my vacation ride to indy

[Jon_P]

it is offical! i have signed up for vacation for a whole two days! first time i have taken vacation in 8 years. i will be leaving on june 1st and making my way to indianapolis for june 2nd. i will hang out for a day or two and then head home on the 3rd or the 4th. it should be a 6 1/2 hour trip if i did it in the cage, i am going to do it on bike (i am working hard at getting the 65 cafe done for then) so i will be doing some urban battle in chicago on friday! and all of this with the blessing of my wife! wohoo!

i am counting the days! so i only have three weeks to finish the r65 cafe and make sure it has some shake down time in the saddle.

hey rob what to meet up and go to a rocker style rally/music/movie thing put on by the ton up indy chapter? i have a friend that is going to let me hole up at his place for a day or two that i have know for couple years now.

if any one knows a better way than running hwy 41 through chi town please let me know. i wont run the dan ryan, i'm not that crazy anymore, so i will stick to the surface streets. hwy 41 will get me a good ways down indiana, going to try to stay off alot of the interstates! i want to see and be a part of this trip and not be a part of the interstate. want to see the small towns and enjoy the ride.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Sounds great, Jon!  I can't think of a better way to enjoy motorcycling than in my own town!

I didn't even know the Ton-up had a chapter in Indy.  I might have to remove my luggage racks for the weekend, eh?

I would like you to ride my bike for a few miles to feel what the S bars feel like.  Just so you can say you did it!

And I have no experience with Chicago.  Go west around it?  
With my GPS on my bike, I could probably make my way through there on surface streets, but good golly, that alone could take the best part of one day!

I can't wait to see your bike, Jon.  Mine is marginal trash utilitarian.  But it runs pretty good.

[Bob_Roller]

What exactly is your intended route in Chicago, I lived there 37 years, moved 14 years ago, to Phoenix.

[Jon_P]

i planned on hwy 41 from state linw to state line, some surface streets with some urban 4 lane highway?? that would put me in hamond id. and from there i stay on hwy 41 which almost runs with I65 then cut over.

all i need to do is pm rob my cell number, i have a place to stay with one of the band members who will be playing at the event. and make sure the kompressor is ready. counting the days, counting the days!!

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Exactly what does one use a kompressor for at one of these events?  (I have been reading the forum sticky for this "event").  

Is this the same event that involves high-octane alcohol and equally high-octane firearms?

What should I expect, here?

[Jon_P]

you know rob i dont know! i have heard that the indy chapter of the tonup boys is pretty roudy group who likes alot of high octane drinks, not sure about the firearms?

the kompressor is my r65, some of the tonp boys named it that after a 1938? bmw racer that looks similar?

to be honest i am not a person who likes to drink and drive so if i do a drink i wont be riding, and i'm there to ride, rock and have a good time, i can do that without drinking and driving.

[Bob_Roller]

Your route taking US 41 through Chicago, isn't too bad of a ride from the Wisconsin/ Illinois state line , but if you get into Chicago during a rush hour, can you say 'urban death cruise'. Once south of the down town area of Chicago, the area gets how would you say not so nice, and this continues into Gary and some of Hammond , In.. I personally wouldn't ride in the area.

[Jon_P]

every thing i have heard from the locals is i am better off on the super slab of the interstate. i could run hwy 41 down which turns into lakeshore drive then get on the skyway to stay out of the not so nice areas.

two weeks! counting the days!

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Chicago - I would feel MUCH safer up on top than down below.

The event was mentioned by some of my local club friends.  This is what they had to say:


[size=14]We've met some folks in the Ton Up Club from Indy.  In fact, one of the
members is on this months issue of the BMW Owners News.  This is a Brit
bike club and has several unusual motorcycles in it's membership.

ANYWAY, they are doing a Rockers Reunion on the 2nd of June to be held
at the Locals Only Art and Music Pub.  This pub is located next to the
Mousetrap at 55th and Keystone.  There is going to be a Vintage bike show from 2 to
6pm, motorcycle movie marathon featuring Wild One, Quadrophenia and The
Leather Boys that will run all day.  $5 cover charge to get in to the pub which
will have live music from 5 to 8 by the Messarounds.  

Sounds like a fun afternoon of Brit bike viewing and hooking up with
some very interesting people.  Irmi and I are planning on attending.  Thought
you'd want to know about it.[/size]

[Jon_P]

right now i am hoping the weather will hold out enough, they are saying we will have a low front sitting out on top of us all week and it may effect the weekend, the weather channel is calling for thunder storms here, chi town and indy. not sure if i am ready to ride 6+ hours in thunder storms?? see as the week goes on. i may not go now  

i have been looking forward to this for a month, and the weather my not work out. rob what is your weather guys calling for this weekend?

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

O.K., here is my review of the Ton-Up thing in Indianapolis last Saturday.

I couldn't find it.  Instead I ended up at a known hangout for two-wheeled types, had lunch, and met a couple of nice KTM fellows that came in independantly of each other.  A big over 6 foot German on a equally big dual sport with bags and top box.  Probably in his 40s.  The other fellow was riding the same engine (the German was happy to talk about this engine!) in a naked sportbike.  Exhausts up under the seat and all.  Old stuff nowadays, I know.  I would say this guy was 60.  
It turns out they are both 2nd generation wood veneer business owners (older is retired)!  
The old guy is a dirt bike maniac also, and does the something 500 out in Colorado, with a couple of the Indy race car drivers?  I've heard of it before, but I've forgotten what it is called now.
And German guy, he has been to Alaska & back on his KTM.

After I left there I just kind of meandered, made another fly-by of the area where the party was supposed to be.  I soon caught up with a rather unusual looking machine.  Old, for sure.  It had a small tail light that only came on for the brake.  His right hand was rarely on the handlebar, and it appeared he was throttling on the left!  Sure enough, a right side tank shift.  I rode with him for a couple of miles.  He went right along, too!  Got it up to about 48 on a main street.  It turned out to be a 1937 Harley Davidson.  UN-restored!  And running impressively, as I said before.

Well it turned out to be a beautiful day, weather-wise.  More meandering got me into some 'exclusive' (read I can't afford it...) neighborhoods with beautiful curving hills with scarcely any traffic.  Me and my baby!

I had a good time.  Thanks for getting me out, Jon!   [smiley=beerchug.gif]

[Ed Miller]

Rob, sounds like a good day anyway.  I saw a Harley like that, a couple years newer, on the OVM run a few weeks ago.  I love seeing those old bikes out running around.  They make a '70 Bonneville seem modern, which in fact is how I view it anyway.  And an '81 R65?  Good grief, it has electronic ignition and NO KICKSTART!

You couldn't find "This pub is located next to the  
Mousetrap at 55th and Keystone.?"

Was your friend mistaken, or did mapquest let you down?  I don't know Chicago at all (PTL!), but still.
Have fun,

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

No, it is in my hometown of Indianapolis... :-/

It's just that I am not much of a social butterfly, and I don't know where these places are.  
As it turns out, I went right past it, but it was up a side street, probably just 1 door...
I just thought I would have seen more bikes in the fringe area (of the the main N/S drag) than I did.  I saw none!  

*Sigh*  




(I'm not real good at this 3-dimensional stuff, you know, Ed...)

[Jon_P]

i wish you could have found it, my friend was playing in one of the bands. the bike that won the peoples pick was a R90 or R100 done up in a daytona smoke.

in a couple of weeks there is something similar in chicago and then in aug. there is a big gathering in milwaukee called the rockerbox.