Time for a major speed week in Indy
Bump Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has now come and gone. The weather gods gave the track two beautiful spring-like days for the final weekend of qualifying, setting the field for the running of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25. The following day, the entire starting field then celebrated with a trip to the Big Apple, New York City, for a media blitz and museum tour. Monday morning, every weather forecaster in the Indianapolis area was, of course, taking credit for delivering the perfect weekend of weather.
For me, a perfect weekend of weather translated into two full days in the saddle of several of my favorite sport bikes. Saturday started off with a cruise on the Ducati 999 R Xerox up to Ducati Indianapolis for an espresso and a preview of the new Ducati Monster 696. Hey Jarrod, if you’re looking for a middleweight addition to your stable, this looks to be one awesome bike for your ride. After a second pastry and another espresso shot, I joined several of my riding buddies and Bill Carr, owner of Ducati Indianapolis, for a monster lunch at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. Now that’s a hamburger to experience!
A quick run up to Westfield to check out some new Yamaha motard bikes was followed by a trip down to West 16th Street to check out the newest addition to the Indianapolis bike scene. R. Falcone Motorsports has created a showroom glistening in German modern functionalist style with the recent opening of the BMW Motorcycles of Indianapolis dealership. The BMW guys have already experienced Jarrod last week, and they can now add Greg, Mike and Craig to their lounge list.
No day of cruising local motorcycle dealerships is complete without a trip around the Soldiers and Sailors monument in downtown Indianapolis, and no lap of the circle is complete without a stop at The South Bend Chocolate Company for a scoop of tasty ice cream in a chocolate dipped waffle cone with not one but two chocolate malt balls in the bottom of the cone. Now that’s a treat to experience!
A trip down to the old Greenwood Dog & Suds is always a must-do experience on a lazy sunny Saturday afternoon. Given this day had already been dedicated to cruising and gastronomic treats, the Dog & Suds is a cruisers nirvana of automotive classics; both the cars and their owners.
Sunday morning broke crisp and clear with the monthly meeting of the local chapter of the Honda Sport Touring Association (HSTA) on the agenda. Not to break company with my riding buddies from Saturday, I jumped on the Ducati 1098 S Tricolore and joined them for the ride down to Story, Indiana, for the HSTA meeting at the Story Inn. Guess what we did; more good food and sharing experiences with great friends.
After “The Meeting,” my riding buddies headed for the dual-sport roads with their dual-sport bikes, and I joined several other sport bike-mounted HSTA members for a responsibly spirited ride through the paved twisties of Brown County to wrap up the perfect weekend.
Well, all good things have to come to an end; MONDAYS. The 33 members of the Indianapolis 500 class of 2008 experienced a perfect weekend followed by the sites, sounds and epicurean treats of The Big Apple while I dined my way from Zionsville to Story, Indiana, and back.
Be sure to catch the pre-race activities this coming Sunday morning, May 25. A very special preview event is on tap for around 11 a.m. as 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden laps the legendary oval on a Honda RC212V MotoGP bike. That should be a very special event to experience.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg