Baxter Cycle Rally

[Toystoretom]

Baxter's is coming up shortly on August 18th and 19th. I'll be going up on Friday the 17th or possibly even Thursday the 16th. This rally is located in Marne, Iowa, very close to Atlantic and about half way between Omaha and Des Moines on I 80.

This is more of a Triumph, European, and antique event but all bikes are welcome. There is usually a large turnout on both Saturday and Sunday. lots of motorcycle related stuff to do during this one. Baxter's shop is like a museum and he usually has lots of great old Britbikes from the past on display. The Triumph demo truck is going to be there this year for test rides of Hinckley's latest. There is a poker run. Going into Atlantic you will find Atlantic days with an awesome hot rod show. On Sunday there is a people's choice bike show and free lunch down in the park. Saturday night is the usual pig roast and rock bands. We ride all over to some of the best restaurants around... places like "Aunt Bea's" in Walnut (where you can eat yourself to death). Lots of Antique stores in Walnut also, I even found a large stash of old bikes last year. This rally is a good time, I've been going for over 20 years......

Lodging info... lots of places to camp, from Iowa State parks to the Marne park or camp on Baxter's lot, many people do. There is a Super 8 in both Walnut Iowa and Atlantic Iowa, check their website for phone numbers and reservation info. I stay at the Hawkeye Motel in Atlantic, 712-243-1603. This place is old but its clean and cheap, I just need it for the bed and shower . If you are bringing the wife... the Hawkeye probably won't impress her. You can contact Baxter's for other motels and various Bed and Breakfast spots.

Just a note... riding up from KC last year I discovered they had 71 closed for repair and checking the State of Iowa's website I found it is still closed even now north of 34. I'll be making my own detour through farm country but I 29 is open all the way to Council Bluffs and then head east on I 80. If you get off of the Interstates you will find that Iowa is actually a very pretty state to ride in with plenty of hills and curves... but it can be stinky. Those feed lots smell like money.

PM me if you want to hook up. Here is the link to Baxter's if you need info from them, very nice people, tell them I sent ya..

http://www.baxtercycle.com/

 

[Sidecar Flip]

Those feed lots smell like money.

I bet they smell the same here as they do there. Matter of fact, behind the barn I have that odor.

Have fun at Baxters. I always considered it to be the Mecca of Brit bikes.

It's interesting, You have the Hawkeye and if you live in Ohio (I don't), it's the browneye.

 

[britman]

Good Folks

I have bought one bike and tons of parts from Baxter's over the years. Good people to deal with. Have a good ride Tom and enjoy the gathering.

 

[Toystoretom]

I'm Off!!!

In more ways than one...

Shawn and Brian will be around if you need anything. Keep up the good work!

Tomo

 

[raymond braswell]

Tom was right

Had a good time at the Rally in Iowa. Did not get away until Sat. afternoon and burned it up to Iowa and had diner with Toystoretom. Went to the rally in Marne Iowa Sunday morning after a good country Iowa breakfast at one of Tom's favorite places...no granola there! Hundreds of British bikes, great people and at least 10 Rockets...the Hardleys were in the minority for a change. Had a good solo ride back dodging thunderstorms successfully all day..until I was twenty minutes from home then got nailed! Tom was right, this is a good one. I'll be back next year.

 

[Toystoretom]

We had fun... Robbie was there also and he managed to have a parked bike fall over and break off one of his turn signals. Gus (The service manager) took care of that but later Saturday night Robbie smacked into a front end loader and snapped off one of his foot pegs. So it was back into the shop Sunday morning and he had some floorboards fitted up. After that I lost rack of him so I don't know if he was able to hit anything else or not .

As I was riding back to KC Sunday I was leaving Red Oak Iowa and something punctured my rear tire. I was able to limp it into the Ford dealership just on the outside of town and at least get it into the parking lot and off the hiway. Whatever it was left a hole the size of a Bic pen and I could see through it into the tire. I was able to call up to Baxter's (cell phone signals can be very spotty out there) and they sent a rescue team. In the meantime the son of the guy who owns the Ford dealership stopped in to get something (they are closed on Sundays) and what a great kid. He opened up the shop and found some tire plugs and we at least got the hole plugged up enough to get some air in that rear tire. I don't know if you have ever tried to push a Rocket with a flat back tire but it basically can't be done. I wouldn't have ever trusted that plug riding it because the hole was so big but it held long enough to roll the Rocket up a ramp and into the back of a truck. We would have never been able to do it if I hadn't been able to plug that thing.

I had to stay over until Monday because we had to run the new tire and my rear wheel assembly into town to use a high dollar tire machine to mount it up. I figured out a way to do this that actually works. We did Rusty's at my shop a couple of weeks ago and that didn't go so well, but I learned a lot from that and came up with a way to handle these monsters, and it worked on mine, I'll do a post about that later, just about everyone could benefit from this.

I have pictures and stories and I'll get to them tomorrow after they fire me at work... they were pissed that I couldn't make it in today. I get tired of that crap. They were the only real downside to a great weekend. Even the flat tire adventure turned out to be fun because of the great people around there and their positive outlook on things.

 

[Sidecar Flip]

Oh, Oh.......That thin Metz carcass let ya down.

I cringe every time I ride down the gravel road to the pavement.

I'd never push a flat tire'd bike. I'd be feathering the clutch at an idle and walking it along. Especially the Rocket.