Halifax Biker Bash 17 Mar 07

Submitted by Tud...
I'm not a bike show regular, so I'm not a good one to say whether or not this was a good show, but to my untrained eye it seemed like a good one with plenty of folks around. I drove my bike over on Friday night to drop it off with Terri, Mike and Scott so they could get it in place and ready for the next morning. The bike was washed a couple weeks ago, but with the snow, rain and salt, it doesn't take long for it to get dirty again. Apparently this wasn't too big a deal and Scott and Mike wiped down what little chrome there is on the bike. Rob's bike was there already, as he had dropped it off earlier in the day.

I got a chance to walk around the show floor that night, since it was a bit too crowded when I had walked around on Saturday. We had two booths, which is a good thing, as we wouldn't have had room for the table and both bikes had we only one booth. Fortunately the booth was right by the garagee door, so we were the first ones out at the end of the show.

Here's a shot from Friday night before my bike was moved in place

On Saturday morning the door had been blocked off and our bikes in their proper place, although we were short a curtain

That's Rob's '06 on the left
and my '06 on the right

I'm not sure what Rob does to keep his bike so clean

Here's Rob talking to a couple show goers who are watching one of the Ural videos, Murray is under the Ural banner, Terri is talking to Scott and Mike is talking to another show goer

All in all, I thought it was a great show. It seemed like we talked to a lot of potential customers and the bikes generated a lot of interest, as always. I took some time to walk around with a couple I know (who incidentally are likely going to join me on my trip to Vermont) to see the show and grab a bite. Just from that walk around the show seemed pretty busy, but as I mentioned the rep from the show said that attendance was down from last year. The weather may have been a factor; I stepped of our steps at home that morning and slid 20 feet down to the road. Lot's of ice to be chipped off the roads and cars.

After the show Rob and I backed our bikes out and road them to the back parking lot, where we proceeded to do our best military formation hack flying, albeit perhaps a little more wobbly than a precision military drill.

Then the strangest thing happened. He pulled up behind a truck with a strange contraption behind it. I got off my bike, trying to figure out what Rob was up to

Then I saw him do the most unthinkable thing. I'm sure my eyes must have been deceiving me, so I had to take some photographic evidence

Rob might be able to elaborate on what that thing is that his bike is perched on, but it seems to me that it would make it hard to ride home from up there. ;)

It was great to spend the day talking Urals with the fellas!

A rebuttal from Rob...

How does Rob keep his bike so clean? He doesn't ever ride it outdoors. What Tud failed to notice was the TONKA insignia on the side of the hack. Although mostly all steel in the finest Tonka tradition, the cylinders are extruded plastic and the chrome is also plastic 'model' chrome.

2 D cells provide lights and horn. Sometimes my wife pushes me around our (shag carpeted) sunken living room on it - it weighs 125ibs without the dry cells, 125ibs 5oz with, but most of the time it sits on our (large) coffee table rotating slowly on its electric turntable. Meanwhile, on our 80" flat screen the Ural downloads scroll 24/7. No gas, no oil changes, no insurance, and no salt damage. The great-grand kids love clambering over it and ever since I mentioned The Will there have been no more complaints from their mother about cleaning the peanut butter and snot off it.

As for Tud's claim of popping the hacks in the parking lot, what else had ya bin poppin', Tud? Musta bin hummin 'Its an Illusion, its an illoooshun' a little too loud and started believing yaself. That cute little lady cop parked by the rink door in her big white car with the twinklies on the ruf didn't seem too concerned. She didn't see no irresponsible or reckless behaviour. She'da had you'n me in bracelets before we could say "Please, Ma'am" if there had bein anything untoward goin on. So keep on dreamin, young fella, but start cutting back on ya dosage.

As for the trailer, well obviously I can't ride it with no motor, and the wife said 125km was too long a push (they don't make 'em like they usta) But no problemo, while Tud was busy ogling the sideboards off the old truck that I had leaned up to look like ramps, Murray Ring and self just grabbed a side each of ole Tonk and flipped her right up there. Advantages to 125ibs (we took the D cells out first on account of the hernia).

And a few words from Ural Canada...
Hey Mike, I took a few pics at the Biker Bash, thought you might like to see. The guy standing admiring the iron is Tud. It sure was great having 3 CURDs helping us in the booth. I think the guys had a good time talking about their bikes, U.D.F at its finest.

Cheers, Mike