More pictures and laughs from the 2011 International Motorcycle Show

I had heard about these guys during the past few years of riding in Chicago. A group dedicated to the spirit of classic bikes, namely cafe racers. No cruisers. I liked that. They do a ride every summer called Mods vs. Rockers (scooters are part of the fun) but I always seemed to have something going on. They had a nice set up at the show this year. Lots of cool Triumphs, BSAs, among others. Nice graphics too. I'll have to be more mindful of the schedule this summer to make this ride.

Joining me at the show again were my friends Mike and Anthony. As usual, Mike was happy to sit on a Ducati. Last year, he almost pulled the trigger on a Ducati GT1000. Now that they've discontinued the model, his eyes are wandering. The Hypermotard looked good on him. Anthony spent some time at the Harley Davidson exhibit. He is talking about upgrading his Sportster to a Heritage Softail – so that his wife can be more comfortable on the back. Always so thoughtful.

Anthony also brought his leather jacket that he got at the show last year. He got a nice, "Born to be Free" patch stitched on the back this time. And upon finding the seamstress that put his American Flag patch on his sleeve last year, he jokingly mentioned that the sewing was a little sloppy because there were a few pieces of threads hanging loose. Before I could stop laughing, she rushed towards him with a lit lighter. I think Anthony thought she was going to torch him but she smiled and told him that that's how you "fix" loose threads. Sure enough, she went over the patch with the lighter and "Voila," the loose threads burned away. The look on Anthony's face when she approached him with the lighter was priceless.