By Sam Wineka

news@salisburypost.com

Interstate 85 might be getting a new reputation in Salisbury as the motorcycle corridor.

There's Tilley's Harley Davidson, Extreme Motorcycles and, since Aug. 1, Ervin Cycle and Off Road Performance. The newest edition is actually a six-and-a-half-year-old local place, just relocated from Faith. Owner Adam Ervin said he wanted to get more exposure for his shop, which is visible from I-85.

"It's a better location," Ervin, 31, of Salisbury, said. "We used to be out in the country. And we can do everything a dealership can do."

Ervin gets his dealership know-how from experience. He worked at Freightliner before going to the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Orlando, Fla., and learning everything he could about Harley Davidson motorcycles. He then worked at Tilley's before starting his own business, Action Cycle, in 2002. His shop works on all makes of bikes. He said he changed the name because there was a similarly named shop in Mooresville and because he wanted his name on it.

"For when I get famous," he joked.

The shop handles service, repair, state inspections and custom work. Manager Donald Boger, 35, handles most of the customization, while Ervin does the service and repair.

"When custom choppers got real popular, we did pretty well," Boger said of the custom work. "Now people are more into dressers." He described dressers as full-size touring bikes, often with custom leather bags on the side. Their custom work has been in Easyriders, V-Twin Motorcycles and 2 Wheel Tuner magazines.

Both Ervin and Boger agreed that the economy is triggering an interest in the gas-sipping two-wheelers.

"People aren't spending as much on parts to make their bikes look pretty as much as running right," Boger said. "People are getting bikes out of their sheds that have been there for 10 years."

He mentioned that a customer had come in Wednesday morning with a motorcycle that seemed it hadn't been run in a while. Tommy Gamewell, a customer that afternoon, said he was riding his motorcycle more now that gas prices are up.

"Definitely," Gamewell said. He was formerly a customer of Action Cycle and has kept coming to the new location.

"He's got a whole lot more room, and he got some help, too," Gamewell said of Ervin. He paid with a credit card, which Boger said many smaller stores won't accept. "It was a while before [Ervin] would," Gamewell said. "He finally had to get up-to-date."

Ervin Cycle is hosting a bike show and Halloween party on Oct. 25 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It plans to hold the event annually. Residents are encouraged to bring their bikes for awards to be given at the end of the ceremony. There will also be a hot dog-eating contest, Jello pudding wrestling and a costume contest.

What do you think? Post your comment below.