Long ago I wrote a story about traveling across the USA on an old, 1971 360cc Yamaha Enduro motorcycle. It was called Toxic Tour with the subtitle, The First Annual Blue Haze Across America Tour. I had grand plans of organizing a two-stroke only cross country motorcycle ride like the Three Flags Tour put on by the Southern California Motorcycle Association. Editor Brian Catterson’s warning to never call anything “the first annual” until a second one happened proved prescient. The Second Annual Blue Haze Across America Tour never happened.
The main reason it never happened is because I have no idea how to organize and plan such a massive undertaking. I guess I thought the event would just magically take place because I uttered the words out loud. Motorcycle events require many selfless people working behind the scenes to make the idle talk happen. I still like the idea of an all two-stroke pan-USA motorcycle tour but someone else will have to make it a reality. Robert Pandya comes to mind as someone who could pull it off.
Which brings us to the (hopefully temporary) defunct Motorado Motorcycle show. The Motorado was a great, classic motorcycle show held each year in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Motorado died out around Covid time and try as I might, I can’t find any information online about a 2022 show. Motorado’s Facebook page responded to my query with “ Unfortunately no show this year, lack of interest.” Adding these bits of information together I suspect there won’t be a Motorado show in 2022.
The thing is, I really enjoyed riding whatever moto-clunker I had that would run the 200 miles to Santa Fe. It was always sunny and warm in September; a great group of riders and motorcycle fixers gathered to chat bikes. You could buy an ice-cold beer from the restaurant located at the venue and sit on a bench looking at a Husky 400 or a Triumph T160. All those pleasurable feelings are gone now.
I admit I’m part of the problem, as I never volunteered to work the show or even joined the Motorado club. I cherry picked all the fun and left others to clean up the mess. I miss the Motorado and want something like that to happen again in Santa Fe. So I’m going to make it happen again, even if it’s only on the tiniest scale.
Working within my expansive limitations, the inaugural ExhaustNotes Santa Fe Vintage Motorcycle Hang Out will take place on Saturday September 24, 2022. The event will be held at the same mini-mall location as the previous Motorado shows were held. The address is 7 Caliente Road near the intersection of Highway 285 and Avenida Vista Grande.
The mall is about a block west of 285 and a block south of Avenida Vista Grande. You can see the mini-mall from the intersection. Since it will take me a few hours to ride up there the start time will be noon. Feel free to get there earlier if you like; don’t wait on me as my old RD350 may break down on the way north. The show will end whenever we want to leave. I plan to hang out until 3pm-ish then head south towards home. I don’t like to ride in the dark.
The Inaugural Hang Out is free to attend and there are no rules or classes as the show is not organized or judged in any way. It is literally a hang out. No trophies will be awarded. Try to ride an old motorcycle if you can so we have something interesting to look at. If you have vintage dirt bikes or a non-running street bike trailer them in.
There is a nice restaurant in the mini-mall called Santa Fe Brewing Company. The Brewing Company has good beer and air conditioning so I might hang out there for lunch. For the vegans there is an excellent bagel/coffee shop next to the hardware store. At least it was there last time I visited.
Since this is a non-organized, non-sponsored event I have made no arrangements with the mini-mall management. There is no special parking but the east side of the mall has a large dirt lot that no one parks in. We could line up the bikes there and be out of the way of normal commerce. Swag, like T-shirts or ball caps will not be available so dress accordingly. I will bring some ExhaustNotes stickers along but I find it hard to believe anyone would want them when they have no idea what or who ExhaustNotes is. Ask me and I’ll give you one.
Look, I harbor no illusions about the success of this event; I fully expect that I will be the only one that shows up. I’m prepared to sit alone for a few hours and talk to myself about the purple RD350 that I’ll ride to 7 Caliente Road. Wes Baca from Albuquerque might make the show on his H2 Kawasaki or his CT70 Honda so that will make two of us.
What I really want is the old Motorado show back, but until that happens we can go through the motions and enjoy a fine day in Santa Fe, New Mexico chatting about and looking at old motorcycles. And that’s a pretty good way to spend a Saturday.
Even if you can’t attend please share this blog on your social media. You never know who might be interested and live close enough to burble their vintage bike over to Santa Fe. When you get there, look for the little old man drinking a beer and sitting lonely next to a purple RD350 Yamaha. That will be me.
The comments section of this blog will be the central clearing house for Santa Fe Hang Out information. If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments section; if you are planning to attend let us know in the same comments section.
I hope to see you there on the 24th!
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Sante Fe is a nice place. I was there with the airplanes I used to work on. Our B-25 lost a fuel pump there and the B-17 broke a tail wheel lock pin but we got it fixed the next day and made out for Phoenix. But for the 3 days we were there it was really nice and the town was beautiful. I get why people like it there. As for the bike run I and my collection of Yamaha XS 650’s will have to be there in spirit only. But good on ya for starting it all back up.
Let’s see…. 1,642 miles….23 hours 41 minutes….each way…..for a couple hours of a potential event with Gresh….if I hadn’t just burned all my PTO on tending to my wife after her brain surgery I would be there. If CT was going – I do have questions for her. Does the mini mall stock Yoo-Hoo?
There’s free YooHoo…I heard…
It’s too far for me so I won’t be attending. But make sure you take some pics even if it’s just you. You could post on large motorcycle owner forums. That would be the quickest way.
I will be in West Palm Beach on much needed vacation, but if I wasn’t…. Well you know in spirit I will be there… maybe you could send a picture of two for us guys on the other coast!
I see the birth of the motorcycle/gear head version of burning man!
I vigorously endorse your spirit!
I’ll buy a t shirt with the exhaust notes graphics……
Actually it very well could be .
The “venue” location has an actual name, Eldorado at Santa Fe https://g.co/kgs/Tej5Xv. But me and Joe won’t need to know that since we’ve been there.
And Joe, if you are able to organize The Blue Haze Across The Street, will you also be able to organize a caravan of tool trucks and spare parts semis?
Small steps…Fire we restart the Motorado, next we take ove the world!
Congrats Joe!
This is incredibly cool.
This is the kind of thing we no longer have here in Ct.
many years back there was Marcus Dairy . Started such as you are. Bunch of BMW riders meeting for breakfast on a Sunday in Danbury Ct.
grew incredibly over the years with thousands of bikes . Eventually ran into a political and commercial death.
From a few people to Super Sunday .
Many car clubs do this kind of hang out.
Motorcycle hang outs are greeted more as loiterers and attract police.
The Horse Backstreet Choppers magazine once had an informal hook up in the Smokey Mountains in NoCarolina. That turned into a full fledged event . I built a bike for the amateur chop off event one year .
The magazine eventually folded an the real event along with it .
The Great Smokey Mountain Smoke Out or close , was it’s name .
Now imitated .
Strange that I met up with Indian Larry at both these venues.
You never know how a few folks can become thousands!
There must be a few bike nites around me someplace . Idk. Covid killed then off and I haven’t been in the flow of things lately.
Joe, I am jealous . Or perhaps envious is better, yes I am envious.
Good on you man!
Enjoy it . I certainly wish I could attend.
Come on out Hack!
This sounds like an awesome event in the making! It certainly motivates a biker to acquire a nice vintage bike and attend.
Thank you for mentioning the Three Flags Classic. After a 2-year shutdown, mostly caused by CAN-USA border restrictions, the Southern California Motorcycling Association started its 45th running of the Classic this past Thursday. Normally a 4-day event starting on Friday of the Labor Day Weekend, this year started a day early to make it a 5-day event in honor of every 5-year running.
The start was in Mexicali SON MEX, where temps were 114+ And ran to checkpoints in Cortez CO, Longmont CO, Rock Springs WY, Missoula MT, and finish in Penticton BC CAN. Tonight is the big celebratory Finish Banquet with parade of flags led by a bag piper and escorted by Mounties.
As I look into the future, I can see the Santa Fe Vintage Motorcycle Hang Out becoming a “Go To” event as big as the Three Flags Classic!
SCMA will gladly advertise the event in its monthly Newsletter at sc-ma.com
Gonzo
Thanks, Gonzo!
Thanks for putting the event in your newsletter. I’m hoping to generate enough of a turn out to get Motorado interested/involved again. They had a great show.
Dang makes me wish I still had a vintage bike to attend this, I live in Santa Fe but just have a couple later model KTM’s right now. Good luck with the event!
Nothing wrong with riding a modem bike to go look at the vintage bikes. Just don’t park too close…
Damn – I am just now burning through my vacation allowance and can’t take more, but I’ll be there in spirit and absolutely in person guaranteed if you do it again next year. Until then I need to acquire a suitable bike to show. My only ‘old’ bike now is my ZRX1200R. Not really vintage, is it? (Though it is carbureted !)
You ZRX is greeting up there in age. My ’99 Rex is 23!
Hey Joe, posted this on a Moto Guzzi blog…
https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=116314.0
No replies, but maybe some local Guzziztas will appear anyway. I’m 3500 mi away, will likely miss it, so drink a cold beer for me! Big Jon
Paraphrasing an old song , It’s a hell of a start , it could be made into a monster , if we all pull together as a team.
Now I know why I’m seeing so many cool olde bikes around town this week. I guess my ’00 FLSTC isn’t exactly vintage, but nobody’s ever mistaken a Harley for “modern.”
You can still ride the ’00 Hog to the Hang Out to look at the vintage stuff. See you there!
Did a little work to the RD350 and I’m heading north a day early to build in some breakdown time!
See you there around noon Saturday the 24th!
Safe travels, Joe. Wish I was there.