Hey kids....

It looks like it's going to be another fun filled weekend of more crappy rainy-freezy-snowy weather. Plans are afoot for some kind of New Year's Whoop De Whoop. Rumors are a-swirling. And guess what, Brita, our newest member will be there. Why, I was introduced to the lovely Brita just this evening as evidenced by this photo.

Check the forecast, people....

It's gonna be 40-degrees (yes, that's above zero!!!) on Friday. Of course, on Thursday all that freezing rain that is called for will rule out a ride.... But in my way of thinking, have we turned a corner this winter?............. Nah, probably not.

Merry Happy ChristmaHanukawanza....

or whatever it is you celebrate at this time of year, from the IronWorks crew.

Random motorcycle picture of the day

Tatooed Love Boys....

The hardcore bikers of the Red Wing Iron Works Motorbike Club willpledge their allegiance to the club on 02/12/2011! We are ALL getting the motorbike club logo tattooed on our body part of choice to show our undying loyalty to the club. Red Wing Iron Works Motorbike Club FOREVER!!! The tattoo parlor opens at 12pm. We will meet at 10am at the Smokey Row to gather our courage and draw lots for who goes first! Off to the parlor by 11am - Get Inked! Then it's to Rob's for food,booze,fire,general smart talk,a movie,birthday celebration, and last but not least....tattoo bragging!

Random motorcycle picture of the day

Next MMN....

is Jan. 8 at Tim's. Yes, check the calendar, Jan. 8 is the second Saturday of the month. It's flat out crazy, I know.

Thanks Scot....

for hosting MMN. Who knew that Beach Blanket Bingo was a biker movie? It had all the elements: no plot to speak of; buxom girls; Frankie Avalon, and of course, a inept biker gang.

This is how we roll in Minnesota.....

during snowstorms that dump 20 inches. OK, so it's pathetic, but the sentiment is there.

More content for Tim.....

Random Norwegian...

This guy will be responsible for bringing some home brew to tonight's Motorcycle Movie Night. A pale ale and something-else-or-another he told me about last night but I fail to remember this morning. That's what happens when you have deep conversations during happy hour; details are fuzzy the next morning. There's a blizzard out, but we care not as we laugh at adverse weather. Ha hahahahaha hah hhaaa ha.

Random motorcycle picture of the day

As featured in the latest issue of Motorcyclist, but you saw it first here.

Why, it's movie night -again.

There is snow on the ground; it's colder than a Witch's tit in a brass bra on the shady side of an iceberg in mid January, and wouldn't you know it, winter is just rolling right along. Well, damn it, we're rolling right along with it, too. If it's gonna give us a gut punch, we're giving one right smack back. And this Saturday is MMN (Motorcycle Movie Night) No. 2 in the IronWorks series. We don't know what Scot's got up his sleeve, and it matters not. We there for the camaraderie, the flowage of beer; and the manly-ness of hunkering down in a heated garage for a night of cheap entertainment. Until Saturday, enjoy this picture of an angry man in an army uniform wielding a large knife.

Hi Jen A....

this is our blog, and welcome to it. Thanks for reading......

Random Motorcycle Picture of the Day

Geez, there is nothing going on..

If you're bored on Wednesday night and have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving, then why join all your motorcycling buddies for a bevie and a toast to the holidays. 7 p.m at the Barrell House. Good day.

It's official; Walt Ride 2011 is on the books.

Boy, are we freaking organized or what? No, not really. It was more of a drunken discussion over cocktails at one of our favorite watering holes in Red Wing, which by the way, is going through a name change. Makes no difference as this establishment has a bomb-ass happy hour and we're fine with that. Anyway, the executive committee has decided that Walt Ride 2011 - as usual - will take place over the 3rd weekend of June. Looking at a 3 or 4 day ride using Richland Center, Wis., as the hub of all the activity. This will be a camping event; no ditty bopping around from hotel to hotel. Also up for consideration is a foray into Iowa to the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa. Stay tuned for details.

It's November 6 and...

damn near 60 degrees. Went out today with Sir Robert to slay some 'sconie back roads. Had a hoot for what may be the last time out for any serious riding. We shall see. Pulled into Pepin for the usual cup or three of afternoon Joe and a lot of guys came rolling in: Beemers; Guzzis and Triumphs; all trying to make the most of a great afternoon. Too bad about the daylight's saving deal, because it's dark at 5 p.m. I suppose that is a sign that we need to batten things down for the winter. Don't forget about Motorbike Movie Night on Nov. 13 at Bill's Whoop, whoop, whoop.

Motorbike Movie Night resumes for Winter

Back by popular demand, Motorbike Movie night will take up official residence this winter on the second Saturday of the month; 7 p.m. start time. We here at the IronWorks will watch any movie, just as long as there is a motorcycle involved. Documentary? for sure; action/adventure? No doubt about it. Comedy? Hear us laughing in the back? Romance? Well, we were forced once to suffer through "Girl On A Motorcycle" but the flick was redeemed during a cheesy crash scene when a mock-up of the lovely protagonist was flung through a truck window at speed. Nothing adds realism than a stiff mannequin going through a windshield. Bill has dibs on Nov. 13; and Scot has dibs on Dec. 11. Be there, aloha.

Red Wing IronWorks Motorbike Club October Fest no. 2 is one for the books

And here is a peek at the mayhem in the backyard:

With luck....

....she will show up tomorrow.

With luck....

Don't forget about the IronWorks October Fest Bash

This SATURDAY, SATURDAY, SATURDAY at 6:30. The long range forecast is awesome. Calls for 70 and lots o' sunshine. Of course bring a jacket because it starts a half-hour before it gets dark, and it will be chilly, but so what, we will have a giant wooden man to burn.

What a great f***ing weekend...

Dang near mid October, and it was 80+ all weekend long. After the stop at Motoprimo, Christian, Jenn and I made quick work of some of 'Sconnie back roads. Between the art fairs, leaf peepers, old guys in Buicks, and, yes, motorcyclists, the roads were plumb full, by cracky. Everyone was out there squeezing in one last hooorah. Can't say that we blame them.

Sprint GT. Berry, Berry Nice....

Little Timmy and I made the trip to Motoprimo on Saturday to test ride the newly re-designed Sprint GT. Though the test ride was nice (go ahead and take it for as long as you want, so said the salesman... :) We were in it for the free t-shirt because we are such whores for free motorcycle t-shirts. Personally, I liked it. Similar feel to my 2000 Sprint, but way more refined, and more comfortable. Another bike to add to my short list of bikes (that I'll never be able to afford to by anytime soon.... Let's where should we start: the new BMW 1000RR; Triumph Daytona 675; and adventure bike of some kind... and on and on and....) Anyway, the IronWorks crew was there live and in person... Enjoy this cheesy camera phone image.

A motorcycling milestone....

The Green Beast, AKA: the ZRX1200, turned 40,000 miles on Saturday. Minus the 1700 that were on the clock when I bought it, it's been a great 38,300 mile ride so far. Still runs great; trouble free; reliable. What more can be said. Looking forward to the next 40,000. I got some catching up to do to get up there with Christian's old VFR which is in the neighborhood of 88,000.

Major scoop on IronWorks Blog... new BMW revealed....

This just in from Bravaria, spy shot of newest Beemer.

2nd annual OctoberFest gathering....

Yes, we can hardly believe it ourselves that another riding season is (gulp, dare we say)drawing to a close? That all depends on the weather, I suppose. But what the hey, there's reason to celebrate on Oct. 16 as we host the 2nd annual IronWorks October Fest Party. This will entail our version of a mini Burning Man which has now been dubbed, "Burn the Giant Wood Man". Tim has graciously donated a rickety 5-foot step ladder as the support structure of which various hunks of scrap wood will be liberally applied. Nothing gives the middle finger to the onset of cold weather more than a giant bonfire in the backyard. So here is how it works: bring your favorite October Fest Beer (a six pack will work just fine.) Toss it into the cooler - mix the bottles up - and grab whatever comes out. (Sorry, light beer is not invited to this party and will be escorted off the premises by on-site security.) Also at this very moment our man Christian is brewing up a special October Fest beer for this must-attend event. (rumor has it that Liz Taylor will be there....). In addition to beer, bring a snack or some special crock-potty concoction otherwise the Fair Marie will go all Martha Stewart on my ass and will worry about people "going hungry".

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010
TIME: 6:30 PM
WHERE: Pond's house......

Like beer?

Then be a Christian's house on Saturday around 4 p.m.. Got that? Good.

Random images from Indy Moto GP... They are very random, yes indeed.

Indy umbrella girls......

No idea who this guy is....

Notes, observations, musings and other nonsense from Indy....

The good: Generally the people of Indianapolis are a friendly lot.
The bad: Except for the thieves who stole Jeff's bike 20-yards from the hotel's front door.
More bad: the front desk staff at the Airport Ramada; pretty much they told Jeff in so many words after the theft of his motorcycle: "not our problem. Now, go away." Essentially, the hotel did nothing to help Jeff. You guys suck.
The good: Ducati Island. When nearly all bike manufacturers are pulling the plug on promo efforts during these turbulent economic times, it was good to see that Ducati went all out. Ducati Island was a more popular destination on the infield that included not only bike displays, vendors, local clubs, but an autograph session with Nicky Haden (I got me one. hahahahaha); a fashion show and a dedicated Ducati seating area along turn one.
The bad: a young rider lost his life on the track Sunday morning. This happended during a race for the USGP Rider's Union series, which is a feeder program for US GP racing efforts.
The good- Lamar, our waiter at the Steak and Shake. He epitomized a great attitude and good service, and he was very polite. Our hats off to his mother for raising him right.
The good - A a flat track victory for Kawasaki on Saturday night at the Indy Mile's main event. It was also great to see Triumph and Ducati in the field.
The good - The Indiana State Police; the trooper only gave Adam a "fix it" ticket for his undertail license plate that was.... well..... not completely visable. Though he sneaked up on us in his steel-gray unmarked Ford Mustang; he was a nice guy. His mother, like Lamar's, raise him right.

Driving back home after the races on Sunday, it was damn near a speedway along the interstate from Indy to Chi-town. Driving through Chicago was crazy-chaotic. There is no easy way to get around Chicago that isn't white knuckle. The urban sprawl is amazing and it starts 30 or more miles away from the heart of the Windy City. And Gary, Ind., sorry, but you are still the butt hole of America.

Thanks to our new friends from Missouri who opened up their cooler to us. Though we clearly had not bought enough beer on Friday, they helped us through our difficult moment.

WTF is up with all the used tire shops around Indianapolis?

Umbrella girls are nice. It was hot; crowded and they managed to smile after literally thousands of photos with old guys and pimply faced teenaged boys. They are truly good sports.

Moto GP images from Indianapolis...

Looking ahead.... Hey, is that October Fest on the horizon???

The 2nd annual IronWorks Motorbike Club October Fest Party is set for Oct. 16; to include burning of giant wood man. (I need scrap wood, people). Bring yer favorite beer/libation. Be prepared to tell bawdy stories and utter dirty words. The Fair Marie promises not to turn it into a recipe swap.

All riding has been cancelled.

It's too freaking hot, and will be all week. This is the official proclaimation from Minnesota Governor Stencil Dorfman.

Follow all the action as our man Christian travels westward....

Everything that is fit to print, and then some, is all right here:
http://norskiesblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/no-pictures.html

It's been slow around here lately....

So blame Little Timmy for it. That is all.

We're off to see the Bearded Lady on Saturday

Yeah, Bearded Lady. Sounds gross, but this is a short and sweet motorcycle gathering in NE Minneapolis near the 311 Club. All manner of 'sickle freakazoids will be present; along with hot rods and some local rock-a-billy bands. Probably gonna hit Diamond's Coffee shop a few blocks away. Join the mayhem with yer IronWorks pals....

Triumph demo truck in Belle Plaine....

On a whim, I got up early and zipped over to Belle Plaine to check out the Triumph motorcycle demo truck, which wheeled into the dealership for Friday and Saturday. The 75 miles ride over was kind of nice: not much for twisty roads, but scenic in spite of the various detours (I took Hwy. 19 to Cannon Falls, then picked up Hwy 86 and avoided Northfield, traffic and LEO's that prowl around on that stretch.), then got back on Hwy 19 west of New Prague and that takes you in to BP. When I arrived at the dealership, I initially thought that many riders weren't there. Then I got to the otherside of the building, and about 25 malingered around the sign up area. I snagged a ride on a hooker-red Daytona 675 (one of my targeted bikes to ride). Triumph mapped out about a 15 mile route, mostly two-lane country stuff with a turn or two tossed in. When I mounted the 675, I really felt that my ass was up in the air, and that the bars were very low. But once underway and moving, the bike was comfortable enough. But let's cut to the chase, here are the Reader's Digest impressions: roomy seat; ergos weren't bad for a guy my size (6'2"); build quality high; throttle felt abrupt(gas on-gas off); clutch feel was very light (as comapared to the manly pull required on my Sprint), maybe too much so as initially I had a hard time launching this bike from a stop without over revving it (my bad?); solidly planted to the road, especially in corners. As for the power: it pulls fast and hard, but I gotta say, with other riders going slower in front of me, it was hard to put it through the paces. I did not get that hard, punch in the gut feeling that comes with rapid acceleration. But then again, I could only get the thing up to about 62 mph, and I was riding far from the redline, which is somwhere upwards of 15-16,000.
Now, for the big surprise. I wanted to ride a Tiger, but the time slots were filled until later in the morning and I did not want to hang around that long. (To my dismay, Triumph allowed only 2 demo rides per day: I also wanted to ride a Sprint.)So, I signed up to ride a Scrambler. This is the retro version of the Bonneville (also retro) but with high pipes and "oriented" toward the dirt. But not really. This bike put more smiles on my face than the Daytona 675. It's a parallel twin; 865 cc's; wide bars; high, flat seat; very comfortable for the tall (the other bikes in the Bonney line seem to have been made for the inseam challenged). When I fired it up, the engine gives off a nice throb but not like a paint mixer. Exhaust note was cool with the Arrow exhaust system. Throaty, but not obnoxious. Again, nice build quality. Once out on the road, the engine pulls well enough, but it's no torque monster. (Didn't notice a tach....) I managed to get the Scrambler up to 70, and it tracks through the corners rather nicely. I felt that the slow speed handling was not nearly as twitchy as the 675, though you could fell a vibey sensation in the bars from the pseudo-knobbie tires. For some reason, I connected with this bike. It's not terribly fast, but it just had a certain feel about it that I liked. It's a bike that inspires me to strap on a pack, tent, and whatever else, and go somewhere far away. Albeit at a more relaxed pace. And, no Tim, the high pipes were not a problem. Nary a scorch mark on the 'Stitch.
The downside to all of this was: the dealership had no coffee, and Triumph did not give out any free swag; not even a measly cheap-ass key chain. The dealership did give out t-shirts to the first 79 people who signed up for a newsletter on their website. I ended up buying one for 15 bucks.

'puter issues....

Might not be too many post around here due to my computer not allowing me to log onto the internet, or do much else. (Using the kid's new Dell right now... Think she'll notice if I swap?) It worked fine on Saturday and on Sunday it took a dump on me. Could be a virus, but I am not that savy to know otherwise. Soo, here is a boring post about nothing really.

The Bearded Lady is coming.....

Think this may be interesting, and could be a fun trip to Minneapolis dodging and weaving the pot holes, road construction and the random gun fire of youth gone wild. But it's the annual Bearded Lady Motorcycle Freak Show on Saturday, July 24. Here is the el link-o-rino:

http://www.beardedladymotorcycleshow.com/

Today's ride

had some rain involved with it. Bummer.

Ride on Monday.....

Don't know where. Thinking down south, perhaps into Iowa. Let's meet at 8AM at Smokey Row and be gone by 9AM. No obligations but riding. (On vacation all week long...)