Gophers and Cheese

Back in 2017, Blue Cat Motorcycle hosted the Ignition Motorcycle T-Shirt Show where artists had designed a number of motorcycle-themed t-shirts for sale.  I still wear the shirt I bought (a red/orange print on a light blue t-shirt featuring a skeleton with a machete riding a motorcycle with the word "Minneapolis" under it) and still have beers out of the pint glass I got at the event.

The Blind Lizard Motorcycle Club Rally is (was?) a Fathers Day tradition on Nicollet Island near downtown Minneapolis.  I finally made it out to my first one in 2019.  While there, I overheard it was going to officially be the last one but have no idea is that's true.  It was a beautiful sunny day and had First Thursday at Dulono's Pizza vibes with a great mix of bikes lining the streets.  I rode my Sportster which, looking back, really needed a new rear tire.  Don't worry - I have since replaced it.  Father's Day is June 20, 2021.  Will there a Blind Lizard rally?  I don't know.

Nearly 4 years ago, X Games was in town with flat track racing at Mall of America .  I watched it from the stands with my kids.  I took a ton a photos but the fence, low light, distance, and fast action was a bad combo.  As a result I got a lot of photos of the fence in focus but very few decent ones of the riders.  Oh well, it was still fun to watch in person.  If you want the official results of the races, click this link .  If you want to see the small handful of photos that were salvageable from the hundreds I took, keep scrolling.

The 3rd Annual Spare Arts Bike Show was held on August 27th, 2016 down in Austin, MN.  It was organized by Andrew of Hold Fast Motors.  Austin is a cool little town but is probably best known as the home of Spam and the Spam Museum .  If you haven't been, you should definitely go.  The show took place 2 months after Moto Mania 2: The Big Deuce so it was a bit of a reunion of sorts for many who were there.  I drove down to the show with my son and brought the Evil Monkey (my Honda Z50).  After the show we stopped at Elko Speedway for Eve of Destruction featuring (besides regular racing) drifting, figure 8 school bus races, a jet car melting another car, and a transforming robot dinosaur that ate another car.  Needless to say, it was a great day.

The 8th Annual "Crazy" John Markwald Bike Show was held July 9th, 2017 at the Route 65 Pub & Grub in East Bethel, MN.  This was my first time attending the show.

5 years ago, the Rockers Spring Social was held at its former location, Club Jäger.  This was before the controversy and backlash that led to its staff quitting, the bar closing, and Ton-Up Minneapolis deciding to relocate its very fun cafe-racer-focused event to other venues.  Anyway, the moral of the story is, "don't be a racist."  Seriously, don't.  Before I made my way to show, I got some nice shots of my '04 XL1200C in a field so included a few at the end of this post.  This is back when I was running a swingarm-mounted rear fender.  It hugged the tire nice and tight but it eventually cracked from stress and I switched it up to the Crazy-Frank-inspired setup I have now.

Today I'm throwing it back to September 2019 for Heavy Thursday at The Joint / Cabooze .  The bike night expanded to include vans too.  Add in some live outdoor music and a view of the Minneapolis skyline and what's not to like?

The only motorcycle event I attended in 2020 was the Progressive International Motorcycle Show .  It's fun to see new models in person, including a prototype for the Pan America.  There's usually some custom and vintage bikes at the show too.  For 2021, the show converted to an outdoor event and is skipping Minneapolis this year.  Hopefully it'll be back next year as it's usually a fun indoor winter event.

I owned a van briefly (GMC Savana conversion) but it wasn't "the right van". I customized a few things but it was a mess mechanically so I eventually gave up and sold it.  I would love to own a van again but the hard part is trying to decide what kind (not to mention finding a decent one for sale).  I absolutely love 70s and 80s-style customs but I also like the practicality of having one that could haul a bike.  I think my dream van would be a mix of both, somehow mixing wood paneling and shag carpet while somehow having space for a motorcycle.  Of course, side pipes and Cragers would be a big plus.  If anyone is holding and looking for a good home for their van, let me know.  Anyway, here are some photos from Chariots of the Gods back in 2016 along with a few shots inside the Moto Collective .  This year's show is scheduled for August 14, 2021.

Another show from deep in the archives... 2016 was the 7th and last Rad's Extra Sharp Bike Show.  The following year, it was was held under another name.  "Rad" of course refers to Tom Rad who would typically hold not one but two bike shows per year, Ma Rad's Rumble and Extra Sharp.  I would often attend both but I loved Extra Sharp because it was smaller, low key, held at a cheese shop in Wisconsin, and my wife and kids would typically attend.  I would ride but they would follow me in the car.  My '04 Sportster has taken a few awards at the show over the years and in 2016 it took first place in the Sportster class... probably only because Brett showed up too late with The Gypsy.

Back in 2019, the Konawerks Bike Show was held at Fulton Taproom instead of Grumpy's .  I took my kids so I drove to the show instead of rode... sacrilege, I know.  I managed to take a few photos when I wasn't busy trying to wrangle my kids.  While the beer and food were certainly good, the setup for a bike show wasn't as conducive to photo-taking as Grumpy's parking lot was.  I'm not sure what the plan is for this year but follow their Facebook page for details.

Well, I'm finally wrapping up coverage from the Donnie Smith Bike & Car Show from way back in 2016.  Unlike my prior posts you'll see a bit of the swap meet and car show here too.  If that's not your thing, don't worry, there are more motorcycles ahead too.  This year's show is scheduled for May 21-23, 2021.  It's a later in the year than normal so, if you're planning to go, mark your calendar.

 Continuing coverage (only 5 years after-the-fact) of the Donnie Smith Bike & Car Show 2016...

 Lots more photos from Donnie Smith Car & Bike Show in 2016...

I took way too many photos at the Donnie Smith Bike & Car Show back in 2016 to cram into a single blogpost so let's just get started...

I dug deep into my archives to pull out some photos from Dirty Rotten Bikerfest 2016.  I was attending a lot of events and getting burned out on blogging around this time so there are a lot of 2016-and-later events I never posted photos from (except for a handful on Instagram ).  It's crazy to think it was 5 years ago.  Looking back and remembering the event, it was a beautiful sunny day.  I packed my 883R (flame bike) for camping but don't think I understood that the camping, unlike the prior year, was offsite.  Since I lived close enough, I just headed home instead of the campsite.  I'm sure I missed out on some fun but oh well.  The show is scheduled to be back this year, May 1st, 2021 (no camping).  Check their website for details.

Gophers and Cheese is 11 years old today.  I probably should have made a bigger deal for the 10th but, you know... pandemic.  Stay safe out there, keep looking forward to good times ahead, and don't lose your sense of humor.  The fact you're reading a rodent & dairy-themed motorcycle blog is a clear sign that hope is not lost. I've been pretty bad at blogging over the last few years.  I still went to a lot of shows and took lots of photos (except last year) so, over the coming weeks (months?) I will dip into my photo archives and share photos from some of the shows that I never blogged about.  Far be it from me to deny someone out there the thrill of saying "hey look, some random dude took a picture of my bike and put it on the Internet."  I doubt I'll get through all of them before getting burnt out on photo editing and blogging again but we'll see how it goes.

So if you couldn't tell from the 300+ photos I've shared so far (not counting the ones below), Vintage Torque Fest is awesome.  I was bummed I had to pack up a little early.  I ended up not feeling well (legit sick, not a hangover) and sleeping in a tent next to my bike really didn't help.  I didn't think another night in the cold, damp tent was a good idea so I took the photos below, packed up, and rode home.  It was a great couple of days and I want to thank John Wells for the hospitality.  This year's event is being held 4/30-5/1, 2021.

As night turned into the next day (a few giant fireballs later), Day Two of Vintage Torque Fest was finally underway and it started off with the Tuff Mudder mini bike races!

No, I'm not done posting photos from Vintage Torque Fest 2019!  There are more tomorrow too... and the next day.  Don't worry about any of that as this post has it all... A classic shaggin' wagon, mini bikes, choppers, hot rods, hot rod dirt track racing, and even a demolition derby.  Hell yes.