take a bike out for test ride. I hopped on. At first, I was blown away that you could get any- thing with the label BMW on it for this price. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it rode quite nicely. At 349 pounds, this bike is lightweight and nimble. e bike is clean, and there is no sign of a lack in quality for the price's sake. e display features an LCD dash with a bar graph tachometer, gear indica- tor, shift light and trip computer. ABS is standard. is is a great feature for a new rider. When given the option, I strongly recommend getting ABS. It has saved me a number of times. e BMW dealership is on the outskirts of Raleigh, so it is easy to catch an Interstate, back roads and, of course, stop-and-go traffic. e bike was taller than I expected. e seat has a 30.9-inch seat height. ere are different bike positions. Both sports and the cruiser are generally low. Some bikes ride high or more upright. In particular, I like being high because I can see over most cars and feel more comfortable in the upright position. From the stop light, it was easy to get going and get ahead of traffic. At the posted speed limits, the bike had plenty of power. If you like riding above the speed limit, then depend- ing on your weight, you may want to add a windshield. BMW is also expanding the 310 line to include a 310 GS. If you are not familiar with the GS family, e GS refers to either Gelände/Straße (German: off-road/road) or Gelände Sport. e GS series of dual purpose off-road/on-road BMW motorcycles have been produced from 1980, when the R80G/S was launched, to the pres- ent day. Not only is BMW offering a sub- $5,000 price entry bike, but so is Suzuki, Honda and KTM. is is also great news for people who already own a bike. Maybe you want to have a sport bike feel for a low price. If so, check out the Honda CBR300R or the Kawasaki Ninja 300. If you are looking for that naked sport bike feel, then check out the KTM 390 DUKE. I hope that more manufacturers follow suit and start creating lower- priced options for first-time buyers and bikers who want the option of adding another bike to their collec- tion for an affordable price. If there is a topic you would like to discuss, you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! BMW recently introduced the G 310 R with a starting price of $4,750.