10 years ago, the very last Bearded Lady Motorcycle Freakshow was held in Northeast Minneapolis on July 18, 2015.
I rode my 2003 XL883R to the show, stopping briefly for some photos with Minneapolis in the background. It was a beautiful and clear summer day.
I liked this bike, especially the factory custom paint, but I ended up selling it a few years ago. Last time I checked, it was on Marketplace for a lot more than I sold it for... just in case anyone wants to buy it and gift it back to me. Haha.
Ryan was grilling up some brats.
Eric:
Brett:
Nice highway pegs.
Jordan and Union Speed & Style showing off their flawless metalwork. Bondo is for liars.
I want to be like this guy when I grow up. If you're not overly distracted by the cape, note the wind-up key on the back of his bike, best seen in the shadow.
Nick's "Chop Sushi" with paint by Relic Kustoms. Check out photos of this bike before paint
here and even more pics
here.
Awards this year took the insidious form of Jack-in-the-boxes.
Ryan getting the grill dialed in.
Speed Club:
The Gypsy:
CROIG001 at the Moto Collective tent:
Jarad with a shirt asking what everyone wanted to know.
Jared's bike:
Custom oil filter placement. Never seen another one like it.
Land speed record holder for a sidecar. After doing a little research on the ol' Internet, apparently for such speed runs you have to strap a 60kg (132lb) weight to the sidecar and can't actually carry a passenger, which is probably for the best. Could you imagine?
Note the wind-up key in the back!
The late Jac Kelvie (he passed in 2021). We weren't good friends or anything, but I remember meeting him at Bob's Java Hut and he was super nice. Google him - he rode the living crap of that bike. Badass.
Zack:
Bearded lady spotting!
New this year, Zac from Heavy had his bike and some art, alongside artwork from Spencer and others, inside a gallery during the show.
Some of Zac's art:
Some of Spencer's art:
Different artist:
More by Zac:
Other artists:
Back outside...
Kevin's bike:
If you're not bearded and in a dress, this is the preferred attire for the Bearded Lady. Everyone else looks weird and out of place.
Relic Kustoms:
No one's sneaking up on this guy when he's out riding.
Of course Reinhart leaned his no-kickstand Triumph up against a No Parking sign.
Moped army!
A touch of patina:
Tank wings:
Nate's bike:
Air cleaners? Who needs air cleaners?
The ol' flame bike always stood out in a crowd.
Ryan still busy slangin' the sausages.
Shawn from Red Desert. I wish I got more photos of the bands at the Bearded Lady over the years.
At the time, we didn't know it would be the last Bearded Lady... but it was. Everyone seems to have very fond memories of this show (with good reason!) and you might still spot a BLMFS sticker in the wild here and there. I still wear a BLMFS patch on my vest. I managed to attend the last 6 years of the event (2010-2015). You can see photos
here on the blog and in ambient slideshows on
my YouTube channel. The Bearded Lady solidified my love of custom motorcycles and ended up getting me into custom vans via Chariots of the Gods too. Big thanks to CT for all the time and effort to organize this show for all the years it went on. Support your local events! Most are a labor of love by the organizers, and you never know when they'll be gone.
