Gophers and Cheese

The 8th Annual 2013 Rochester Bike Show and Swap Meet was yesterday, February 23rd, at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN.  It was nearly a 2 hour drive south from Minneapolis.  I took a ton of photos (just over 250), and picked out the best of the best for a series of posts so let's get started... First of all, I don't know what the hell was going on in Rochester yesterday, but the parking lots and ramps around the Civic Center were full and I had to park a few blocks away.  It was a cold walk over to the building. Inside, there was a small setup by show sponsor Rochester Harley-Davidson and then you walk into the main area.  Bike show in front and swap meet in the back. According to Donorcycles (check out his blog for more pics), the turnout was hurt by Friday's snowstorm but there were still a lot of great bikes on display and the show had a good turnout. Among the very diverse group of people attending the show were families, riding clubs,...

I just received the latest issue of Show Class Magazine yesterday (the Milwaukee issue).  The magazine is now larger and is a square format.  Inside, it looks fantastic.  The photos are huge and look great. If you're not a subscriber yet, what are you waiting for???

It's taken 2 weeks, 10 posts, and nearly 100 photos just to give you a taste of the Bearded Lady . What's a motorcycle show without awards, right?  The Bearded Lady does it up right with tattooed piglets in jars.   The show is really huge and spills over into a few big parking lots. Even though I knew I didn't stand a chance, I entered my bike in the Bomb Can and Bobber categories for the hell of it.  I didn't win but I didn't mind contributing a few dollars towards such an awesome show. The guy on stilts and the bearded lady herself handed out the awards.  Congrats to all the winners! Don't miss the freak show in 2013!!!

Last week I posted photos of ironhead Sportsters that I spotted at the 2012 Bearded Lady Motorcycle Freak Show .  Today, I'll share some of the more modern Sportsters I saw. If you look really close at the tank of this hardtailed Sporty, there is a spade pattern. Cool Nightster - HID headlight, hand shift, and other nice features. Here's a brand new Seventy-Two.  It was the first time I had seen one in the wild, as opposed to a dealer display. Lots going on here from the cutout design on the tank and fender to the mono-shock and custom extended swingarm. I've posted pictures of this bike before as I've seen it at both Rad's Extra Sharp Motorcycle Show and the Hog Feed at The Joint .  Regardless, I love it and think it's great.  The tank says "The Gypsy" but the photos really speak for themselves. One more post to wrap this whole thing up...

While I might not take a lot of photos of them, there is usually a strong showing of scooters at the Bearded Lady Motorcycle Show and this year was no different. I've seen this bumper sticker before but somehow it's funnier on a scooter. Enough scooters - back to the motorcycles... Here's a Ural that's the perfect color for being seen when you crash into a snow bank because you read Everyday Riding and think you can ride year round in Minnesota too. Check out this old Excelsior. You don't need a pair of stilts to see what's coming next... ...because I'll tell you.  It's Sportsters.

There were some big twins and vintage Harleys at the 2012 Bearded Lady Motorcycle Show too. Here's a great shovelhead hiding in the bushes. This bike looked too new to be vintage.  I'm not sure what I'm looking at. This dude loves spades. I don't remember if this bike was actually a Harley but I've always liked the beehive taillight. Very unconventional rear fender and shortened fishtail pipes on this shovel. Awesome panhead.  Wish I got more photos of this one. Three more posts to go...

You waited all weekend for more Bearded Lady pics.  Your patience will be rewarded... with a Norton chopper. Stick a Norton engine in a hard-tailed frame with a raked out front end and some invader wheels and Bob's your uncle!  You've got a bike that's the dog's bollocks. In keeping with the English theme, here's a pair of Triumph Bonnevilles.  The first one reminds me a lot of my dad's bike.   Lots more pics left.  You'd better not be bored!