{"id":10783,"date":"2026-03-26T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/?p=10783"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:56:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:56:26","slug":"austin-and-the-handbuilt-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/austin-and-the-handbuilt-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin and the Handbuilt Show"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"10783\" class=\"elementor elementor-10783\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37141e55 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"37141e55\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ec07fb2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1ec07fb2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<p>It\u2019s about 1,500 miles from home to Austin, Texas if you use the interstates. To get there, I took all interstate freeways\u2014295 to 64 to 81 to 40 to 35. To get home, I took all interstates again\u201435 to 20 to 59 to 75 to 40 to 81 to 64 to 295. Going was Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas. Coming home was Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennesee, Virgingia. It felt like more progress going through more states, but that\u2019s all. Far less traffic on the way home, but worse road surfaces through the Deep South. I stopped in Little Rock for the night on the way there. I drove 22 hours straight through to get home\u2014probably ought not to do THAT again. Not my best idea ever.<\/p>\n\n<p>The purpose of the trip was to attend and cover the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show, I think it was their 10th year. BMW is the title sponsor, so there was a big BMW presence\u2014both corporate and custom bikes. Definitely heavy on Airheads, which is why I wanted to bring Daren Dortin\u2014he does the Airhead 247 podcast. We both got a lot of content.<\/p>\n\n<p><div id=\"metaslider-id-10804\" style=\"width: 100%;\" class=\"ml-slider-3-109-0 metaslider metaslider-flex metaslider-10804 ml-slider has-dots-nav ms-theme-default-base\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Handbuilt Show 2025\" data-height=\"700\" data-width=\"700\">\n    <div id=\"metaslider_container_10804\">\n        <div id=\"metaslider_10804\">\n            <ul aria-live='off' class='slides'>\n                <li style=\"display: block; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10823 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:03\" data-filename=\"handbuilt251-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt251-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10823 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt251\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt251-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10823 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt251\" \/><\/noscript><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\"><div>Crossing the Mighty Mississippi on the way to Austin &#8230; in a car.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10814 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:01\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2510-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2510-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10814 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2510\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2510-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10814 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2510\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10813 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:01\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2511-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2511-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10813 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2511\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2511-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10813 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2511\" \/><\/noscript><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\"><div>Sparkly hand grips!<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10812 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:01\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2512-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2512-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10812 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2512\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2512-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10812 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2512\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10811 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:01\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2513-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2513-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10811 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2513\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2513-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10811 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2513\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10810 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:01\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2514-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2514-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10810 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2514\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2514-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10810 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2514\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10809 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:01\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2515-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2515-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10809 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2515\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2515-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10809 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2515\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10808 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:00\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2516-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2516-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10808 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2516\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2516-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10808 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2516\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10807 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:00\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2517-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2517-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10807 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2517\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2517-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10807 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2517\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10806 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:00\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2518-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2518-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10806 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2518\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2518-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10806 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2518\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10805 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:00\" data-filename=\"handbuilt2519-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2519-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10805 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2519\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt2519-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10805 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt2519\" \/><\/noscript><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\"><div>Crossing the Old Man again on the way home.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10822 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:03\" data-filename=\"handbuilt252-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt252-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10822 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt252\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt252-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10822 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt252\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10821 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:02\" data-filename=\"handbuilt253jacqui-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt253jacqui-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10821 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt253jacqui\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt253jacqui-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10821 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt253jacqui\" \/><\/noscript><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\"><div>Jacqui van Ham shows up at all the cool events!<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10820 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:02\" data-filename=\"handbuilt254regracer-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt254regracer-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10820 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt254regracer\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt254regracer-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10820 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt254regracer\" \/><\/noscript><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\"><div>Reg Pridmore&#8217;s iconic race bike.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10819 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:02\" data-filename=\"handbuilt255-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt255-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10819 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt255\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt255-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10819 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt255\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10818 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:02\" data-filename=\"handbuilt256-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt256-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10818 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt256\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt256-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10818 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt256\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10817 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:02\" data-filename=\"handbuilt257-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt257-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10817 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt257\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt257-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10817 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt257\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10816 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:02\" data-filename=\"handbuilt258-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt258-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10816 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt258\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt258-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10816 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt258\" \/><\/noscript><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-10815 ms-image \" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" data-date=\"2026-03-12 09:48:02\" data-filename=\"handbuilt259dareneli-scaled-700x700.jpg\" data-slide-type=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt259dareneli-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10815 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt259dareneli\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/handbuilt259dareneli-scaled-700x700.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-10804 slide-10815 msDefaultImage lazyload\" title=\"handbuilt259dareneli\" \/><\/noscript><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\"><div>Daren Dortin (R) examines a custom-built Airhead GS while its builder (Eli Carver) looks on. Eli was a guest on\u00a0<em>Chasing the Horizon<\/em> as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/horizon.bmwmoa.org\/2026\/02\/resto-3-eli-carver-169\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">show&#8217;s 2026 restoration series<\/a>.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li>\n            <\/ul>\n        <div class='flex-progress-bar'><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/div><\/p>\n\n<p>I was also able to spend a little time at COTA for MotoGP. Underwhelmed with the access my weak press creds got me, but still happy to be able to go. Saw the big race on Sunday but bailed not long after Marc Marquez crashed out\u2014he\u2019s the epitome of \u201cif you ain\u2019t first, you\u2019re last.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>Got tamales from the Tamale House, supposedly the best in Austin. They were good, but they weren\u2019t Jon&#8217;s place in Phoenix good.<\/p>\n\n<p>I chose to drive the Charger instead of taking R 90\/6 for a bunch of reasons:<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brand-new charging and ignition system installed the weekend before. Popular wisdom is never to embark on a major trip right after doing something like that in case there\u2019s a problem.<\/li>\n\n<li>A 1,500-mile (one way!) trip and the 1,500 miles back as my FIRST trip on the R 90\/6 didn\u2019t seem wise. I need to do something shorter\u2014maybe 600 miles total\u2014first.<\/li>\n\n<li>Weather in Austin looked super sketchy. Indeed it POURED HORRIFYING TORRENTS on the Thursday and took me <strong>six hours<\/strong> to get from Dallas to Austin. Rained on and off all weekend. I know me\u2014I would have been wet and unpleasant all weekend as a result because I have shitty rain gear.<\/li>\n\n<li>Had to arrange rides for my wife to get to\/from work and physical therapy while I was gone. In the car, it\u2019s a two-day drive each way. On my GS, same. But on the Airhead, I would have budgeted at least three if not four days each way so as not to overdo it. That seemed like an excessive burder not just on her, but on my kid, my Mom and our friends as well. They helped her Wednesday through Monday and that seemed like enough imposition.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I still felt guilty about it\u2014not riding, I mean. I keep telling myself there\u2019s plenty of time to ride left in 2025.<\/p>\n\n<p>End mileage: 64,902<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The purpose of the trip was to attend &#038; cover the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show, I think it was their 10th year. BMW is the title sponsor, so there was a big BMW presence \u2013 both corporate and built bikes. Definitely heavy on Airheads, which is why I wanted to bring Daren Dortin \u2013 he does the Airhead 247 podcast. We both got a lot of content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10794,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-riding-without-cruise-control"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10783"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10833,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10783\/revisions\/10833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}