Needles Hwy, South Dakota.

The stripes and decal need a coat of clear to be good to go.

Tape it off, and activate the new can SprayMaxx 2K.


A quick light rub with rag with a just a touch of mineral spirits.


Thin dusting coat, a regular second coat, then after the orange peel clears up a bit(10 minutes or so) another coat.


Still wet.


The same for the front fender.


Maybe a compound rub and one more clear coat. The flat sides still need color to seal them, too.

8 months ago, the sun was shining, the air was warm, and the best motorcycles in the area all converged on the 331 Club in northeast Minneapolis for the 2013 Bearded Lady Motorcycle Freak Show.

First, let me just address why it takes me so damn long to post pics from this show each year.

• In the middle of July, there are 3 big shows within a 10-day stretch (Rumble on the Deck, Full Tilt, and Bearded Lady) and Bearded lady is the 3rd of the 3.
• Bearded Lady is the largest of the 3 events and I take a ton of photos.
• By the time I've posted pics from Rumble on the Deck and Full Tilt, I'm usually burned out on blogging.
• At that point it's still summer and I'd rather be riding.
• Saving at least one big show to post helps make the winter pass by a little easier and it keeps my blog from running out of content.

2013 was my 4th consecutive year attending the Bearded Lady and I stayed longer and took was more photos than ever before.  By the time I'm done posting, I will share nearly 250 photos from the event so buckle up and keep coming back day after day for more.  Check my Guide To Local Events page if you want to see my blog posts and photos from the prior 3 years.

I rode my Sportster, arrived early, and got a great spot.

The setup was similar to prior years but I think the photo booth was new.

Cigarette girls were patroling the grounds.

Speaking of patrols, there was a drone in the skies!

If you're not familiar with the Bearded Lady, the show tends to attract lower-budget, garage-built motorcycles, which are my favorite.  Each customized bike tends to have a lot of personality and there is a very wide variety of motorcycle brands and years represented.  Scooters and moped usually have a decent turnout too.  What you won't see much of are baggers and over-priced custom builds.

I'm just getting started.  Keep coming back for more.

Somewhere in LA summer 2013