News

Motorcycle Meltdown heats up 7th Avenue

Keith MacDonald and Jonny Burritt of West Asheville show off a 2009 Thruxton named Ethyl and a 2007 Bonneville T100 named Maybelline. Burritt said Maybelline is an '07, but looks like a ‘60s or ‘70s model. ‘It's reliable, but still retro,’ he said.

By Ashley Elder, Published: May 1, 2016

With arrival of spring and motorcycle-friendly weather, Southern Appalachian Brewery hosted the fifth annual Meltdown Vintage Motorcycle Show on Saturday.
The Meltdown, sponsored by Ton Up Highlands, shares its five-year anniversary with Southern Appalachian Brewery.
Once again the ride-in show featured hundreds of pre-1980 motorcycles and custom café racers plus live music, food trucks and merchandise vendors.
The Meltdown was the first event owner Andy Cubbin hosted when he and wife Kelly opened the county’s first brewery in 2011. Cubbin estimated 500 motorcycles rumbled in this year. “It gets bigger every year,” he said.
The WNC-based Ton-Up Highlands Club has five members who ride, work on and race vintage motorcycles while promoting motorcycle safety.
“The first year we had a great response and it has snowballed since then,” club member and show director Daniel Huggins said.
This year’s event featured a Builder Showcase with custom-built motorcycles from all over the country.
At the end of the event, the club raffled off a custom 1971 British café racer the members built with all new parts. Proceeds benefited the Veterans Healing Farm in Hendersonville.
SAB’s weeklong anniversary celebration also included a live music night and the release of special brews from Southern Appalachian’s small-batch pilot brewing system. SAB recently filled one of its largest beer orders so far. By summer, distribution will expand throughout the rest of North Carolina and into South Carolina.
As part of a significant outdoor expansion, SAB now has a new music stage, covered seating and a designated kids’ zone. A professional lighting system was also added during the courtyard renovations.