NY International Motorcycle Show and Bar Hopping in Manhattan

The Toyota HIilux: Indestructible

So, me and the broski decided to go to the New York International Motorcycle Show a couple of weekends ago. Usually, I take the train directly into Penn Station, or the Metro North into Grand Central Station, but this time we decided to take the TDI directly into Manhattan while watching a little Top Gear Polar Special to kill the time on the way. We parked in a random lot a few blocks from the Javits Center and hoofed it from then on out. Parking for the day was less than $20 and is definitely the way to go in the future.

Before hitting up the show we grabbed some grub and a couple of brews at Stout on 33rd St. This place has some phenomenal burgers (albeit too fine of a grind. Yes I'm a burger snob, too. This should not be news to you.) and a pretty decent beer selection. They even had a few beers on cask, but unfortunately the one I had tasted like ass and was way, way warmer than I would have liked. After some much needed nourishment we were on our way.

Now, my brother and I differ greatly on our opinions of motorcycles. He would look at a Triumph Speed Triple and say "Um, did they forget to finish it?" where as I would look at a Victory Vision, gag slightly, and describe how I thought there was too much crap on the bike and how it looks like you're driving a La-Z-Boy. Differences aside, we made our way around the show and saw some very cool bikes, and even some celebs.

I'm a huge fan of BMWs, particularly the older ones, and I'm definitely looking to pick one up soon. Although none of the vintage beemers were around, it did give me the opportunity to sit on some of the newer ones, see how fricken tall they are, and realize they're probably not for me. This is not going to stop me from keeping an eye out for one of these bad boys, on the left.

There were two other bikes I knew I had to go look at before even leaving Chez Fuj that morning: the Ural Taiga and the Ducati Diavel. Ural is a Russian Motorcycle company specializing in heavy duty motorcycles based off the old World War II era military BMW R71 sidecar motorcycles. In other words, they're badass as fuck. They're heavy, they're two-wheel drive, and they carry extra gas tanks which means they're go just about anywhere. The sidecars are perfect for dogs and Kyle Murphys. Check out YouTube for some crazy videos of these things off-roading, various gun mounts, etc. The Taisa is almost the perfect bike for me, but the biggest drawback is the lack of leaning into a turn. That's one of the most exciting parts of driving a bike!

Then there was the Ducati Diavel. Clearly Best-In-Show. Without a doubt the hottest bike there. Now, the Diavel is a little bit of a deviation of the pure sport bike Ducati usually produces, being that it's a cruiser and all. And a lot of people are hatin' on Ducati for the new bike, saying they should stick to the sports bikes. Well shame on them. It's not like this thing is a Porsche Cayenne or anything. At least it looks great, right?? After a couple of circles around the center, getting a quick glimpse at Ice-T and Coco, Pauly Jr., and Dee Snider, we decided it was time to move on to our next destination: Fraunces Tavern.

Fraunces Tavern is down by the South Street Seaport and is on the National Register of Historic Places for being the location of George Washington's farewell speech to his troops after the Redcoats got their asses booted from New York. The atmosphere in this joint is outstanding. From the recycled hand-made tables to the exposed filament hanging light bulbs, the bar has a fantastic vibe. The beer selection was top notch for a place opened just two weeks prior and the chef's table area is startlingly beautiful. The only thing that needs to change is the gaudy, completely out of place Porterhouse neon sign that completely ruins the lighting in the bar. I understand the management feels they needs to make their name know in a place like this but this thing has to go. Two beers later and we were on our way to meet up with JD at The Ginger Man.

Lastly, The Ginger Man has a great tap selection, extremely high ceilings, low-light pub atmosphere and a decent quick eats menu.They have about 70 beers on tap with 100+ bottles available. We sat down at one of their picnic style tables, ate some brats and knockwurst and pounded out a few beers. Dozer showed up fashionably late, probably because he takes longer than a woman to get ready. After taking in the sights, we finished our drinks, somehow managed to find our parking garage, and peaced out that bitch. Until next time, New York.