Rat turd takes third

 On Friday I was working in the shop when an ad came on the radio for a car and bike show to be held in town. A co-worker suggested I take my rat bike and another co-worker seconded the motion. I've never entered any type of show, it really wasn't my thing. I kinda threw out a "put up or shut up" offer that I would go if he also entered his bike. He agreed and we made plans to meet in the morning and enter our bikes.
 As it turns out, the place I work was setting up tents and such for this event. Our crew got there early and left a vehicle there for me so I could register my bike and then drive to work. I worked all morning, got a ride back at noon and met up with friends.
 I had to enter in the "radical" class. I think of this bike more as rat-ical, not radical. I knew I would be going up against some cool iron but my attitude was more about checking out other bikes and having fun. Good thing because as it turns out the other bikes in my class were pretty nice.

This Sportster took second place in its class.

 You know whats fun? For me it's watching people check out bikes. Some people just kinda glance as they walk by till something interesting catches their eye. Others stop fully in front of each bike and try to take it all in. Still others go over the bike with a fine toothed comb checking out all the details.

Peoples choice award winner.

 My bike has a bunch of odd little details and it was fun to watch people discover them. Some of those details would get a laugh from one person and a sour look from another. Good stuff. The spice of life.

I never took a pic of my bike at the show. The tractor seat gets a lot of attention.

 I heard a lot of comments about the tractor seat and how I must never ride this very far. LOL! This is one of the most comfortable bikes I have ever ridden because the seat, bars and pegs are all located exactly where I want them. Last month I did 3000 miles in a week during a Smokey Mountain vacation.  It may not be pretty or shiny but it works for me.

Here's something you don't see every day.

 There were some beautifully restored bikes but the ones that really interest me aren't built from mail order parts. They are made from scraps of steel and rough ideas. I saw some examples of this and got to listen to a few stories. It has my mind spinning with thoughts of my next project.

This 650 yamaha powered scoot earned a first place. This is one of those bikes that looks ok but when you get up close you realize its very clean and awesome.

 The time came to announce the winners. My co-worker had a good chance of placing so we gathered around and awaited the results. Sure enough, he got second place in his class. I immediately gave his wife crap about not doing a good enough job polishing the bike. That got mixed reactions.
 The surprise came when they announced that I placed third in the radical class. Yes, there were more than three bikes in the class. Obviously the judges have excellent taste.
 I had fun. I enjoyed the bike show experience and I'm thinking I may want to do it again. I have a few ideas for the rat bike and I'll be sure to post any updates.