Doug Wothke and the Dirtster

On the way in to the Motorcycle Show Saturday morning, I saw Doug Wothke walking on the street. I recognized him from the Horizon’s Unlimited DVD series. I waved. He waved back.

He followed me until I parked the Ural. He told me he saw it on Friday night, but didn’t know who owned it. As we walked the rest of the way to the show, we talked about different bikes and his trips. He has a Dnepr at his place in Bulgaria he wants to put a Harley engine in. Cool. 

The four motorcycles parked near the IMS Show above. Ural T, DualSport, Gold Wing, and my Ural Patrol.

He just finished riding to Magadan, Russia on the “Dirtster”. The Dirtster is a Harley Sportster with dirtbike suspension he made. Very cool.

Doug talking about his trip (below). The BMW isn’t his.

I had to buy the t-shirt.

Since the coat check wasn’t open when we arrived Saturday morning, I didn’t have anywhere to put my gear. He offered the corner of his booth. He’s a great guy. Check his site out.

Post Office and Passports

My passport expired again. Time to renew it! I need it for my big motorcycle trip this year. I had a new picture taken at Costco for $5 for two photos. Don’t worry. I won’t show it to you. I wouldn’t want to break your screen. haha.

Since I already had a passport, it was pretty easy to renew. I was able to complete all the forms online. I just had to mail the fee, form, previous passport, and new photo. 

The forms mentioned repeatedly not to bend anything, so I went and got a big envelope from the post office, and sent everything off express mail with tracking. I should have my new one in four weeks. The renewal process seems very easy.

An Epic Cuff

A friend asked me to take some close-up picture of my Tourmaster Epic coat’s cuff, so I thought I’d post it since it might help someone else too. Click on the image for full-size.

I love the coat, but hate the original rubbery cuff closure system. The velcro was also very weak and it frequently flapped open snagging things. I cut mine off. Makes my gloves much easier to get on and off. Since I always wear gauntlet gloves, the cuff is always covered.

The cuffs on the Tourmaster Transition 2 are much nicer. Same basic design except a cloth closure strap instead of 1/4” thick rubber.

2012 Minneapolis Motorcycle Show

This past weekend was the Motorcycle Show in Minneapolis. I went to the show on both Friday and Saturday. On Friday, I used the press pass I received via this blog, and Saturday the exhibitor badge for working the MMSC booth. I was (and still am) super excited to receive the press pass.

I had a lot of fun with the show, but last year seemed just a smidge better. If you read my previous post, you know that I worked the MMSC booth talking to people about motorcycles and training. It was a lot of fun. A new person about every minute or two. The time flew by. Before I knew it, my replacements had already arrived.

There was less “stuff” this year than last, but more people. I didn’t see anyone giving away posters, calendars, or other goodies to put in my bag. My garage walls were quite sad I didn’t bring anything home for them. I’m half done covering one wall with motorcycle posters! The MMSC booth gave away stocking hats for everyone who tried the SMARTrainer. It was quite popular. I think people learned something by using it. Some just treated it like a video game rather than a tool to practice mental riding skills. That hats were the best freebie I saw.

My two favorite things about the motorcycle show are the stunt show, the talks, and the unusual bikes. Looking at the new bikes is nice too, but nearly all can be seen at the dealers. You can usually ride them there too.

The coolest sign of the whole show.

A View From the Booth at 10,000x

On Saturday, I worked the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center’s booth. I had a lot of fun talking to hundreds of people about motorcycles and training.

Here is a short time-lapse from the booth sped up 10,000%.

YouTube Video: MMSC Booth Timelapse at IMS Minneapolis 2012

 

PS: For the curious, I used my GoProHD in video mode and then sped up the footage.

PPS: The next post will have the pile of photos I am still uploading.

Minneapolis Motorcycle Show This Weekend!

A couple images from last night to wet your appetite. The Smage Brother stunt show (above) and Brittany Morrow from the Learning Center (below) talking about why you should wear some gear. (Yes, that helmet was on her head when it got damaged)

More to come! I’m off to work the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center Booth. Come by and say hi!

Motorcycle First Thursday - February 2012

Motorcycle First Thursday again today. It was nice to see a few more bikes in the parking lot than last time. I also really enjoyed riding there with some daylight left. The days are getting longer.

As last month, more maps and trip planning was happening around the different tables. A few friends are going to Mexico next month for some dual sport riding. It sounds like a fun trip. I also received some good advice about my own trip plans for 2012.

Motorcycle show this weekend!!

Brake Bleeding The Lazy Way

This will explain how to bleed your brakes the lazy way. The brake on my Ural was unusually annoying to bleed. It is just one nice, straight length with no high spots, but I couldn’t get any feel in the lever. If you have a lot of time on your hands, this might be the method for you.

I Broke My Mojo

Installing my new tires proved to be a bit more adventure than I expected when I began. I thought it was going to be a nice Saturday afternoon project, but it turned into a multi-day affair.