Library Motorcycle Action. Say What?

The River Falls Public Library is hosting a motorcycle exhibit. Curious to know what this was all about, our intrepid reporter made the trek from the home office in Red Wing to River Falls, Wis. to check out the action. Our hat is off to the library for putting this together; there is a fine array of motorcycles, both modern and classic, and a few examples of some rare iron. Along with the bikes is a collection of gear, motorcycle toys, and assorted memorabilia. Intrepid reporter was very impressed with the bikes and motorsickle stuff on display. The exhibit runs through Jan. 26 and it is freaking free. What a deal. It's worth seeing, so get there if you can and you can also stop by the Rush River Brewery and pick up a growler or two (or four) of your favorite swill. Personally, the Double Bubble and Unforgiven Ale work quite nicely. Here are some pix:

Do we have a consensus? I think so, Sparky.

Looks like Walt Ride 2013 will be a return to the Richland Center, Wis. area. Details thus far:

Friday, June 21 (this has been officially designated as "Buy Bill Beer Day." )
Saturday, June 22 (this has been officially designated as "Give Bill Aspirin Day.")
Sunday, June 23
Monday, June 24

We will stay at the campground we've previously stayed. They liked us.
The general idea will be to ride the snot out of the twisty roads in that neck of the woods.

John Player Special.... Remember that race team?

Well, here is a link to a documentary about the Norton John Player Special Team making a go at the Isle of Man TT in the early 70s. It runs about 40 minutes. Sit back, grab a a spot of tea and enjoy.

On-going motorbike show at - of all places - the library.

Yes Beav, the library. Check the flyer. River Falls, Wis. library is hosting a long-running tribute to motorcycles. I see a road trip in our future.

Our blog has just logged its 10,000th hit

Of course when I checked in a little bit ago I noticed we were at 9,995, and I went back and forth between another website five times to get us there, but at least we made it. Thanks to all the little people out there who made us what we are today....

Stuff to look at because we can't ride

I get updates from Triumph through Facebook that are largely ads for its bikes. But once and a while, something interesting gets posted. Here is a link to some custom bikes.

http://rideatriumph.com/cafe-racer-dreams-custom/

2nd Motorcycle Movie Night of the season is this Saturday

Be at Bill's by 7 p.m. for the usual assortment of mayhem, death, destruction and chaos.

Top operatives visit Buell Racing skunkworks

And here he is astride the EBR 1190RS at Erik Buell Racing HQ somewhere at an undisclosed location in the state that is to the east of here. Price is $43,000 and Mark says he is getting us a bunch of them for Christmas.

3rd Street Brewhouse

So, there we were, minding our own business at another Ironworks Motorbike Club happy hour at Kelly's, which by the way has a good line of craft beers (please note happy hour is from 4-6 pm and not randomly made-up times/days like the other place in the Armory basement that is named after my wife and tends to smell like toilet-juice and fish sticks,) when the rep from 3rd Street Brewhouse (Coldspring, MN.) approached our table. He got to talking beer with Christian and the rest is history. He left and returned with some swag: t-shirts; stocking hats, etc., as he was working diligently to promote his brewery's offerings. The beer was pretty good, and it got Christian and I to talking about Walt Ride 2013: perhaps another brewery tour-ride, this time in Minnesota. Hmmmmm. Think about it.

Link to 3rd Street Brewhouse:

http://www.thirdstreetbrewhouse.com/

They love us in Fond Du Lac

Minneapolis motorcycle show is in January

If you are interested in volunteering again, let Bill know as he will follow up with the National Motorcycle Museum. This will entail members of the Ironworks Motorbike Club helping museum staff distribute information at the show, get people to sign up for a raffle and brag things up about how awesome the museum is. And, it is. The show is Jan. 11-13. I will see if we can put time in on Jan. 12 (Saturday for a couple/three hours in the afternoon. Doing so gets us into the show for free, and  usually there is a t-shirt from the museum thrown in for good measure. And, as we all know, we're whores for free motorcycle swag.

The chill o' winter is here

Thank to Tim for hosting the first motorcycle movie night. Next up is December 15 at Bill's, 7 p.m. Movie to be determined. Read that to mean: I have no idea what we're going to watch. If all else fails, Tim has promised a mean sock puppet show.

First Motorcycle Movie Night this Saturday, Saturday, Saturday.....

And Little Timmy is hosting. He promises an epic movie but reveals no details. An old classic? Maybe. A foreign film? Perhaps. Another Jack Nicholson/Bruce Dern 60s' punchfest? Ohhh, the anticipation. Craziness starts at 7 p.m., and is guaranteed to go down hill fast if you bring more liquor.

Triumph mag online and it's here....

Follow the linky link...... It's a good, interactive read.
http://spirit.triumphmotorcycles.com/en_us/2/issue6/page1/

Gold Wing goes badass....

and here it is:

Is this it?

I think not, dear Holmes. Yesterday,by fluke of nature, we hit the low 70s. Damn nice for early November. So, Little Timmy, Paul S., Sir. Robert, Christian and myself gathered up for a nice little back road blast. Started out rather steamy as the roads were damp and the humidity high. Low slung clouds skirted along the horizon, giving he day a post apocalyptic vibe. However by the time we made our obligatory stop for a cuppa joe in Pepin, the clouds gave way to more sun and warmth. We talked motorcycle trash for a bit, and made off for a back road blast home. Too bad about that daylight's saving thing; starts getting darker earlier around here. The consensus may be that this was it. our final ride of the season as some talked about getting ahead of the game and getting the bike stored before the bad stuff sets in. Others are already eyeing a warm up scheduled by the National Weather Service for next week. Hmmmmm. The saga continues, but I for one am ready for some more riding just yet.

Did you vote today?

This guy did.

Fire good....

There goes the bike....

Motorcycle Movie Night Schedule

What, fall already and we're heading into the icy grips of wintery hell? Ok then, here is the schedule for '12-13....

Nov. 17 - Tim
Dec. 15 - Bill (sorry, this ain't the second Saturday of the month as the tradition holds, but I got another party that night, so suck eggs.)
Jan. 12 - Christian
Feb. 9 - Rob
March 9 - Scot

You've all got your dates, so go find some sucky motorcycle flicks.

Scenes from the Octoberfest party 2012



Sorry, didn't get burned in firepit. County burn ban still on. Maybe next week?



Sir Robert with Sal Val mug.

Paul provides evaluation of our man, Woody.

Homeless people who showed up for free food.

Scot, Christian and Chuck. The Usual Suspects.

Thor at this best.

Flying sharpies.

Chuck

Euro Girl

Even Joe Stalin

will be at the 4th annual Red Wing Ironworks Motorbike Club Octoberfest/Big Burn tomorrow night.

 Said Joe, "Yo homies, I'll be there for sure. And I'm even gonna wear my new green coat. See that medal? I got that for going to last year's party,yo. And I'm also gonna bring my friend Lemme."

Ironworks Octoberfest party this weekend......

And these girls will not be there

                                                                     But this guy will.

Motorcycle Movie Night Returns

Hard to believe it's been 50 years since the first Red Wing Ironworks Motorbike Club's inagural Motorcycle Movie Night. (As you may remember, the premere was attended in Bill's basement by Clark Gable and Buddy Hackett.) Without further ado, and by order of the executive committee upon high, here are the official dates for the Winter 2012-13 Motorcycle Movie Night (Traditionally the 2nd Saturday of the month.) The first two dates have been cherry picked already. And for those of you who are gonna say, "Hey what's up with Dec. 8, Feb. 9, and March 9. That can't be the second Saturday of the month..." Well, my friend, they are. And that's just the way it is, Bubba. Now shut up and go sit in your corner.




Nov. 10 - Tim

Dec. 8 - Bill

Jan. 12 - ?

Feb. 9 - ?

March 9 - ?

We need some rain, damn it.

Officially due to a lack of rain, all fires - intentional, recreational and otherwise - have been banned in Goodhue County by the Sheriff's department due to the very dry conditions. Sooo if the ban stays in place through the weekend, we may need to proceed without the burning-of-the-object (which has been carefully constructed in Bill's garage.) I put out feelers for postponing the annual Ironworks Motorbike Club October fest party, but the masses revolted and stated: The show must go on. And so it shall in one form or another. (Plus, I've already got plans to get the beer next Saturday: a 15 gallon keg of Bud Super Duper Light....) Stayed tuned because there very well could be a change of venue for next Saturday's event. In the meantime, think rain Monday through Friday but not Saturday.

This?

Just because, that's why.

A look at today's ride to Wildcat Mountain.



Tim getting in touch with his new Shoei helmet.




Paul discovers that Italian sidestands are not like Japanese sidestands.




On the way up Wildcat Mountain Road.



That way, right?



Mark comes down from the top of Wildcat Mountain on the Beemer.




Self portrait.



Two weeks to go....

Two weeks from now, sure, you could find yourself watching "Survivor" on TV, and wondering the fate of the free world with the upcoming elections.  But then again, who really cares about such weighty topics, yo. Ok then, grab a beer, and hold on to yer shorts. Why you ask? Because it is the 4th annual Red Wing Ironworks Motorbike Club's Octoberfest party. Our man Bill has been busy at work sculpting the biggest structure yet to burn in ye olde fire pit. Certatain to entertain the masses and those of simple minds. Be there, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Entertainment brought to you via Rush River Brewing. Whooa.

This is what tough guys look like....

While on the annual flood run......

Tales from the road: Christian's Ironbutt saga....Whew.

Our man Christian is in the field going westward, but not before completing his first ever Iron Butt Association's Saddle Sore 1000 (That's 1000 miles in 24 hours). His course yesterday was Red Wing to Pueblo, Colo. Christian made it in fine form, and even found the time to write about the experience. He now joins the company of manly men and will earn braggin' rights at the next party. Here, without further ado, is his tale:

Well, I did it! It wasn't too bad either. The only hiccup was when I tried to leave at 0430. I kept remembering things, and couldn't find the spot etc., so I didn't roll out until 0515. First order was to get a gas receipt, so I went to Joe's Mobil to get the non-ethanol-stuff. First thing I noticed was that my remote heated liner n glove controller wasn't working.... Great, batteries are dead. I figured I will stop by home and change them as I have some in a drawer and I need to unscrew a cover to get at them. If I were smart I would have checked this the night before.
So. Joe's. The pumps are on, but it wasn't until I had run my card and tried to put fuel into the tank that I realized I had to lights. I was filling in the dark! Thus, I rammed the nozzle all the way down and hoped the auto shutoff worked. If I were smart I would have gone to another gas station and not risked gas in lap. But it worked, partially filling my tank, but I didn't get a receipt because I wasn't quick enough to push the requisite button. Dammit!

Ok. Batteries. It was 55-degrees so not totally necessary to get the liners working, and I still needed a receipt, so I resolved to just stop at KwiktTrip and get both. Done. On the road.

Of course it got colder, 43-degrees by the time I was on I35. Still ok though, the long undies and wickers turtleneck and the heat from the FJR was sufficient, and with no remote the heated gear reverts to 1/3 power. I wasn't totally comfy, but enough to avoid stopping just to swap batteries. As dawn was .. um ... dawning... I figured it would get warmer.

At the Iowa welcome it was only 45-degrees and I changed the battieries. Only thing is I bought AA and needed AAA. I had two partially used AAA (a duracell and a super pricey lithium) so I put them in. This will bite me later.

And so I traveled around Des Moines and snacked on a granola bar and a banana. In Omaha I changed to shorts n a tshirt, and opened a 10 year old mre.... ewwwww the grilled hamburger patty had leaked all over. Garbage! I ate some beef jerky instead.

And on I rode, through Lincoln, Kearney, and it was pushing 86-degrees. The FJR was running great, engine purring and the suspension soaking up the road. I tried to keep it at 83 mph but would occasionally find my speed creeping up 95. Yikes! Lots of enforcement in Nebraska ans Colorodo.

Surprisingly I was not tired. The beaded seat cover worked great with the target-brand wicking performance briefs and about every 30 miles or so I stood on the pegs. Also did my physical therapy on the bike to keep my lumbar limber (so if you see me hump my gas tank, you'll know its not just love for the Yamaha....)

In Colorado I realized that I would not make it to Pueblo KOA before their offfice closed at 7 pm so called them and asked about a late check-in. I figured I could always scare up another camper for a signature. But Carolyn said I could call their number and they would walk over and be witnesses for me .... sweet!

And so I rode, mile after mile. I passed through Aurora while, coincidentally, I was listening to a podcast (APM's The Story) talking with a high school chem teacher who was at the high the day of the theater shooting.

The interstates flowed smoothly at 80-85 mph. The pavement was perfect. I was on I470, a toll road with license plate readers. If all toll roads were like this I would so totally support them, as opposed to the ones out east which you pay a fortune for, dig for change, and then dodge potholes.

As the sun set behind the rockies the temps dropped quickly and I needed fuel and more layers. But once off the interstate the road quality tanked and speed limits were redonkuously low. But I was on the home stretch.

Ok the batteries in the remote heat controller have run out. Dammit!

And then I lost audio on the right side. Dammit!

As I neared the campground I thought, ok I should get a final receipt. So I rode four miles past the Pueblo KOA into Pueblo, found a gas station and bought a banana. Back outside I couldn't find my keys... dammit! I went back inside and the attendant had them. Whew! Back to the campground. I started to smell race gas....

Carolyn and her husband were waiting there, ready to be my witnesses and they even upgraded me to a cabin so I could 'get a good rest'. That was awefully nice of them! Walking to my cabin I realized there was a racetrack across the highway... aha! The cabin blocked some of the noise.

So now I am just as tough of a rider as y'all!

What? Fall already? That means Octoberfest/burning something large party....

Yes, it's true, the 4th annual Ironworks Motorbike Club's Octoberfest/burning something large party (we can't use burning man, I think there is a copy right infringement somewhere along the lines....who knows) is on the books for..... drumroll, please..... Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. You regulars know the drill: bring your favorite October Fest beer (or for you girlie types, bring your froo-froo drinky crap); swill to your heart's content, arm wrestle, tell feats of great manliness (For example, "I climbed Mt. Everest in flip-flops once."), play lawn darts, and poke each other with pencils. Sounds fun, no?  Though a piano has been offered for sacrifice, Bill will start the structure build soon and it's sure to be......creative if not interesting.  Come one, come all. Location: Bill's house.

Umbrella girls and bikes from Indy

Obligatory bike photo....

Obligatory photo of Rob and the two dudes who do the play by play for GP. He knows who they are: I don't.

Tim and Paul with Ducati girls

Trials competition, a ride and a race....

Packed a lot into a Sunday. It started with a cup a joe at Caribou, and off to Pierce County Road O for the Upper Midwest Trials Association meet near the Trimbelle Creek recreation area. I'd never been to one of these before and it was interesting and fun to watch. Trials is not about grinding speed, squiggly corners, or whoop-de-whoops. It's about motorcycle dexterity: laying out a plan of attack, being patient and riding over obstacles with a huge dose of balance. All this on a motorcycle with no seat. After a couple of hours knocking around the competition site, I managed to get a few miles on the backroads before meeting Christian for afternoon coffee in Pepin.  After visiting a while, backroads to Red Wing and to Rob's for Moto GP-Brno. Exciting race; Pedrosa again. Not an entirely bad way to spend a later summer Sunday.

Scenes from the Cycle World Rolling Concours

Where else, but at the Indy Moto GP 2012, of course.