Gophers and Cheese

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.

I've been neglecting the blog but I've still been busy riding, wrenching, and taking tons of photos this year.  I couldn't let October go by without acknowledging a very significant milestone.  I bought my first motorcycle almost exactly 10 years ago today and, yes, it is the same exact same bike that has the black and red lace rattlecan paintjob that I still ride today. I took this photo yesterday while riding through Wisconsin.  Yes, I swear it's the same bike.  I've just changed a few things and put a lot more miles on it. I thought it might be fun to take a look back and post some photos from the last 10 years, one year at a time.  While you may have seen some, I'll try to post a bunch you haven't seen before.  Some will be a little embarrassing, but that's half the fun of old photos. This is my 2004 XL1200C when it was brand new to me in October 2006. I considered starting with a smaller bike but am so glad I didn't as I never grew...