Visiting the Progressive Insurance International Motorcycle Show
Stan Brein
Ah, the Progressive Insurance International Motorcycle Show. Once a year we get a chance to see, in one place, the latest offerings from our favorite manufacturers. Two dedicated groups set out on January 14 to find the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. We could have ridden the bikes, but it was a tad cold. Larry Hampton, Ed Schmidt and Andy Cartwright went early. Stan Brein drove Kenny Gilgore and John and Linda Nagy.
The first order of business was lunch. Cindy’s Deli was the recommendation, a New York Kosher style deli operated by a Chinese family. Some of you understand the irony! The food was delicious, and we highly recommend the pastrami, corned beef and bagels. On to the show. Thanks to the cell phones we listened to three different Siris bellow out directions. After circling the same block three times, the gang decided they had enough sightseeing and pointed me toward the parking garage.
In at last! Disneyland for motorcyclists! We were able to test ride (well, test sit) that new iron steed and imagine what it would be like to carve the curves with this new machine. That is until we flipped over the hard-to-find pricing information! The bottom line on some of these vehicles exceed what many of us paid for our first house. Since Progressive Insurance is the main show sponsor we expected to see Flo, but she was nowhere to be found, something about her appearance rate being very expensive. But they did provide an excellent coffee shop and an upscale men’s grooming facility (Flo’s Chop Shop). Throw in the custom bike competition, Fitz Army Stunt Show, seminars and entertainment at the Progressive Stage and all the vendor bling you could ask for and it was a great afternoon. After three tries we were all able to meet up and drag our bags of catalogues to the car. And no one dented their budgets too badly!
Riding this past month has been iffy due to the weather, but L.T. and Mary Bryant, Joseph Ace and a few others took off on January 10 for one of our favorite locations, the Red River Pizzeria in Nocona. The owner is from Chicago, and how he found his way to Nocona I’ll never figure out (witness protection?). Mary and L.T. took in the Horton Car Museum (a must) and rode for about 200 miles through Oklahoma and back. Somewhere in Ponder the group stopped for a lesson in reinstalling a gear-shift lever. A big thank you to the gentleman in the Dodge Ram diesel pickup, a rider himself.
We want to know the new residents at the Ranch who ride. Let me know who you are by contacting me at [email protected].
Beware of cagers and keep the rubber side down!