McCoy's loves Harleys

Hanging at Mac's Speed Shop for their two-year anniversary on Thursday.





McCoy's on a Friday night.











I’ve been riding motorcycles for 10 years, but biker-bar-hopping the last couple of weeks made me feel like a real biker.

I was at Cans' Tuesday night Bike Night a few ago, but last week I hit two straight-up biker bars: Mac’s and McCoy’s.
Thursday, I joined dozens of other bikers celebrating Mac’s Speed Shop’s two-year anniversary. Simplified, a local band that is steadily improving, performed. Bikers and FOBs (Friends of Bikers) streamed outside the popular restaurant and bar.

If you’ve been to Mac’s, you know their food is ridiculous. They cook their chicken wings and other meats in a smoker. They also have a huge selection of craft brews, which is what first drew me to the place. And don't forget the deviled eggs.
Mac’s is my favorite yuppie biker bar, but McCoy’s -- which is around the corner from Mac's, at Woodlawn and Old Pineville Road -- is the place to go when I’m feeling like a roughneck.

Ryan Register, who managed the Men’s Club, followed his dream and opened the bar with his father Namon and brother Jimmy about six months ago. Register named it after his grandfather. Relatives say Register reminds them of his grandfather.

McCoy’s has a rougher vibe, a smaller selection of beer, and slammin’ food. They also smoke all of their meats. Their chicken wings were delicious, pulled pork melted on my fork, and they even had good macaroni and cheese (I rarely like mac 'n' cheese unless it comes from a soul-food restaurant.)

Most of his patrons last Friday were Harley-Davidson riders. When I pulled into the lot, the doorman directed me to put my Honda Shadow in the far parking lot. I wasn’t allowed to park my bike next to all the Harleys out front.
I screamed segregation. Register assured me that it wasn’t the bike, but the lack of available parking. (I still don’t believe you!)

When I walked in, several patrons looked me up and down, but the staff was friendly. By the end of the night, I exchanged goodbyes with a few patrons.

If you go, Register typically hires a Dyno machine or a burnout bike to set up in the parking lot on Fridays. The noise makes it difficult to hold a conversation on the patio, but both are fun to watch.