Despite a rather mild winter so far, most of us are suffering from PMS - "Parked Motorcycle Syndrome" (thanks Jan!) :-D A little bit of respite from this dastardly ailment can be had by heading into the big city and checking out the annual motorcycle expo. I say "a little bit of respite" because it's usually the same old, same old; too much chrome, too much paint, too much bodywork, etc. "Circus Wagons" is a term I once heard for these contraptions, and it's stuck with me ever since. Anyway, aside from the over-the-top creations, there are usaully a handful of delaerships there, as well vendors offering all kinds of things, be it riding gear, t-shirts, bike parts, travel/vacation agencies, or food-related stuff (jerky, hot sauce, etc.)
This past Sunday, there was once again a lot of football to watch, but the big game (Pats vs Hoouston) wasn't on til later in the afternoon. That gave us plenty of time to head in early and check things out (after doing a bit of "pregaming" at the house, of course).
The clock ticked to the departure time, and a caravan of vehicles rolled out of the driveway. We took turns passing each other, flipping each other off, toasting raised beerverages to each other (you get the idea) and before long, we emptied a bit of our wallets into the parking attendant's hands and found a place to park.
We then did a bit more emptying at the ticket counter, and then mosied our way in - where we promptly broke apart and headed off into our own directions.
The biggest dealer there this year was Mom's South (from Foxboro) and they must have had dozens of bikes on display. Dozens! Matty even found his old bike (which he'd traded in when he bought his Victory) was there. He misses it, says it was a real fun bike...even saying he may buy it back. Last I saw, he was sitting on it with a very nostalgic look in his eye...
There were two members of the Sons of Anarchy show in attendance, and the line to meet/greet them was quite long (I heard; 4 hours long!! WTF people?!?!?) Anyway, it worked out well for me, I suppose, because every person that was staning in line, was one less person to have to deal with while walking around and looking at stuff.
I stopped and snapped some pics of a number of bikes; some to talk about how cool they are, some to just make fun of. The Waltham Legion Riders were there as well and hello's and handshakes were exchanged. Like me, they were just doing the quick, touristy, walking around thing.
After about an hour and a half, I'd seen all that needed seeing. A few texts, and few shouts, and we were all gathered by the front door, ready to beat feet. A couple of folks were hanging back to get some grub, a few others were heading off to the Waltham Legion to party with those guys. The rest of us loaded up and headed back toward Walpole, pausing in Norwood to knock back a few beers, grab some grub and watch the first half of the Atlanta/Seattle game.
From there, we headed back to the homestead - some of the crew headed off to Rex's house, some hung at my place, and we watched an incredible ending to the NFC game, then watched a rather decent showing by our beloved Pats.
It was a great way to spend anotherwise grey and misty winter day. Hey, I'm not knocking the weather - it could have been snow! (Which we're apparently going to get tomorrow...ugh.)
Anyway - on to the pics...
I have to admit that I do like underlighthing, to a degree. Bu this bike was jus too much. Too much of everything, including a blinding blue haze. LED's drain next to nothing, compared to regular lighting, but still. At some point...
I did like this customization, though. The front tire only had one rotor on it, hence; only one caliper. So what to do with that annoying empty mounting bracket on the fork? How about you bolt a set of brass knuckles to it?
Same design, but the black and red make it look more sinister...
I liked this bobber. Nice thick tread on the rear tire, nice simple forks, lots of room inside the frame. Not sure what to think about the front tire - it had tread, but looks more like a slick than anything. Not sure how well it would hold the asphalt...
Another sweet bobber. No front fender on this one, either. Nice paint, nice and low rigid frame. I think the handlebars would be a bit low for me, though. My back already has enough issues as it is...
One of the bikes from the Wall of Death. Very cool - hard to bleieve that tiny little engine will get that thing going fast enough to keep it horizontal as it's rising 20' into the air...
I like the seat and sissy bar on this, but aside from that, I don't like the thin, fragile-looking front end. Just not my style. But aside from that, it was a nice open primary rigid...
Lots of chrome and paint, but I had to snap a pic - I miss my wrapped pipes!! I love the bobber look, but I'm not a fan of the springer front end. I know; I'm weird.
I love the color on this - the black bike, the red-rims with whitewall tires. That is a sharp look (even though it's bordering on being done too much lately). I don't like the frame panels under the seat - it blocks out the openness of the engine area. And yes, it's another springer front end. Oh well...
This bike had to be seen in person to be believed. Very over the top and all, but the front tire is like 3' tall. It's hard to make out in this pic, so....
...I had McCarthy stand nex to it for perspective. (I also cropped his face out of the pic - you're welcome). Ha, just kidding, Michael! But getting back to that tire. It comes up to his waist! This is a perfect example of a circus wagon. I wonder how it handles, though...
There was a vendor there who creates mini bikes out of random pieces of...well..."crap" might be too harsh of a word. But he definitely uses all kinds of things that most folks probably don't have use for. But when he's done, these creations of his are amazing...
Last, but not least, my two favorite bikes of the day. Stripped down, light and mean, bobbers. Yeah, yeah, they both have springer front ends, but I'm willing to overlook that in these cases. The trim (minimal cables) handle bars, tight rear fenders, the cylinder oil tanks, the Triumph engines...very sleek, very bare, and very nice. Ok, the spoked wheels are something I would do away with, but for me, the spring seats more than make up for that.
This top one was my #2 favorite...
And this bottom one was my absolute favorite. Wrapped pipes, no fancy paint. Notice anything special about that rear fender? It's a front fender! I love it! This would be the bike I would have ridden home...if I had a bunch of extra green in my bank account...which I do not.
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