Hogs Slowed by Snow

Cabin fever hasn’t just hit moms and kids, the men and women who “ride to live and live to ride” are struggling without being able to hop on their motorcycles this season. Now, a cold snap and a snow storm has left one local business with its two wheels spinning in the snow.

J.R. Vital, owner of s said the hardest part of being a small business owner in Holly Springs was keeping the customers coming even in the coldest months.

Vital sells Harley Davidson accessories, does maintenance work on Harley Davidsons and sells nails. He calls the combination of businesses “spikes and bikes” to describe the motorcycle and construction materials.

He has lived in Holly Springs for 25 years and has owned Southwind Motorcycles in the area since July of 1993. The best part of living and working in this area, Vital said, was the small town atmosphere.

Their best seller is the Harley Davidson maintenance services that provide a more personal interaction for bikers whose only alternative is to take their bike to the Harley Davidson retailers. Vital does all of the work himself in the workshop underneath the shop.

The economy has also played a role in the struggling motorcycle industry. A lot of riders had to give up their bikes when the economy took a fall. Still, it takes a lot to get a Harley Davidson rider down. 

Bike week in Daytona, FL, is at the end of February and Vital hopes the interstate traffic will help pull in some riders who need a tune up. But even that is contingent on the weather. A cold February will make bikers haul their hogs down to Daytona instead of riding them, meaning Vital loses all the business from people who need a tune up on the way to the beach.

Still, it takes a lot to get a Harley Davidson rider down.

“If you live each day like it’s your last, you have fun,” Vital said.