Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly - May 2016 by Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly

#174 FREE

Not Your Typical Trike

Inside: T he Endeavor Trike Conversion • Reviews The Cathedrals Of Nebraska • Scooters

Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly®

Table of Contents May 2016

PUBLISHER

From The Hip

Victor Wanchena

MANAGING EDITOR

All The News That Fits Road Rash

Bruce Mike

REVIEW WRANGLER David Soderholm

Geezer With A Grudge Not Art

COLUMNISTS Thomas Day Paul Berglund

CONTRIBUTORS Aaron Amborn David Harrington Harry Martin Matt Mike Steve Tiedman

How-To Tip Black Plastic Restoration

Photo Courtesy of TheStrayProject.com

From The Hip

WEBMASTER Julie S. Mike Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® is published nine times a year by: Hartman Press, Inc. 7265 Balsam Lane North Maple Grove, MN 55369 Phone: 763.315.5396 email: bruce@mnmotorcycle.com www.mnmotorcycle.com Subscriptions are available for $14.00 a year (U.S. funds). See subscription form below. Advertising inquiries: sales@mnmotorcycle.com 763.315.5396 Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly encourages your submissions. M.M.M. will edit all accepted submissions and retains nonexclusive, multiple use rights to work published in M.M.M. Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly will return submissions only if accompanied by an SASE. “Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly” is a registered trademark. Copyright 2016 by Hartman Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

By Bruce Mike

attended the Donnie Smith Bike and Car Show this month. I try to go every year because I’m fascinated with custom motorcycles and cars. Garage art isn’t really my thing but I’m always impressed with the design and effort these folks put into these customs. My favorites are the ones built in somebody’s garage or small shop. The high school builds are great too. Most of my time at this show is spent at the swap meet. This year I was on the hunt for a 2 into 1 exhaust for a Sportster.

I love swap meets and the one at the Donnie Smith show is a great one. The one problem I have with them is of my own making. I show up unprepared. Often times I’m looking for a specific part and I don’t have the number. This turns into asking whoever is at the table, “will this fit a [insert year, make, and model here]?” The answer is usually something like “maybe, you might have to do a little fabrication.” I made a lot of purchases for my chopper that came with encouraged fabrication and most of them didn’t work out.

Tales From The Road The Cathedrals Of Nebraska

8-9

Bike Review Endeavor Trike Conversion

10-11

Feature You Already Knew This (Part 2)

I made a promise to myself with this current bike build that I would only buy parts that I was going to use. So far I’ve done a pretty good job with it. Through a ton of internet research and talking with a few bike builders I’ve been able to stay on track. The exhaust system I was in search for I ended up buying brand new. When I say I researched I should probably say I agonized. I quickly discovered that too much information is sometimes as troublesome as not enough. Just like anything, if you look long enough you can find an equal amount of bad and good regarding a particular exhaust system. Then you have to rely on respectable and accurate reviews as opposed to just rants. This made it tougher than it should have been. I do everything I can to buy locally and I normally have pretty good luck. The Bassani exhaust I bought I couldn’t find at a reasonable price anywhere but online. I still paid way more than I wanted to for a motorcycle exhaust system, hence the agonizing. I made the purchase through Revzilla which I have had good luck with in the past for hard-to-find stuff. I tend to be pretty cynical with retailers and especially when they’re online. What happened with this purchase blew me away.

I ordered the part and they shipped it for free with a 5-7 day delivery window. When I placed the order they only had 2 left which was 2 more than I could find anywhere else. Before I even received the part, the price dropped $50. They had come out with a new model and dropped the price on the one I had ordered. I called them and they immediately credited the $50. No hassle at all. I thought “wow, good customer service.”

When I received the part we opened the package and discovered that the mounting bracket was for an older model bike. After inspecting the packaging, it appeared the box had been mislabeled. I was ready to call Revzilla and light them up. Due to my cynicism, I’m convinced retailers are out to screw me. The next morning, after a few deep, calming, breaths, I called their customer service and talked to a woman who not only was extremely helpful, but really knew about motorcycles. I was impressed. I sent them pictures of the parts list and the wrong part and they agreed to take care of it. They didn’t have the part I needed but they called Bassani directly and had it overnighted to me at no cost. Now I thought, “wow, GREAT customer service.” Thank you Revzilla for making this bike build a bit easier than the last one.

Movie Review Charge Audio Book Review Hog Fever, Episodes 1-5 Calendar

Random Scootering Scooter Rallies in Minnesota Back for 2016

From The Archives MMM rides the Minnesota 1000

MMM

Cover photo By David Soderholm

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Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

All The News That Fits There are no other OHV rding areas in that region of the state. Currently, the closest OHV park to the prosposed site is located in Appleton, MN 60 miles to the northwest. A survey of the DNR map of OHV parks and trails shows a distinct lack of off-road riding oppurtunities in southwestern and south central Minnesota. Only three: Appleton, Elm Creek, and Tri-County are located in the region.

capital to resume production. The facility in East Troy, Wisconsin now has a staff of 12, with three dedicated to bike production. The target production number for 2016 is 500 bikes. The $12,995 price for the SX model and $13,995 for the RX represents a significant price reduction of the previous EBR models.

A Smart WindSheild?

Crash Fatalities This Spring The Department of Public Safety is reporting an unfortunate start to the motorcycling season with five fatalities as of April 20, 2016. Last year Minnesota had a total of 61 motorcycle fatalities for the season. This start has put the state on track to top that number for 2016. Motorcycle registrations were up for 2015 with a total of 238,000 registered for the state, a record number for Minnesota. Photo Courtesy of Polaris

Autocycle – Car or Motorcycle? The Polaris Slingshot is back in the news as the Minnesota state legislature debates how to classify the vehicle. In April the Senate Transportation Committee examined whether it should be classified as a motorcycle or a car.

The Slingshot is part of a small, but unique, group of vehicles called autocycles. An autocycle is typically defined as having three wheels, but the rider sits in a cockpit similar to a car. The rider does not straddle a saddle like a motorcycle and the controls are typically car like with a steering wheel and pedals. Current federal law classifies autocycles as motorcycles and as such operators were required to abide by helmet laws and have a motorcycle endorsement to operate. The Transportation Committee adopted a hybrid position, which allows the Slingshot to live in both worlds as a car and a motorcycle. The committee decided autocycles are carlike enough to not require a motorcycle endorsement to operate. But, they also will allow auotcycle owners to carry either motorcycle or automible insurance. Their decisions now move for debate in other committees.

Sen. LeRoy Stumpf, D-Plummer, has sponsored legislation, at the request of Polaris, which changes state law so no motorcycle endorsement is needed to drive the Slingshot.

Renville OHV Park. Renville County officals recently commissioned a study of the feasiblity of developing a 272 acre site along the Minnesota River into a OHV park. The site is located on Renville County Road 15, part of the Minnesota Valley Scenic Byway, 10 miles south of the town of Renville. The site is comprised of pasture, hillside, and reclaimed gravel pits. The study delivered to the Renville County board in December recommended moving forward with a second phase to determine enviromental impact of the of an OHV park on the site, recommend mitgation of site issues, and provide a cost estimate for development.

The finding of the initial study was met with disapproval from local residents and neighbors of the property. Their concerns include the noise and dust created by the park as well as potentially dimished property values. Others in the community have shown support of the project as a source of revenue for the area and a valuable recreation oppurtunity.

Gas Gas and Buell Ride Again In April the Spanish off-road maker Gas Gas and Wisconsin’s own Erik Buell Racing (EBR) resumed production of motorcycles. Gas Gas and EBR had ceased production last year after filing for bankruptcy. Rumors and speculation swirled around Gas Gas the long time producer of trials and enduro motorcycles. They emerged from bankruptcy late last year after being purchased by Torrot, a Spanish producer of scooters and mini-bikes. Production of the Gas Gas’s best selling model the 300 TXT trials motorcycle resumed in the Girona factory early in April with a production goal of 2000 machines for 2016. The sale to Torrot was welcomed by Gas Gas employees who had sent a clear message to KTM executives touring as prospective buyers by hanging an effigy dressed in KTM garb outside the factory entrance with a sign reading “KTM dies nicht zu hause” (KTM this is not your house).

EBR also began production of two models in late March of this year, the naked 1190SX and the faired 1190RX. EBR had been forced into bankruptcy early last year after Indian motorcycle company Hero pulled their financing of EBR production. EBR was eventually purchased by Liquid Asset Partners who have infused needed

Photo Courtesy of Samsung

Samsung and Yamaha have partnered to develop what their calling a Smart WindShield. In essesnce it’s a heads up display that projects on to the windscreen of your motorcycle. The display would be able to display information from a smartphone like your speed, directions, or traffic alerts. It also could trigger automatic response text messages or phone calls.

The idea is being touted as a safety feature, allowing riders to focus on the road while still receiving valuable information from their phone. The Smart Windsheild is still only in the conceptual phase and not available for sale. A short video explaining the concept is available here: https://youtu.be/ dAWpq4eW7FE. The concept seems aimed squarely at younger riders resistive to the inherent disconnection from mobile phones that motorcycling provides.

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MMM

Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

Geezer With A Grudge

Not Art building myself. I’ve been some kind of musician almost all of my adult life and I know what I could play and what I couldn’t and I try to spend as little time listening to something I do myself. When it comes to musicianship, I am my own definition of “artistic.”

By Thomas Day

don’t know if Andy and Aerostich created this sticker for me, but they should have if they didn’t. For most of my adult life, the word “art” has meant something different to me than, probably, to the rest of the world. I’ve even created my own etymological backstory for the origins of the word art: “a modernization and abbreviation of the French ‘art brut,’ or ‘art done by prisoners, lunatics, etc.’” The natural adaptation of that word to modern applications would be “not good.” A good bit of my opinion of art and artists comes from decades of seeing materials misused, adhesives and fasteners poorly applied, and welds so miserably executed that even extreme grinding can’t hide the turkey-crap splatter. At one time, I was a fairly decent stick welder and moderately decent with wire-fed welding on steel. Today, those skills are long in my past but I can still recognize good work when I see it. I’m not a great carpenter or cabinetmaker, but I have done enough of that work to know when I’m looking at a piece I would have no chance in hell of

Forty-some years ago, I took an architectural tour of famous Chicago buildings (mostly recording studios and live music venues). When the tour stopped at a Frank Lloyd Wright building I got separated from the group when I was distracted by a couple of guys working on an overhang at the back of the building. As they described the work they were doing and the fact that kind of work had been done all over the house, I commented that didn’t sound like maintenance but something more like re-engineering. They agreed and went on to describe how generally poorly Wright’s designs fit the materials he used and how much of this particular building had been gutted and redesigned with structural improvements.

pete with in a million years. Those impossibly complicated wooden bowls with inlay work so fine and detailed that it seems only magical elves could have done the work receives the disdainful classification as “artsycraftsy” or artisan-created. A lump of clay so poorly formed that it couldn’t hold water if that water was frozen solid would be “artistic.” A photo-realistic airbrushed painting of a zebra in full punk body piercings and Oakley shades is not “art” (the only airbrush/oil painting I have ever purchased in my 67 years) but a paint-globbed and tire-tracked, over-priced canvas is. And so it goes. A friend recently explained that I wouldn’t get a particularly irritating piece of music because “it’s art, Tom.” He was right. It was awful. I didn’t get it at all. Whether the performer was really good at pretending to be talentless or he was simply talentless makes no points with me. I try to never let other people scream for me. I can

do a bad job all on my own. If I’m going to buy something, it will be something I absolutely can not do myself. Likewise, I don’t have a lot of use for arty motorcycles. I despise the whole concept of machines with “character” (unreliability and pointless weirdness). Chrome and blinking LEDs are fine for Xmas trees, but putting that crap on a motorcycle means you live for polishing metal and replacing control circuits. I buy motorcycles to go places I can’t go in a cage. Mechanical devices are, and should be, functional first and when they are really functional their form simply becomes beautiful effortlessly. Saying “form follows function” should be obvious and when form replaces function, count me out. I’ll find my “art” in things that work, do stuff, and have a purpose. MMM

My wife, a visual artist, has the typical artist’s distain for what she calls “artisans.” I don’t bother to look up that word or to invent my own definition of the word because we’ve had this discussion for fifty years. It’s pretty obvious that the work of an artisan is something a “real artist” couldn’t com-

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Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

How-To Tip

Black Plastic Restoration

By David Harrington

f you ride your motorcycle/scooter/ moped for transportation on a regular basis you’ve likely noticed some fade to the appearance of your machine. Though I usually have my two-wheelers in the garage at home, they often sit out in the sun at various destinations, including my office. I keep the shiny bits waxed and I believe this protection helps prevent oxidation and other damage to appearance. When it comes to the flat black “interior” panels on my scooters, the damage is more obvious and not as easy to prevent. I’ve tried several exterior trim restoration/ cleaning products and even some “dyes”, though I confess that I was usually working with automotive black trim in those cases. The dyes worked well IF the piece being treated was off the vehicle. In this case, I’m looking for something that will help deal with oxidation quickly and easily without a lot of bother. Trying Mothers Back to Black came about not because of oxidation, but because of me spilling fuel when filling up a scooter. I had used a plastic cleaner on the spill and there was still discoloration. OK, fine. Back to the garage cabinet, dig, dig, dig, here’s some Mothers Back to Black. It didn’t remove the discoloration, but it did a good job of hiding it. That prompted me to try the product on a severely oxidized scooter.

Photo By David Harrington

The image below shows a fairly extreme example of oxidation on flat black plastic. This Kymco People 250 belongs to a friend and I thought I’d volunteer his scoot as a guinea pig for this project.

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The first step was a QUICK cleaning. Nothing fancy, just some generic plastic trim cleaner and a wipe -down. Next I applied a liberal coating of the Mothers Back to Black using and old (but thoroughly rinsed) automotive wax applicator “sponge”. I was NOT all that careful about the seams between the flat black plastic and the shiny maroon colored panels. I just wiped off any mothers that got on the colored stuff with a rag. In a few minutes I lightly wiped down the black. I thought the improvement was noticeable, but went ahead with a second coat anyway. Same thing, just pour a little Mothers Back to Black on the applicator and wipe it on the plastic. Give it a light buff with a rag and it looked even better. Then I got dis-

tracted with some other projects and didn’t come back to the Kymco People for a couple of hours. A third coat went on and I think the results shown in the image above speak for themselves. Though the Mothers Back to Black certainly didn’t return the black plastic to “new” condition, it looks MUCH better than it did when I started. My experience with Mothers tells me to expect this to last 2 - 4 months at which time re-application will be necessary. It’s a pretty quick and easy process and the product is relatively inexpensive. I paid $9 for an 8 ounce bottle at a local Fleet Farm and maybe used a third of the bottle in this project.

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Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

Tales From The Road

The Cathedrals of Nebraska Nebraska. We had left Moab that morning and drove till well after dark. Our motel was next to the 24 hour truck stop. We crossed a parking lot filled with hundreds of trucks parked for the night. Even at 10 on a Friday night the restaurant was full. It was a loud happy mix of truckers and local Nebraska families and the whole place was covered with Nascar and other racing memorabilia. One wall was dedicated to motorcycle racing. I was looking at the things hanging from the ceiling, lost in thought of the cathedrals my friend must be seeing, when I felt someone poking their finger into my chest.

By Paul Berglund

was born in February and have lived my whole life in Minnesota. I would put my motorcycle away in the fall and resuscitate it in the spring. Winter was all about enduring the hibernation. Each spring starting my motorcycle was like the first cry of a new born babe, and my life could resume. Putting a motorcycle on a trailer and bringing it somewhere nice to ride always seemed wrong to me. (Especially around the first week of August.) So when I bought a dirt bike I made sure it was street legal. Turns out the things that make for a good street bike, don’t help you when you ride off road. So I bought a much lighter dirt bike and a trailer. My dream was to ride my dirt bike in the mountains of Colorado. With the help of my trailer and some good friends, we made that happen one September a few years ago. That was one of the highlights of my life. I try to go back each year and when I do it’s spectacular. But you can’t ride in the Colorado mountains in the winter, not on a motorcycle. So my bike went in the garage that fall and winter covered my trailer with snow and ice. And so the cycle of life continued. The leaves would change color, my wife would move three tubs of summer clothes to the basement and bring up three tubs of winter clothes. She’d tapper off the vodka and ramp up the wine and I knew riding season was almost over. I still didn’t like winter, but it was a force of nature I couldn’t change. The holidays and wine would lull my wife into sentimental distractions and there were fewer vodka fueled tirades. Together we could find peace in our bleak frozen wasteland. Two winters ago that didn’t happen. Winter came early and it was brutal. The streets were clogged with snow before December was over. My wife brought up her winter clothes but never put down the vodka. We were setting records for days below zero. In January both St. Paul and Minneapolis declared permanent snow emergencies because the streets were becoming impassable. My wife would walk around the house wearing three sweaters and muttering curses into her grizzly sized martini. It was a cold and angry winter my friend. One night I couldn’t sleep. It was February and my birthday was fast approaching. I laid on my back unable to move under the heavy blankets,

Photo by Paul Berglund

two cats and a wife that had eaten 7 cloves of garlic for supper. It was then that I remembered Utah. Daytime highs were in the 60s in southern Utah, even in the dead of winter. I had a trailer. My bike was full of corn free premium gas. The next day I sent out some emails. Some like-minded friends joined in and we were off to Moab for the week of my birthday. Riding a motorcycle for the first time in the spring is magical, fun and life affirming. Escaping Minnesota in February and riding in Moab Utah transcends ordinary happiness and takes you right to joy. I know I’ve talked about this in several articles, but I have to spread the word. You can do this. You don’t have to play golf in Florida or sit on the beach in Mexico to get out of another soul crushing winter in Minnesota. Put your bike and your gear in the back of a pick up and head south. Go someplace warm and ride your bike, in the winter. It’s not just a lifestyle ornament for the weekend, it’s your ticket to happiness, and it’s sitting in your garage. When you fire your bike up this spring and all those good memories come rushing back, think about how you can have that and discover new and fascinating places in the middle of a Minnesota winter. It doesn’t have to be Utah. It could be the Dragon’s Tail in North Carolina, or the Hill Country of Texas, or The Copper Canyon in Mexico. Next winter I might try trail riding in Arkansas or explore the mountains of New Mexico. Make a plan and it will be easy to recruit your friends. I’m

super happy riding my dirt bike on new and exotic trails, but you can bring a street bike instead and ride the curvy roads that snake through the mountains and foot hills of our southern states. It’s your country, go see it. On this last trip, one of my favorite riding partners couldn’t join us because she and her boyfriend were taking a trip to Rome. He had lived there for a year and spoke fluent Italian, so she would have a deluxe guided tour. I was thinking about her walking into some 500 year old church and looking up at the painted ceiling when we walked into a huge truck stop in

A large bearded trucker/biker was grinning at me as he happily jabbed away. His two friends were nodding along with what ever he was saying. I don’t speak biker, nor am I righteous, but I could tell immediately that these were friendly bikers. Both of my traveling companions, Rick and our very own MMM editor Bruce, have owned real choppers and they spoke enough biker to get by. Bruce told me that our new friends had heard some of our conversation, saw our sun and wind burn faces, read my sweatshirt (that said “Moab Utah 1902”) and had rightly guessed that we had just been riding there. He and his companions thought that this was fantastic and they had ridden there also. We were all in agreement. So there you have it. Lots of people are riding motorcycles in other states and having fun. Join us, won’t you. MMM

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Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

Endeavor Trike Conversio M

By Bruce Mike

y thinking when I was on my way to New Prague to pick up the Endeavor test bike was, It’s got to be a lot like a Can-Am Spyder. I was so wrong. I’ve ridden the Spyder and it was fun but the Endeavor conversion I rode was a whole different level of fun. The bike I rode was a converted Victory. My current road bike is a BMW R1200R but I’ve had my fair share of cruisers and sometimes I like floor boards and a kicked-back riding position. Adding the two wheels to the front of this Victory seemed to just add more comfort. The bike handled great and cruisng down the interstate at 75 mph made me think it would be a great bike for a long distance rally. Norm told me it was great fun on twisties and dirt roads so that’s where I went when I got off the highway. He wasn’t kidding. Again, I was surprised by this bike. I rode it pretty hard on twisty asphalt and dirt and not once did I experience any limitations. On asphalt I expected the ride to be a lot of upper body work, kind of like a Ural, but it wasn’t at all. It took awhile to get used to not needing to lean and once I got that down riding it was even easier. The braking and suspension seemed to be really dialed in and worked great. This bike on dirt was a blast. Sideways through turns at 40 mph, flingin’ dirt, I couldn’t stop smiling. I’ve ridden 4-wheelers on dirt roads and they don’t even come close to the stability and comfort I felt on this Victory. I’ve never been a big fan of traditional trikes. The ones with VW motors, kegs for fuel tanks, coolers for saddle bags, and the Windjammer fairings, I’ve always viewed as ridiculous. These new generation trikes with two wheels in front, these trikes are pretty cool. I had the bike for a couple of days and I rode it all over the place. At every stop I got asked a lot of questions.

Photo by David Soderholm

A Gold Wing that has been coast-to-coast for testing.

How do you back it up?

Can I put it on any bike?

You push it just like a regular motorcycle. It was really easy. You don’t have to hold it up so that helps. You can also have reverse installed.

Yes you can.

How much does it cost?

I’m not an engineer but Norm is. He told me his vision for Endeavor Trikes and here it is.

It depends on the bike. Between $9200 and $9600, depending on trim and fitment. Norm will happily give you a quote.

Can I install it myself? Due to liability issues, no.

The webiste has a ton of information. Check it out — ido-endeavor.com.

“Over the years trikes have been stereotyped as motorcycles for older folks with limited physical abilities. While this is quite true for all trikes, including the wheels forward design, I believe my type of conversion is more suited for a much wider spectrum and wider demographic. While a standard wheels back trike is functional and safe it is hardly sporty. The new wave of wheels forward trikes are designed and built with 4 major engineering concerns in mind. 1. Steering – wheels forward conversion address steering and handling as a priority. The steering geometry is basically the same used on cars, trucks and sport vehicles. 2. Aerodynamic profile – The design layout is narrow and allows air to pass by without added resistance. Air is allowed to flow through, further nullifying air resistance. Only the wheels add drag so mileage and general efficiency is not greatly affected by the design.

Photo by Matt Mike

Tearin’ it up on gravel.

3. Functionality – Motorcycles are fun and exciting, a standard trike in my opinion is a compromise, as they are not well suited for sport riding. The current breed of sport trikes offer a non-leaning twist to the sport of motorcycling. Once acclimated to the steering and handling these trikes can be pushed into corners, run off the paved roads into gravel or onto those minimum maintenance roads. Pulling a trailer adds

a transparent feel, there is added storage space. It is not a compromise rather an alternate style of riding much like a snowmobile or ATV is an alternate to dirt bikes. 4. Custom design – My patented design is one of universal fit and will do virtually any large motorcycle. At the same time each unit is unique, I hand craft each conversion to fit the personality of the owner and machine so no two are ever exactly alike. Now that is the easy part, the hard part is convincing people that the demographic spread for this type of conversion is wider than old guys with bad knees. I envision younger riders using this as an alternate to sport touring bikes. Ride 100 miles down the freeway, then jump off onto some gravel road to a back woods trout filled stream. Also new riders and ladies who don’t wish to muscle a large Harley, but at the same time don’t wish to ride a smaller bike. I started riding bikes when I was just 8 years old and in 2007 I crossed the 1 million mile mark. Since then I have logged 142.300 miles on my trikes. I understand the thrills involved in leaning into a corner or charging up a dirt cliff but at the same time I also understand the excitement of charging through the snow on a snowmobile and grabbing some air with a four wheeler. To me sport trikes are just one more thing, just another turn in the road to fun.” I think Norm has the trike thing figured out and if you’re in the market for something new and cool for your motorcycle, check out Endeavor Trikes. They’re a Minnesota company run by a guy who rides. What more could you ask for?

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MMM

Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

on — Take The Right Turn I

By David Soderholm

responsive and fun handling. Steering was tight with no apparent slop in the front end. Confidence soared…… It’s hard to describe the feeling of invincibility you get from his 3 wheeled settings. It’s empowering. I was having a great time and noted a few dirt roads I would hop on with the next ride.

approached Norm’s shop in New Prague, Minnesota not exactly sure what to expect. It seemed like an interesting idea. But honestly, how much fun could a converted motorcycle-to-trike be? I figured I’d go through and put in an honest and fair review. After all I had a fun time in 2006 riding the final pre-production test mules for Can-Am and their Spyder, but that was designed as a trike from the start. Surely Norm Kokes (Owner and creator of Endeavor Trikes) wouldn’t be able to approach the competence of Can-Am and their Spyder…..right? 5 Minutes into my test ride, giggling inside my helmet; I thought I couldn’t have been more wrong! I knew after meeting Norm that his project was the real deal; real engineering, real prototype development; real patented technology and real smart solutions for the whole concept of a convertible trike kit. When I knocked on the door and walked in Norm was working on a bike that was being converted. He immediately smiled, walked up and gave me a warm greasy handshake. Cool - the owner and inventor with the greasy hands. I like that! He gave me the quick tour, showed me the shop and stopped to talk about a main frame he had just gotten done welding up. This is where his magic is. Endeavor Trikes use a 2 part frame mounting system. There is a main frame which the steering and suspension parts bolt up to. This is a universal part and all bikes use the same proven design. The magic is in the second mounting frame. It is unique to each motorcycle model and allows the same kit to bolt to just about any motorcycle. This means that not only can you convert your bike back to two wheels easily for selling it, but you can

Photo by Bruce Mike

Matched up just right for each application. keep the main kit and bolt it to any “new to you” motorcycle you purchase. Pure genius! It’s almost a “for life” type of purchase as the main kit itself can be re-used with a different mounting frame. As I said before; real smart solutions. I also said real prototype development and real engineering. Check and Check. Norm talked a lot about his solutions to various issues he encountered and worked out along the way. He accomplished this in a couple of ways. First of all, a sound engineering physics study with regards to steering, suspension and handling. Secondly, with running those ideas though a number of different prototypes that were built and tested extensively in

Photo by David Soderholm

Norm and his “dirt-tracking” prototype.

the real world. He came up with some novel solutions to things that are really brilliant. Even gaining advice from Chuck Yeager’s aerodynamic engineer! I take the time to tell you all this to impress upon you that this kit is thoroughly thought out and tested. Norm is a really sharp intellectual guy who knows his stuff and my test rides would prove that. Norm WANTS you to come and ride his Endeavor test Trikes. He is very confident that after riding them you will be impressed. He had 3 available for me to ride. They were in essence his last prototype, and a pre-production and production line unit. Wanting to get a feel for his final development settings, I decided on the production unit first. This was based upon a late model Victory V twin. Before leaving; Norm emphasized how fun they were on back and dirt roads. Nodding, I snapped down the face shield, let the clutch out and rumbled out of the parking lot. Cruising down main street New Prague (30 mph) my first impressions were remarkable stability and agility. Turn the handlebars (no counter-steering here) a little and it responds immediately. Not darty, just responsive. Brakes were excellent. Good feel and 1 or 2 finger powerful. No abs or linked brakes here. Use the one you want and it’s the one you get. Use it well and you stop well. Remember – 2 contact patches up front now. Riding the old streets and railroad tracks gave me a feel for the suspension. Intentionally hitting man hole cover depressions, railroad tracks and bumps showed a complete lack of bump steer and nicely compliant weighty feeling suspension. Nicely calibrated settings! Rolling out of town let me up the speeds. Agility stayed as did the stability, still no dartiness, just lively

After returning, I switched to prototype #2 which is built on a well-used Valkyrie chassis. Norm referred to it as his dirt tracking exploration machine. It’s a prototype – have fun and get dirty! That is exactly what I did. The differing feeling between this prototype and the production Victory I had just rode was obvious. Clearly showing the progress made in front end set-up between the two. Moving from a V-twin to a flat six was compelling also, completely changing the experience between them. Turning onto the dirt roads, fun, giggling and hilarity ensued. With no electronic nannies to impede you, you could slide around corners with the rear tire hanging out Dukes of Hazzard style to your hearts content. I actually laughed out loud inside my helmet! It felt like a super powered ATV. Charge into corners way too fast and the front end sticks, power out and wag the rear on the throttle – try that on a standard Valkyrie! The third bike was an 1800 Gold Wing that’s been coast to coast for testing, his Pre-production model. I decided to treat this as the touring model and just inhaled some miles running down the road. Spot on and stress free. Not quite as well sorted as the Victory (as you would expect given its pre-production status), but still eminently capable of doing what late model Gold Wings do. Throw in the added versatility of running down dodgy, dirty or truly dirt roads and you have an extremely capable and flexible machine to explore where ever you want to. Heading down places or parking in fields you would NEVER do on a regular Gold Wing. Hell, throw Blizzaks on it and have fun in the winter to. In a nutshell, that’s the brilliance of the whole thing – versatility. The Endeavor kit is not only reusable, allowing the owner to easily move it to a new bike, but allows motorcycles to do things in places they or their riders would never attempt otherwise. It turns your ride into a go anywhere, stress free experience. Throwing in the fact that it’s so brilliantly engineered is just icing on the cake. Make sure to visit Endeavors website http:// ido-endeavor.com/. It’s information rich so do some clicking. Remember they are local – so stop and visit! MMM thanks Norm Kokes for the invite! MMM

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Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

You Already Knew This (Part 2)

Feature

By Aaron Amborn

was in need of a new bike, but wasn’t sure what to buy. I consulted with a high mileage friend for countless hours and literally hundreds of irritating questions. Eventually he helped figure out what I needed and steered me toward big touring bikes. After a lot of research I finally decided on the BMW K1200LT and so the hunt began. E-bay, Craigslist, local ads were all dissected in an attempt to find that steal. What I quickly learned is at the time these bikes were in pretty high demand and didn’t come cheap. I bid on ten bikes before I finally landed one. Of course it wasn’t in a neighboring state it was in Florida. So, Ft Lauderdale here I come. Call me naïve. I bought a 1-way ticket to Ft Lauderdale to pick up a bike I’d bought on E-bay after only seeing pictures and sending a thousand dollars in advance. The owner picked me up at the airport and took me back to his house where the bike was. It looked fantastic, and I was anxious to get on the road after being awake for 36 hours. So I paid the owner the balance and started to head home. After an initial 400 miles of rain on an unfamiliar bike, it was a relatively uneventful 2200 miles home. My latest adventure was to ride to San Diego to see my nephew graduate from Marine Corps basic training. I laid out a trip that was epic in proportion for me. First, I was going to ride from my humble abode in Minneapolis to West Jordan, UT to see a high school friend. From there I wanted to go to San Francisco and finally to San Diego via US 1. My plan was the first day I would just blast away on the interstate to get west of Denver and grab a room for the night ready for the splendor of the Rocky Mountains the next morning. I got up bright and early Sunday morning; got all geared up and as I backed out of the driveway, the electric cord to my GPS breaks. There I sit until the electronics store opens so I can replace the cord. So after 3 hours of sulking I’m on my way for a meager ½ mile when I realize that my GPS cradle is broken and my GPS is about to fall off my bike. So back to the

Photo Courtesy of MMM

house to grab the suction cup mount from the car. Now I’m hell bent. The 3-hour delay has now made my goal of Copper Mountain, CO unrealistic. As I steam through the 95 degree heat and unending miles of corn and semi trucks that are Iowa’s I-35 and Nebraska’s I-80 I can’t help but feel life being stripped from me. I lose my will to live on these sections of interstate and promise to never find my motorcycle and me on them ever again. So by the end of the day I make it to North Platte, NE with my love for this trip lost somewhere on I-80. I grabbed a cheap hotel room and got to sleep after the longest shower of my life. The next morning comes, and I finally make it into Colorado around 11:00 am. Not much to see for the first 150 miles or so on I-76, but then through the clouds I see some mountains in the distance. My hateful thoughts of I-80 quickly

vanish, and I am once again overwhelmed with anticipation. The miles peel off like a prom dress as I start to ascend into the Rockies. I make it to Copper Mountain, and then head south down Hwy 91 to Hwy 24 in Leadville. I took Hwy 24 to Buena Vista and thoroughly enjoyed every inch of this road. After a pit stop in Buena Vista I head right back up Hwy 24 to catch Hwy 82 for Independence Pass. This was by far the most incredible road I have ever ridden. The views in every direction are unreal to a flatlander like me. At the top there is a large sign stating the elevation is 12,095 feet, and better yet it was 62 degrees. What a view looking down at the roads I just conquered. I felt the weight of the world leave my shoulders at that moment. I basked in it for a while then off I go. I still wanted to make West Jordan, UT

While-You-Wait Tire Mounting and Balancing

that night and had a long way to go. Now I had the pleasure of descending the pass. After miles of winding and descending, I pop out in Aspen, CO. Its 95 degrees and I’m pouring sweat like an expectant father. So I pull over to peel off some layers. As I push my jacket and riding pants into my back pack, my bike falls over. Apparently asphalt gets soft and the kickstand sinks in heat like this. But, you already knew that. Aspen is a very nice town but, after riding for 10 hours I didn’t feel like shopping when I smelled like a goat and looked like a caveman. So I pushed on. The ride out of Aspen is just some more awesome scenery. I really enjoyed the evening ride, what I didn’t like so much was the setting sun directly in my eyes for the next couple hundred miles as I was trying to make West Jordan by nightfall. My backside was screaming at this point. I still had the stock seat on my bike, while it’s quite comfort-

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Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

11 The only thing keeping me on my feet was a well placed back pack and a firm grip on the counter. The employee behind the counter ran and got me 2 very small bottles of water; I poured 1 on my head and the other down my neck. I felt a little better but wanted to get to my room and take a cold shower. After the shower I was good, and it was time to hit the tables. I actually did well and made a few bucks on the hold ‘em tables and it only took me until 5:00am. 6 hours of sleep later and I’m off hoping to make it east of Denver. I make it across Utah in record time, get in to Colorado and as I come into Eagle, CO just west of Denver and Vail I need to fill up. As I’m topping it off, a Colorado State Trooper pulls up and asks where I’m heading. I told him home to Minnesota. He asks if I’m staying on I-70. I said yeah. He then strongly suggests that I get a hotel room and call it a night. He went on to say that Vail is at 10,000 feet, its only 35 degrees up there now and only going to get colder. The weather is unpredictable and there are lots of elk, moose and deer around the area.

Photo Courtesy of MMM

able, I don’t think it was designed for 700 miles day after day. In Glenwood Springs, CO I link up with I-70 and shortly after, cross the Utah state line. A few hours on the interstate and the craving to get off of it wins out. I head up US 6 towards Price, UT. After the beauty I saw in Colorado it was going to be hard to find something that would impress me. US 6 was average at best. Night fell and I really just wanted to get a shower, dinner, and a good night sleep. I poured on the throttle and finally made it to West Jordan around 11:30 pm. The next day I decide to get my rear tire replaced, which ate hours and $250. So I decided to take it a little easy with a short ride west to the small casino town of Wendover, UT (better known as the staging point for the Bonneville Salt Flats – Ed.). I wanted to throw some cards, eat a good meal, and sleep in conditioned air. I had a lot of fun there; I won a small hold ‘em tournament, which replenished my wallet a little. I felt really good the next day, and was re-charged for another big day. There are not a lot of choices for roads in this area of the country. You have interstate, ranch roads or a US highway that has no towns and no traffic. And, what I didn’t know, no gas stations, but you already knew that. After getting bored on the interstate again, I turned south on Hwy 305. My gas tank showed ¾ full, so I finally made a smart decision to fill up before leaving the interstate. I sped out into the middle of the desert, with no water and no food, but a full tank. I didn’t see any other vehicles for over 4 hours while heading south on 305 then west across Hwy 50. This is the definition of the road less traveled. I finally found a tiny little town where a 1 pump station was open. Good thing cause my bike and I were on fumes. I learned my lesson; I bought five Gatorades and a bunch of grub in case there were more roads less traveled ahead. The next day I had no particular destination. Just ride in the general direction of San Diego till I’m tired. My GPS routed me on Hwy 395 south then to Hwy 14

south towards Mojave, CA. The wind kicked up on 14 going into Mojave like I have never experienced in my life. The wind was so strong that it blew my large red back pack off my bike. The only thing holding it on was the single bungee strap secured to the luggage rack. I pulled over resecured my pack and white knuckled it the rest of the way. There were times when the bike was leaning so far, that I swore the wheels were about to come out from under me. I reached a hotel in Mojave and asked if there was a storm coming or was I just in one. The young lady behind the counter stated that this type of wind in this area is completely normal. I asked her how hard the wind is blowing and she said “Oh 4550, not real bad actually”. That’s enough wind where I’m from, for people to seek shelter. I got a pizza grabbed some sleep and planned on going to Santa Clara the next day and take US 1 down to San Diego. I woke up around 8:00 am and it was already 90 degrees. I was getting rather tired of the heat, but kept reminding myself that in a few months I would be begging for this back in Minnesota. Now I was on city highways and Interstate, Yuck! I hated the clutter of these roads, gridlock, horns, traffic jams, exactly what I wanted to avoid. But, I needed to make time so I stayed on them and made the best of it.

After lightening their supply and my wallet I wandered back to my room, sat down on the bed and woke up 2 hours later to my cell phone ringing. Apparently I was tired. I made it an early night as the next day I needed to be up early for my nephews’ Marine Corps graduation. The graduation ceremony went well, but everyone (especially my nephew) was in a hurry to get going. My next destination was Las Vegas. I had a room reserved and was looking forward to hitting the hold ‘em tables. The quickest way to Vegas is I-15. So I jumped on it, rolled the throttle back hard. I made the best time I could. When I had to stop for gas I just fueled up and took off. At 3:00 pm the heat in the Mojave Desert is unbelievable, 116 degrees for over 3 hours. In my excitement to get there, all my previously learned lessons were forgotten. No water and no desire to stop were going to bite me hard. I get into the southern outskirts of Vegas and am feeling weak, tired and dizzy. I get to the Golden Nugget Hotel, go to the registration counter and essentially pass out.

What am I going to do, argue? So I check into a hotel, but soon realize I will need to ride 1100 miles the next day to get home. I get up at 6am to 37 degrees and my bike covered in frost. This was going to be a day from hell. I rode for maybe 45 minutes before I went numb and decided a warm breakfast was in order so I stopped and thawed out for 45 minutes or so. After breakfast it was a balmy 55 degrees. I knew that was the last meal I would have until I got home. The one thing I swore I would not do is go back across I-80, but that’s exactly what I had to do to get home that night. All other routes were simply going to take too long. I rode and filled up, then rode and filled up and so on. At 11:30pm I pulled in to my driveway safe, sound, but very weary. I learned a lot of valuable lessons about motorcycling on this trip. Always have food and water, know your route and what’s out there in the way of services, and you better like yourself if you’re going alone. Next time I will ease up on the pace and take time to smell the desert. Actually the desert doesn’t have a smell, but you already knew that. MMM

I didn’t quite make it to Santa Clara. I wanted to avoid Los Angeles so I jumped off I-15 and got on US 76 towards Camp Pendleton/Oceanside area. I spent a little time here myself back in the late 80’s and wanted to see if there were any old memories I could bring back. The area has changed incredibly; it’s much bigger and much more cluttered than I remember, pretty sad actually. The ride down US 1 was really scenic but really slow as well. Town after town meant crawling at 30 mph tops for mile after mile. Needless to say it took a while to get there, but I did. I checked into my room and wanted to celebrate the halfway point with a couple beers. I went up the street in Old Towne San Diego and found a Mexican joint that had plenty of Corona is stock.

Every issue 1996 thru 2016 — www.mnmotorcycle.com

Photo Courtesy of MMM

Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

Charge

Movie Review Charge Directed by Mark Neale New Video Group, 2013 90 minutes

By Victor Wanchena

he documentary Charge follows the birth of electric motorcycle racing on a grand scale at the Isle of Mann TT race. The film chronicles the work of several teams as they prepare and eventually compete in the inaugural running of an electric bike class (TTXGP) at the 2009 Isle of Mann TT. The cast of characters is broad and varied. There is the highdollar no-expense-spared effort of US team MotoCzysz. Then there’s the eccentric electrical genius of Cedric Lynch and his Indian partners with Team Agni. The local heroes with shoestring budgets and familiar names like Mission motors and Brammo. They all paint an interesting picture as this odd mix find themselves center stage as pioneers in rapidly evolving technology and motorsports.

For fans of the Isle of Mann TT it is interesting glimpse into the new facet of the race. Tech junkies will enjoy the engineering of it all, experimental motors, mega batteries, and purpose built machines. Even non-motorcyclists will find something to like in the reality of the drama in this era of faux-reality programming. The fascinating part for me was watching the birth of something new for motorcycling. Racing, for better or worse, drives the sport in many ways. This was really a rare chance to watch the behind the scenes work of early visionaries in a unique sport. MMM

Hog Fever, Episodes 1-5

Audio Book Review Hog Fever, Episodes 1-5 by Richard La Plante and Kevin Godley Escargot Books and Music, 2015

The pace of the movie is good with the usual tension building as preparations for the first electric TT go anything but according to plan. There is the plenty of hope, desire, and will on the part of competitors along with plenty of defeat, despair, and a little glory. It’s narrated by Ewan McGregor and directed by Mark Neale. If that combo sounds familiar, it because the two have partnered for several films including: Faster, Fastest, and The Doctor, the Tornado, & the Kentucky Kid. Charge feels similar those in its pace and tempo.

By Steve Tiedman

few days ago Mrs. MMM Publisher Tammy W. asked me if I’d like to do another review. “Sure,” I told her. She handed me the large white envelope in which I expected to find a motorcycle-related book of one sort or another. Instead, I found a 4-CD album for “Hog Fever, Episodes 1-5.” What?! An audio book? Oh, man… Suddenly my mind is expecting hours of Morgan Freeman or David McCullough, or maybe Peter Coyote. Okay, I’ll give it a shot. I popped the first disc into the car CD player on the way home from work and got about 20 minutes into it. Shutting off the car at home I thought I’d at least finish the first disc before deciding to review it, or not. Over the weekend I listened to the rest of disc 1, then I kept going with the rest of the album (around 45 minutes, each disc) while performing spring maintenance on my bicycles; my motorcycles were already running for the season. “Hog Fever, Episodes 1-5” is a fictionalized audio adaptation, nay, an ear movie as they call it, of the book “Hog Fever” by Richard La Plante (author of other motorcycle and home construction memoirs, and crime thriller novels, and he is also a musician/songwriter). And ear movie is an accurate description, it’s as though you are watching a movie but not looking at the screen, a toss-back to the days of radio noir. It stars an entire cast, has sound effects, music… everything but video footage. And they do a terrific job of it. The story concentrates on the midlife-crisis times of Robert Lourdes (played by La Plante), a barely successful American

screenwriter living in London (and involved in a bad marriage to a successful British screenwriter who is stealing his ideas), who attempts to emulate “Easy Rider” and “The Wild One” lifestyles to chart a new course for himself as an outlaw biker, while at the same time falling for his wife’s Harley-riding assistant, all of which (and more) we learn about as he tells his tale from the safe confines of his psychiatrist’s couch. Phew. Lourdes’ psychiatrist, The Shrink, is expertly played by veteran British actor Terence Stamp. The Shrink’s serious yet sometimes deadpan comical persona is the yang to the mildly frantic, sometimes druginduced yin of Lourdes. As I listened to the Lourdes character, both the voice and the characters of actor/comedian Dennis Leary would keep coming to mind. I’ve enjoyed some of Leary’s work so having this in my head helped me “see” the movie and its characters as I listened. I had my doubts about this “ear movie” before it started, for two reasons. 1- I’m not into the outlaw biker thing at all. (Don’t worry, you don’t need to be, either.) 2- I didn’t think I’d be able to give it the attention needed to get through it. But as I discovered the characters of Robert Lourdes, The Shrink, and the others, I remained on the hook to continue through the album. I wanted to hear what was going to happen next. Note, this may not be the thing for those with tender ears, it can at times be rather “R-rated”. But it was an entertaining way to spend a few hours of listening time. This “ear movie” is available for download from www.downpour.com and also in CD format from the usual sources, as is Richard La Plante’s original printed memoir book that was the inspiration for the “Hog Fever, Episodes 1-5” CD album. And actually, reading about his book “Hog Fever” has me thinking maybe I’d like to read it sometime. MMM

Calendar Ongoing

2nd Monday of the month, 7:00pm Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Gathering Diamonds Coffee Shoppe, 1618 Central Avenue Northeast, Minneapolis, MN. Not Necessary To Be a Member to Attend Gathering.

Every Tuesday, 5:45-9:00pm Ride To Sir Bendicts

Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake, 805 E Superior St, Duluth, MN 55802 Have dinner, talk bikes.

1st Thursday of the month, 5:00 pm Dulano’s Pizza Parking Lot Party 607 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN Hang out, eat pizza, show off your bike, watch the variety of humanity.

3rd Thursday of the month, 6:00 pm Blue Cat Motorcycle Third Thursday

460 Prior Avenue North, Saint Paul, MN, bluecatmotorcycle.com Two wheel block party. The action starts at 6:00 PM.

May May 7, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm 3rd Annual Ride In and Show Motorcycle Show — Winona American Legion 302 E Sarnia St. Winona, MN 55987 May 12-14, Ducati Factory Demo Truck — Moon Motorsports Monticello, MN May 18, Simply Street Bikes First Ride Night, May 18th from 7 – 9pm — Simply Sport Bikes Eden Prairie, MN May 21, 9:30 am Joe Gillis Special Hearts

Ride — Bennett’s Chop and Railhouse, 1305 7th Street West in Saint Paul May 21, 1:00 - 6:00 pm Rockers Spring Social Motorcycle Show — Club Jäger, 923 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis May 28-29, GLMC Bonzai Road Rally — glmc.org/bonzai.php LaCrosse, WI See the most current event listings on our website mnmotorcycle.com. Hosting an event? MMM will list your motorcycle event for free as a service to our readers. Email bruce@mnmotorcycle.com

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Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

Scooter Rallies in Minnesota — Back for 2016

By David Harrington

t has been a few years, a lot of years, way too many years since we had a scooter rally here in Minnesota. Scooter Du ran from 2000 to 2005. Rattle My Bones went from 2006 to 2010. Then, nothing. Yeah that’s just too long without a big rally here. Now, in 2016, we are looking at not one, but two rallies on the calendar. First up we have the Lambretta Jamboree taking place from Thursday, July 14th through Sunday, July 17th up in Duluth. This event is for vintage Lambrettas only and will draw from all over the country. Lambretta Club USA is the driving force behind this gathering and I think it’s a pretty big deal that they selected Duluth Minnesota for this year’s event. If you think Vespa is all that makes up the vintage scooter scene, you’re missing out on some wonderful machines and very interesting people. You can get more info at: http://mnlambrettajamboree.weebly.com/

If your only experience of “vintage” events involves show cars, this would be more than a little different. Though there MAY be a couple of trailer queens, many of these old scooters will see plenty of miles during the rally. There are at least planned excursions around Duluth and riding events such as time trials. Here in the Twin Cities we are VERY glad to see a new scooter rally taking shape. Scheduled for Friday, August 12th to Sunday, August 14th, the Land of 10,000 Scoots rally will take place at multiple locations in the Twin Cities area. During the 2015 Bearded Lady Motorcycle Freak Show (if you’re a rider in the Twin Cities and you don’t know about this, you should) Joe Cappello (who was active

in previous rallies) ran into Bill Bornhausen and Bill Gleason at the 331 Club. The two Bills convinced Joe to start the ball rolling for a Twin Cities scooter rally in 2016. The rally will be hosted by the Twin Cities Scooter Collective – a soon-to-be Charter Club with the American Motorcycle Association.

What’s all the excitement about scooter rallies? What does one DO at these things anyway? Lots of things, mostly fun. There are three types of scooter rallies: brand/make/model/club – specific, event centered (holiday, charity, etc.) and regional. Some rallies are a combination. The Lambretta Jamboree by the Lambretta USA club, should be pretty obvious. It’s for people (predominantly club members) who own vintage Lambretta scooters. There’s a regional element in that the event moves locations. As mentioned, this year it’s Duluth. As such, some of the things they will do at the rally in Duluth will take advantage of the location. I’d bet that at least one of the rally rides will involve Skyline Parkway in Duluth.

and things one may not expect (most obscure ‘The Who’ reference, most unlikely electrical accessory, etc.) and just wandering around the parking area of the event gazing at other people’s rides. Scooter rides will generally take advantage of regional attractions. Sometimes rides will involve another activity such as a scavenger hunt or a timed ride to specific check points. Gymkhana is not so much a ride as a ridden obstacle course. Eating (drinking) and socializing can run the gamut from casual grilling in a parking lot to (semi) formal awards banquets and hosted live musical attractions. What Scooter rallies really are is shared fun. A group of people, joined by their common interest in scooters, getting together to have a good time. This year we’ll have a couple in Minnesota and I’d encourage you to check one (or both) out.

Twin Cities scooterist David Harrington owns and operates JustGottaScoot.com MMM

The Land of 10,000 Scoots rally is not specific to any particular make or model of scooter and is more of a regional event. Though put on by a scooter club, MANY of the attendees will simply be local scooterists. They will be riding everything from 50cc Chinese scooters to 650cc Japanese behemoth maxi-scooters. There will be vintage, modern, modified, stock, some of everything.

Scooter Rallies are likely to include activities that involve looking at scooters, riding scooters, eating & socializing. Looking at scooters may be a judged competition with categories one expects (best restoration, best original, etc.)

Photo Collage Courtesy of David Harrington

Every issue 1996 thru 2016 — www.mnmotorcycle.com

Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly® #174 May 2016

From The Archives

MMM rides the Minnesota 1000 es; get a combination of certain bonuses and earn additional points. After reviewing the route sheet I had a plan. I would head toward southeastern Minnesota then cut across the bottom of the state dipping into Iowa for a couple of bonuses and then heading for the finish through southwestern Minnesota. I was ready and waiting at 8:00 am for the starting bell.

This story is a reprint from Issue #88, September 2006. With the 2016 Minnesota 1000 coming up June 10-12, I thought this was an appropriate piece to pull from the archives. If you want to ride the Minnesota 1000 go to teamstrange.com for registration info.

First stop was Welch, MN for a photo of the post office. I had nice run down the Welch Village Road; the road was its usual twisty fun. Then it was on to Mezeppa, MN. Outside of town is the site where Rallymaster Bart had been hit, head-on, by a car. Instructions were to note the fire number at the driveway near the crash site. In a sort of twisted homage to Bart my bike decided to tip over in this driveway. I was noting the number on the route sheet when I felt the bike begin to move.

It was on to Decorah, IA for a 20-minute visit with friends of the Rallymaster. This bonus was only open till 1:30 pm making time of the essence. The directions were 10 miles on twisting gravel roads. I made it with time to spare but wouldn’t if I’d tried Elba. I found a quicker way out than the main road, but now had another dilemma. If I go back and get Elba it meant backtracking or I continue with the rest of my original plan. I decided to skip Elba, and headed straight for Dave’s Cycle Shop in Spring Valley, MN. I had actually bought my Ural from Dave and knew right where it was. A quick photo of the sign outside the shop and I was on my way. Heading west now, I pulled into chaos at the Spam Museum in Austin, MN. Apparently the Rallymaster had omitted the part about it being Spam Jam ’06. The place was a zoo but I knew right where the

By Victor Wanchena

e in Minnesota are rather fortunate. Our state is blessed with the Minnesota 1000. The Minnesota 1000, or MN1K as it is sometimes known, is arguably the finest 24-hour endurance rally held in the country. Endurance rallies in one form or another have been around for a couple of decades but has really grown in popularity in the past 10 years. The concept is very simple. The riders are given a route sheet with various locations on it. These are known as bonuses and are each worth point amounts. Each bonus will require you to do something to prove you were there. You might write down the inscription on a historical marker or bring a photo of location or simply get a gas receipt from a particular town. The number of bonuses is always high enough to keep you from visiting them all. Instead you must plan the most effective route that gains you the most points. It is not a race but a test of riding skill, endurance, machine, and planning. The night before the start of the MN1K is the Liars Banquet, a pre-rally gathering with plenty story telling. Often times a first route sheet is given out or other tidbits of information. Holding to tradition there was a first route sheet. Included on it was a bonus that we could grab that night at Betty’s Bikes and Buns in Minneapolis. The rain began again as I left for Betty’s. It was a mighty thunderstorm that swept across the metro and had flooded many of the streets surrounding Betty’s. One intersection I went through was under a foot or more of water. I wondered if this little test had been ordered for us; a water crossing and the rally hadn’t officially started yet. I headed home for some route planning. I got a general sense of where the bonuses and points were but didn’t set my plans in stone as there would undoubtablely be a second route sheet to ruin any serious planning. The rally masters didn’t disappoint, Saturday morning brought a second route sheet at the riders meeting. It had new bonus locations and some combo bonus-

sunset, the sky afire with reds, orange and purple. It was completely dark as I pulled into Slayton, MN for a gas receipt. The night got deeper as I headed to the Birch Coulee Battle site outside Morton, MN. I rode around the site for a while trying to find the marker I needed to take a picture of. From there I was going to find a marker of some settlers killed during the Sioux Uprising. The directions were a little nebulous but I had seen the county road I needed just outside Morton. As I pulled on Renville County Rd 15 I saw the sign proclaiming it a Rustic Road. Crap, that meant only one thing, gravel. The direction stated the marker was located 6.5 miles west of County Rd 1 on 15, how far could 1 be? After 6 dark miles of washed out gravel I found 1, just another 6.5 miles of the same crappy gravel. It turns out that County Rd 15 is know as the bottom road, as it runs along the Minnesota River and is rather scenic. This was wasted on me at midnight in the fog that had developed. All I could really see was that to my left was nothing; to my right was a hillside, in case of a crash, head right. Eventually I found the marker along side a creek, but now I had to find my way out. Fortunately my GPS assisted with that and I found my way back to the main highway. Next I was on my way to Cosmos, MN to get a picture of a Lion shaped drinking fountain. That in the bag I worked my way up to Kingston, MN for a photo of yet another historical marker.

Photo by Victor Wanchena

You visit the strangest places on the MN1K. The soft dirt had given way under the LT’s 800+ pounds. It gently lay over like it simply wanted a nap. It was way too early for naps. Next on my list was the scenic overlook at Alma, WI. Located on a bluff above town we were to find and note the quote on a plaque located in the park at the overlook. I was in a hurry but had to take in the view for a minute or two. First dilemma on the rally, I was planning to go to Elba, MN and climb the fire tower outside of town, but a chance encounter with a couple of other rally participants changed my mind. They said it was more than a fire tower as there was no road to the base of the tower, instead 600 some steps up the bluff that the tower sits on. So after bailing on Elba I headed instead for Money Creek, MN and the cemetery there, and then on to Caledonia, MN, home of the Earthwalkers. It seems three brothers from Caledonia walked around the world. Only one made it all the whole way, who knew?

gift shop was and procured the required purchase and something extra for myself, more Spam please. From Austin I went straight west on the interstate for a photo of the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, MN. A 60-foot fiberglass man in green tights, yikes! Now I dropped into Iowa to the town of Estherville. Outside of town was a marker commemorating a large meteor that had crashed there. Up till now I had avoided rain but a few storm clouds gathered. It wasn’t much rain but it reminded me of the quote by rally veteran, Will Outlaw, “A rally without rain is just a ride.” Very true. Then over to Sheldon, IA and to the airport to record the tail number on a cold war era jet. It just getting dark as I pulled into Flandreau, SD for a token from the casino. Women in line for the cashier cautiously asked about my riding gear, obviously I looked haggard by now. I half expected security to escort me out. As I rode out of Flandreau I was treated to a spectacular

Those behind me I headed for home. The bonus was the always-popular rest bonus. All you need to do for this is get a receipt from the same town timed at least three hours apart. This gives riders a needed excuse to get off the bike and rest for a while. As I planned my route I figured that I could nab my rest bonus at home, a risky gamble. The danger is that once your head hits the pillow in your own bed you will have a tough time leaving it. I clocked in at 3 am and went home for a shower and a nap. I woke a couple hours later refreshed and ready for the finish. There was one bonus in Hanover, MN, not far from the house. I knew the bridge I needed a picture of, so it was easy points. On a little gamble I headed south to Bongards, MN and a picture of a big fiberglass cow. I knew the back roads down to Bongards and was able to pick up the bonus and make it back to the finish with 15 minutes to spare. The aftermath was a little surprise. I hadn’t been riding that hard this year. Putting on just a little over 1000 miles, but more importantly had really just gone out for a nice little ride. When the points were figured out I ended up with 85XX, which was enough for a 2nd place finish in the Touring class. That was a surprise. Thanks again to Teamstrange for another great event and to event host Leo’s South.

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