1st Annual Hartman Halloween Costume Bicycle Pub Crawl

All pics by the amazing Ken Carvajal and some by Chris "Poo Bear" Mcmorrow.

Shit got a little out of control this past weekend.....if ya only knew..I barely remember. Party Hard!!

Iron Invasion 2013

I made it a point to make this year's Iron Invasion since I missed the first one with my bike being in peices at the time.  Not to mention it was chilly and I did not expect the bike turnout to be as high.  This year, the weather was perfect and dry.  (On Friday anyway).  I went with CM and met up with friends at the camp site which was just behind the show area, close to the parking lots.  The show had a great turnout with tons of cool hotrods and unique cars.  But what I was looking forward to the most were the bikes.  There was a designated building just for motorcycles, all of which were customized in one way or another.  Some of the well publicized bikes were on display as can be seen in the pictures below.  We met some really cool people, especially the ones who shared their fire pit with us, and another group who shared their awesome Bloody Mary.  Some were even walking around sharing their drinks throughout the night.  It overall just had a good vibe.  

The next day was a tad overcast and by 9 am, you can already see more hotrods, along with spectator cars and bikes coming in.  There was a 'Friends' parking area for custom cars that were not technically in the show, even though it could very well have been a show in itself with rows and rows of cool cars.  Sadly I didn't walk over to take any pictures.  I was preoccupied at the time, but I can see the number of cars increasing from the bleachers as we waited for the DIY stunt show to begin.

By 11:40 am, a few cars started to pull into the track for the stunt show.  It was mostly burnouts and doughnuts.  It was cool.  The most entertaining one was probably a car the blew a tire from hitting the sharp corner of the burnout plate.  Needless to say, he looked bummed.

Shortly after, I decided to make my 1 hr ride home to avoid the rain that wasn't in the forecast until 3pm, but made an early appearance at around noon.  We waited it out a little and stayed dry for a couple hours.  I had a quick lunch and rode home from there.

Overall it was a great weekend hanging out with friends and seeing the custom car and bike scene all in one.  Based on the turnout and the buzz, I would guess the next one will be even bigger.

Friday evening

The Black Orpheus

Matt Olsen's winning knuckle at Born Free 5.

White Wizard

The Locust

Saturday Morning

The only pic I took of the DIY stunt show.

1981 Shovelhead FXWG for sale

$5,000 OBO. Call Corey at 847-815-3159 Runs good, lots of work done.

Time To Reflect...

Now that it is officially Fall, it's a great time to reflect the Summer activities that has allowed me to experience moments that I would not have otherwise, if it hadn't been for my love of motorcycles.  I have met so many great people and established strong relationships, some of whom I can legitimately call my friends.  So as my first post, I would like to say "Thanks".  I am extremely honored to have been invited to become a contributor to the blog for an event that truly set it off for me... the Violation Tour.

-Ken

Harvest Run 2013

 Another perfect weekend in the books!!! Thanks to ken and Dick for organizing the Harvest Run. I had John Cougar Mellencamp playing in my head all weekend while we where riding through the cornfields. Roads where smooth and everyone that came was cool and down to earth.....the way it should be. Thanks again dudes! I needed this. Looking forward to Harvest Run 2014!!

Forever Two Wheels

1988, 9 years old, high on life. Before the time of Ipods, laptops, cell phones, internet. Building ramps out of 1/2" plywood with bricks, and riding my BMX was the only thing I obsessed about. There was a place called "the bowl" behind a Sybaris and Lays potato chip factory out in the Northwestern wooded suburbs of Chicago. A dried up river bed gave the perfect natural area for teenagers to build dirt jumps, get high, and drink beer. I remember watching all the older kids ride and I couldn't wait until I became old enough to be able to get "air". Every now and then the Forest Preserve would come through and try to bulldoze or fill in all the areas with wood chips and debris. I would come back a couple weeks later and it would be rebuilt even better than before. No one was in charge, it was just a place to ride if you where "in the know".

I remember even when I was younger than 9 they made this plastic contraption for bicycles that you would mount to your bike with this crappy fake throttle and you could control it to emit sounds of a real motorcycle. I would ride around like a maniac and use my imagination to make myself believe I was on a real motorcycle. Of course, even at an earlier age we would use baseball cards to try to re-create that sound in our spokes.

I would ride all over the place and we would ride with no helmet or pads. My friends and I, at a young age, we where always on two wheels. Tail whipping things in peoples yards. Chairs, flags, whatever we deemed cool enough to destroy. We'd garbage dive for old playboys, build custom BMX bikes, drink Pepsi with real sugar in it, set bags of shit on fire, and make illegal forts in the woods. We where full of energy and could make use of it at our disposal. No one was on prescription anti-hyper active pills.....we burned it all off. From the age of 10 I was barely home.....I was out on my "bike".

My parents where cool enough to cave in and buy me a mini bike and eventually a 1974 Yamaha RD60 when I was in 8th grade that I found in the Trading Times for $200. Even though I didn't know it then, the motorcycle bug was already in my head. I would ride around in circles in our culdesac for hours and sometimes venture out into the street and ride around the block at full throttle which would normally make the neighbors call the cops.

I feel like there has always been some correlation between BMXing with your friends and then years later, riding your motorcycle with your friends. Its like the adult version of being a kid. For those hours or days you ride you can let your mind wander into the deep abyss but stay focused on the task at hand.....staying alive and adjusting to the current mechanical abilities of your motorcycle.

I went out yesterday for a nice long ride with my friends.My kid is two weeks old now so "free time" is more valuable than anything else as the riding season comes to an inevitable end. By the time the day was over I was entering the highway alone. Its a straight 30 mile blast until my exit and usually entails a certain type of aggressive riding style since you are competing with highway drivers. I felt like I was doing 90mph as I clicked into 6th gear. Cars where standing still as I raced passed. Everyone of them on their cell phones, caught up in whatever was more important at that moment in time. Facebook, Instagram, texting, email, etc. The Zombie Apocalypse has already began and we haven't even noticed.

This one of the many reasons I love to ride a motorcycle. I can turn off my phone, hop on my bike with my friends, and have a certain sense of no responsibilities for a short period of time....just like how it was back in 1988.

Don't be a Zombie. Find your own fountain of youth and ride a motorcycle!!!

Forever two wheels!!!!!!!!!!!

WELL HELLO

I'VE DECIDED TO COME OUT AND PLAY AGAIN.
CHECK OUT THOSE SWEET HARLEY MUFFLERS.
WORKING ON GETTING THE DIRTY BIRD ROADWORTHY,
SHE'LL BE ON THE ROAD SOON ENOUGH-

Here is some shit that you all need to put on your calendars!!!!!

 This weekend!!! Hardtail Pary in Milwaukee!!! See ya there! The flyer says it all!!!

 My Madison WI Homies put on a super great run called the Cheeseball. Check out http://lostcauseengineering.blogspot.com/ or more info or email paddyrotten@gmail.com Aug 30th-Sept 1st. I have to bail on this one since baby Hank is due super close to the run...but you should all go and drink a beer or ten for me.

Violation Tour will be sponsoring the pre-party for Harvest Run on that Friday Sept 20th. Bring your dollars, febreeze, and tents. This one is bound to be a great ending to a shitty riding season!

Harvest Run September 21st

If your looking for a good way to end the riding season with some good people you should check this out . Chris Lite and myself went last year and although we had some tire issues we thought it was a great idea and a nice way to close out the Summer. Rumors of a pre-party the night before with the actual ride starting on Sat morning heading down 120miles of scenic IL to a private camping spot. Doesn't get any better than that. Email Dick for more info at the8life@gmail.com

See ya there!!!

Tour the Lake

Really looking forward to heading out on the bike this weekend. 1,000 miles around Lake Michigan Looking to hit some new roads and put the 6-speed into use. Feel like there is never enough time to ride this thing, and when I have time, that usually means I have no money/no job. Getting ready to make sure shes good to go for the weekend. Time to get living!