Gophers and Cheese

After a chilly February with no riding, the weather in the Twin Cities has been really nice throughout March.  We have had no snow all month!  I heard this is the first time that's happened as long as they've been keeping track (since the late 1800s).  Not only has there been no snow, but it's been getting warm.  Both the 30th and 31st will top 70 degrees! Sadly, it hasn't been in the 70s since September but never mind that as I was still riding through the end of November last year.  Hopefully this riding season will last just as long.

The 23rd Annual Donnie Smith Bike Show was held this past weekend at the St. Paul RiverCentre.  I was there on Sunday, March 28th.  This was my 3rd year attending the show. Once again, the main floor was filled with bikes and vendors.  The room to the left of the main floor had a huge swap meet. I thought this Buell was cool.  It was built by Two-Bit Choppers. There were a couple of Yamaha chops that I liked too: Here's a cool shovelhead... This bike, called "Dumpster Baby" from Brain Trust Bikes, made interesting use of a Bud Light pint glass: Of course, I have to post some Sportsters: I even saw this Sporty trike in the swap meet section: A view of the swap meet room: Here's an interesting bike for sale at the swap meet.  It looks like it came straight out of a barn.  The seller wanted $7K for it and listed it as a 1945-1947 Flathead WL. Back out on the main floor, here's a Norton, Triumph, and Vincent: This bike had a coo...

The 2010 Donnie Smith Bike Show is this weekend at the St. Paul RiverCentre.  This will be my third year attending the show.  Here are just a few highlights from the 2009 show (all photos taken March 28th, 2009). Here is a shot of the crowd checking out the custom bikes and vendors.  There is another room to the left with a large swap meet. If I had to pick one, this was my favorite bike at the show.  It is beautiful mix of black and copper and it's name is, not surprisingly, "Black Copper".  It was built by Jay's Garage.  I think it's very tastefully done and is the kind of bike I would happily ride home. This was a close second in terms of my favorites.  Its name is Luo37 and was created by Leroy Thompson Choppers of Mentor, OH.  This one's a bit too weird to ride daily but I think it's really creative. In terms of paint, the airbrush work on this tank was incredible.  The paint was done by Sprockets and the bike's name is Pin'd...