Don’t RAT on my HOG
As Tim reminded you, the Republic of Texas Rally has rumbled into town. If you’re not really sure what it’s all about, then you have an hour or two to get your ass downtown and hear thousands of bikes in constant threat of either stalling or blowing your eardrums halfway to Sturgis. Plus you just know that somebody’s gonna dump their $25,000 Fat Bob Classic right in the middle of Congress, so that’s good entertainment.
The RoT Ralley has rapidly grown to become one of the nation’s larger biker gatherings. T-shirt and alcohol sales are so large that the City is on the verge of offering them a tax abatement in one of their famous backroom deals they still get to have. We’re a long way from Altamont, so the Statesman is running the usual photos of cuddly tattooed guys and custom bikes that all sorta look alike. While most of the riders are experienced and sane, the usual advice regarding an occasional “no bar too far” biker or freaked-out rebel wannabe still stands.
So, it’s not the worst weekend to get out of town. In fact, if your idea of an iconic biker is more Steve McQueen than Sonny Barger, then it’s a great weekend to get out of town. The Austin Roadrunners are putting on their vintage motorcycle rally this Sunday the 4th at Ski Shores. In a lot of ways the Roadrunners event is similar to the RoT rally in that you’ll find lots of bike enthusiasts and vendors, with the crucial exception that it favors bikes of British and European vintage rather than American Iron. I’m guessing there are a lot fewer motorhomes and breast implants involved with the Roadrunners event, too.
Whether or not you know a Norton Commando from Arnold Schwartzenegger’s Commando, it should be a fun event. And any excuse to eat a Scooter Burger is a good one.
Note: you can buy a poster of that McQueen photo here.
fat bob?????
Mmmmmmmmmm … Fat Bob. It’s a motorcycle, it’s a smokehouse!
I took this shot on the way home from work on Friday. His shirt has something suitably bad ass on it, but I didn’t post this soon enough and have forgotten what it said now.
Favorite biker t-shirt: “If you can read this, the bitch fell off.”
Favorite anti-poseur t-shirt: “$15,000 and 15 minutes do not make you a biker.”
1) Loud ,noisy bikes cluttering up the already congested rodes.
2) Driven by post 50 men in “wife beating shirts” with their flabby triceps fluttering in the wind .
3) Driven by men whose hairline recedes to the point that they let their hair (whats left of it) grow long and stupid looking.
4) Can do without this stupidity and upset that the czars of Austin let it happen!!!!!