Glossy paint, black powdercoat, polished chrome, massively raked front ends, sprung seats and countless cans of orange spray paint punctuated Motoblot 2016. While most of those items seem to be standard for a bike rally, the orange spray-paint really should stand out.
This is the second time that we have seen the bagger below. When we approached the proud owner of this well-loved bagger, we immediately asked if he had been at Sturgis in the past few years. He rattled off the dozens of rides that he and his bagger took to Sturgis including 2013, the year we saw this bike cruising around the main roads of the normally sleepy mid-west town.
The parts list of this bagger include dirt, grit, sand, bugs, love, tar, orange paint and countless stories from years of interactions with fellow riders. With the exception of the paint, every part was earned, not bought. As is always the case with a bike proudly displayed by the owner, builder or visionary of the project, the paint made this build unique. Orange stands out and calls attention to the machine and despite the lack of chrome, pin striping or expertly molded parts, this machine has more character than any creation falling off the pages of Baggers Magazine.
Most of the bike is in working order with the exception of the odometer. The beauty of this device’s lack of function is that the owner doesn’t ever plan to fix it. In his eyes, nothing is broken he does not measure trips by miles, days or individual destinations. The value of this machine is rooted in the stories from the road and experiences that bike has enabled. A thousand rallies, hundreds of thousands of miles and countless conversations with fellow enthusiasts of the open road and culture that makes the motorcycle culture irreplaceable in American lore.
We have avoided using the owner’s name, labels, brands, parts and the owner of this bike are not relevant to this story. For fans of the books or TV show Game of Thrones we will just say, “The biker has no name”. He and his bike are intertwined in stories from the road… his stories, your stories and our stories alike.
Below are some other photos of a truly incredible and concentrated rally. Three days, countless bikes, incredible performers and great people made Motoblot one of our favorite rallies of the year yet again!
Here are a ton of photos from Motoblot to show you how unique this rally really is!
Again, we would like to thank Progressive for being such a great partner for this rally!
Beantown Baggers 