Gophers and Cheese

Here's my last batch of photos from the 2026 Mama Tried Motorcycle Show  at the Rave / Eagles Club in Milwaukee:

Here are lots more photos from Mama Tried 2026 in Milwaukee, WI...

I headed to Milwaukee just over a week ago for the Mama Tried Motorcycle Show .  It was my 7th time attending.  This year, I skipped a lot of the "official" events including Flat Out Friday and checked out different things.  Don't get me wrong, the official events and Flat Out Friday are great, but I wanted to explore and see more of Milwaukee.  I also love stopping in Madison for some quality time at  Aftershock Retrogames on the drive out.  While in Milwaukee, I went to Lilliput Records , checked out some punk rock bands at X-Ray Arcade (while scoring over 600K on Galaga), played even more arcade games at Up/Down , and went to 2 tiki bars ( Wauwatiki and Foundation ).  It was a really fun whirlwind of a weekend.

Shortly after buying my first motorcycle, the first local motorcycle event I started regularly attending was the Progressive International Motorcycle Show and I went for 14 years straight.  I took all the photos I posted from that show over the years and put each year into a photo slideshow and uploaded them all to YouTube.  Together, the 14 slideshows total about 90 minutes of run time.  Go relive one year or all the years over on my YouTube channel .  Look for the Progressive International Motorcycle Show playlist to find them all grouped together.

At one point, Tom Rad was hosting two really fun motorcycle shows per year.  One was Ma Rad's Rumble on the Deck in Stillwater, MN and the other was just across the river at Bass Lake Cheese Factory in Wisconsin.  While I missed a couple, I attended most of the ones between 2010 and 2016.  I'm still really happy with the cheese-shaped awards I managed to take home at Extra Sharp.  Photos I took at both of those events have been added to video slideshows on my YouTube channel .  The slideshows pair nicely with a little wine and cheese so go check them out.

Continuing to dig deep in the photo archives and revisit long past shows... This time, we're heading back to Stillwater and the first time I attended Ma Rad's Rumble on the Deck Chopper Show.  It was the 15th annual, held July 8th, 2010 at The Freight House.  My original blogpost ( here ) was brief, and photos were in black-and-white.  Let's jump into some expanded full-color coverage.

Scooter Trash was an annual event that only occurred 4 times.  I attended the last two in 2013 & 2014 and all the photos I took are now available in a pair of video slideshows on my YouTube Channel .  You can still see my original blogposts here .

I have attended the Donnie Smith Bike Show more times than any other local event (16 years and counting).  I have taken all the photos I have posted here on the blog and put them into video slideshows on my YouTube channel .  You can find them all in the Donnie Smith playlist.  Watching them all back-to-back would take about 2 hours.  If you prefer clicking and scrolling, you can read all the original blogposts here .

There was a solid turnout at Pokey Tire 2026 including cars, bikes, planes, and assorted death traps. 

Pokey Tire Ice Racing 2026 was held on German Lake at the Beaver Dam Resort in Cleveland, MN on January 31st.  I went last year and had a lot of fun, so I was planning to return, this time with a different vehicle.  January has been difficult here in Minnesota, especially in and around Minneapolis.  I've lived in this state longer than any other, and the last month has been a roller coaster mix of heartbreaking, infuriating, and inspirational.  It was nice to get outside and enjoy just a little bit of fun in a way that felt very Minnesotan (though I know other nearby states have fun on frozen lakes too).  I brought my 1970s SnowCo Tri-Scat.

I bought my first bike (2004 Sportster) in October 2006 and the first big motorcycle show I attended was the Progressive International Motorcycle Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center in February 2007.  This was 3 years before I started the blog.  I was pretty active on the xlforum at the time (trying to learn and contribute) and was excited to share photos of the debut of the Harley Davidson Nightster.  I think this was one of its first public appearances.

The 2008 Progressive International Motorcycle Show was held in Minneapolis at the Convention Center February 2, 2008 and it was the second year I attended the show.  Harley debuted the Cross Bones at this show.

We're back in the pre-blog days now... Here are never-before-posted photos of the 2009 Progressive International Motorcycle Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  I like how they had artwork in the background but wish I got down lower to take these photos.  My photography skills were not as good back then.  I was also taking photos with flash, which makes the photos feel even more dated.

I never posted photos from the first four years I attended the Progressive International Motorcycle Show (2007-2010) as they all occurred before I even started the blog.  I would go on to attend every year through 2020, which was the last time it was held in Minneapolis.  Here we go!

Before I get to posting YouTube slideshows , I like to go back through my photos and see if there are any early shows that I never posted or only posted black-and-white photos from.  The Progressive International Motorcycle Show was the first local event I started regularly attending, back in 2007, 3 years before I started the blog.  For the first year or two of the blog, I only posted photos in black-and-white so let's all time-travel back to 2011 and see what the show was like in full color with fresh edits.

After missing the early ones, I attended the final 4 years of Motosota (2019-2023) at Bauhaus Brew Labs in Minneapolis, MN.  All the photos I posted here on the blog are now also available in video slideshows on my YouTube channel .  Find them all in the Motosota playlist.  You can still find my original blogposts here .

I attended 4 of the 9 years of the Konawerks bike show (2013, 2014, 2017, & 2019).  Once again, I took all the photos I posted here on the blog and organized them into video slideshows on my YouTube channel .  You can find all 4 in the Konawerks playlist.

While I missed a year or two, I have attended most years of the Rockers Spring Social hosted by Ton-Up Minneapolis since it began in 2013.  I'll admit I'm not the best of capturing photos of what this show is really all about, the cafe racers. I'm often snapping photos of Harleys, mopeds, and any weird contraptions that ride into the event.   I even debuted my Stingray chopper bike at this show.  My father's Triumph and/or grandfather's Hondamatic would fit much better.  Like I've been doing with other local events, I've organized all the photos I've posted here into video slideshows on my YouTube channel .  You can find them in the Rockers Spring Social playlist .

You might be noticing a pattern... I attended Mama Tried six times (2015-2018 & 2024-2025) and 4 of those years I also attended Flat Out Friday .  I took all the photos from those two events as well as all the pre-parties, after-parties, and ice-riding events that I attended and put them into "ambient" (audio-free) photo slideshows you can find on  my YouTube channel .