Seattle Int'l MC Show

[oldgsfan]

The weather sucks in the Pacific Northwest so I went to the motorcycle show to get my fix. Saw this GS with a sidecar on display at the show - a little crazy, if you ask me, but it sure looks like a working bike.

Oh, and then there was this custom chopper -

I have to admit, I kind of dig those eyeball lights.

 

[bccap]

More pics please....

 

[oldgsfan]

a few more photos then

a few more photos then

Happy to post a few more, but there weren't alot of GS's at this show...

here's that skeleton chopper from the back -

This was a Yamaha that did 150 on the Salt Flats, according to the info on the card -

It was so modified, the builder made a joke of it --

 

[oldgsfan]

Last pics

Last pics

Here are a couple of bikes I just thought looked kind of pretty ...

Like this custom build -

...and this Bonneville

Harley's means skulls

and what's Christmas without a light show?

Finally, happy holidays everyone...if you remember this guy, I kinda wish he'd visit my area right about now, a little Heat Miser would be nice.

 

[Tim Tom]

That bike is a members here. I believe he goes by the name of Hacked850. If I remember correctly he built (and rides) it as an adventure rig. I'm pretty sure he took it to Deadhorse AK, and his next plan is a Round the World ride. Cool bike if you ask me. Far cooler than the typical show bikes

Besides, it's an 850 with knobby tires. Who else would be crazy enough to think that's a good idea except a GSer?!

 

[Rich64N]

I?ll jump into your thread, rather than making a new one. Going to the Seattle show was nice, leaving it was miserable

Last Sunday some friends convinced me we should ride our motorcycles to the Seattle Motorcycle show 40 miles away (free parking for motorcycles, otherwise ~$10). I said maybe initially, and then I said if the weather wasn?t too bad OK. Meantime I test started the GS1000 (only took 3 tries after putting on prime for 10 minutes) and added air to the tires and balanced the air charge in the front shocks to 11psi. I?m a dry weather rider normally.

Sunday came around and it was sprinkling, with a forecast of rain, 40F. I hunted up my good thermals, wool socks, etc. We were meeting up at a diner in Fife (The Poodle Dog) so I had a four-mile test at freeway speeds (I don?t like freeways, no windshield nor fairing) and other than some helmet fogging it went OK. Great greasy spoon breakfast over, I ditched the balaclava (possible source of fogging) and we headed to the show. Bike ran well. Had to wipe my face shield every few minutes in the sprinkles. Was able to keep up with my friends that tend to ride faster than I (HD Sportsters).

Unbundling in the parking garage I found my jeans were wet in the rear, but otherwise dry. Went through the show. I?m not going to spend $900 for a German helmet. Ducati, were they selling motorcycles or sex? Or both? As an engineer I did like the Electric cycles. In the exhibits saw a speed record motorcycle (Yamaha 350) of someone I?m acquainted with that I had no idea was into motorcycles (assuming the uncommon name is the same person ? oldgsfan noticed the same bike above). Some basically unrideable custom cycles with bling bling skulls and chrome (these things are trailered, engine only running from the trailer to the exhibition spot and back). Some $40K yachts.

At 2:05PM my phone warbles with a sound I?ve never before heard coming from it. Pull it out and an icon I?ve never seen before is on the screen so I unlock it and get something similar to a text message but it wasn?t, ?Blizzard Warning this area til 6PM PST Mon. Prepare. Avoid Travel. Check Media. NWS.? WTF? Meanwhile lots of others are pulling out their phones as they got the same thing. Should we leave immediately? Get an overpriced Hotel room? It was not making sense.

We headed out about 2:30, 25 minutes of transit and gearing up, then into heavy rain at 40F or so (um, blizzard, not likely ? rain ?? /hour with gusty winds). Once on I-5 I had an inch deep puddle of water in front of my crotch (which of course leaked through my rain gear). Traffic was surging 40-60 mph in awful visibility and we all get separated (but lots of miserable company of other m/c coming from the show). At 3PM it was like twilight (sunset about 4:25 PM that day). I was feeling damp, but still warm. I get home and take off the gear. Wool socks soaked but being Icelandic wool still kept my feet warm. Levis soaked under the rain pants, but Cabelas thermals kept me warm. Get home and am soaked, but still warm, but frazzled from the concentration needed to get home.

Then at 5AM the next morning my cell phone wakes me with that warble again. Blizzard warning. Again, WTF, never been a blizzard here in recent times. Turns out the National Weather Service (NWS) in its one-size fits all alert system decided to do everything on a county basis with their new alert system. It works in the Midwest for tornados, but my county goes from sea level to 14K ft, so if Mt Rainier has a blizzard the folks in the lowlands who do NOT care get the cell phone alert, get wakened at 5AM for the useless warning (NWS is going to stop this, massive negative feedback).

Dumb, dumb, dumb. Riding in the cold rain is miserable.

 

[wedoo2]

June 2019, sitting in the Poodle Dog with my buddies.



"Remember that show we went to in Seattle, all the bikes"?

"Oh yeah, I remember you looking like the Puget Sound. What was it, about 20 out that day"?

"My ass, It had to be around 10 degrees. I remember the blizzard that year. We just missed it".

"I can't believe you rode that old, crappy, Suzuki up there without a windshield".

"Did a lot of dumb things back then. Still out there in the lot though. How many bikes you been through"?

"Some, but I like my Heritage Antique Throwback Twin Special I have now the best. Gonna take off the radiator this weekend".

"What, and have it chromed"?

"Smartass. That was one cool ride".





"Oh yeah".

 

[850 Combat]

That bike is a members here. I believe he goes by the name of Hacked850. If I remember correctly he built (and rides) it as an adventure rig. I'm pretty sure he took it to Deadhorse AK, and his next plan is a Round the World ride. Cool bike if you ask me. Far cooler than the typical show bikes

Besides, it's an 850 with knobby tires. Who else would be crazy enough to think that's a good idea except a GSer?!

I've spent a lot of time in and around Deadhorse. My employer has a decent sized lot with shops and offices. I cannot imagine being there without being paid. I used to sail in the lakes there in the early 80's. I spent three days there this month, all between -31 and -39 f. I'll be spending January through March there.

It is a hot destination for adventure tourers now.