Euro Bike Night at Ming's
My social schedule has been getting rather hectic lately.
There's Monday Night Football (hot waiter watching) at the Fox&Hound pub, Tuesday night TWT meet, Wednesday night "show my face at home", Thursday night in Katy or Montgomery, and then Friday night go out with whoever doesn't shoot down my plans. :P
Last night I tried something different. In an effort to meet some more new people, I got on my bike on an amazingly hot and humid evening to head inside the I610 loop for the Euro Bike Night at Ming's Cafe on Montrose @ Westheimer.
I could tell it was a different crowd immediately upon stepping through the door. I turned to the nearest person holding a helmet and tried to introduce myself. "Hi....I'm..."
"Becca." He finished for me. "Yeah, I recognized your bike from your posts on TWT."
Don't you just love it when lurkers on forums (that you personally have less than 200 posts on) recognize you?
It was a great conversation starter at least. After speaking with him for a few minutes, I started rotating around to different tables, introducing myself and trying to come across as friendly and respectful.
A couple of Ducati riders invited me to put down my jacket and pull up a chair, so I ordered my chinese food dinner and sat down to get to know them.
It was really wierd. The two of them (young men probably around my age) seemed nervous and were slightly turned away from me during further conversations - strange after the initial invitation to sit at their table. I tried to make small talk, but maybe they were just shy...
No worries - I moved on from them and finished eating with a slightly older group who seemed more social. After dinner, most of us gravitated outside to sit on the patio, sip delicious raspberry iced tea, and talk bikes. One other TWTexan that I recognized showed up on his Ducati Multistrada and introduced me to some more people, including the owner of a south Houston BMW/Triumph shop and the sales manager of one of the big Harley dealers.
There was quite a variety of bikes too. I don't think I've ever seen so many Moto Guzzis in my life. There were several Ducatis, Triumphs, vintage and newer BMWs, etc. I think there were only 2 japanese bikes there, a Honda 599 and a Silverwing.
Some pics (it was dark - quality isn't great):
A new R1200S. It wasn't yet plated. This is the first one I've seen in the flesh.
There's Monday Night Football (hot waiter watching) at the Fox&Hound pub, Tuesday night TWT meet, Wednesday night "show my face at home", Thursday night in Katy or Montgomery, and then Friday night go out with whoever doesn't shoot down my plans. :P
Last night I tried something different. In an effort to meet some more new people, I got on my bike on an amazingly hot and humid evening to head inside the I610 loop for the Euro Bike Night at Ming's Cafe on Montrose @ Westheimer.
I could tell it was a different crowd immediately upon stepping through the door. I turned to the nearest person holding a helmet and tried to introduce myself. "Hi....I'm..."
"Becca." He finished for me. "Yeah, I recognized your bike from your posts on TWT."
Don't you just love it when lurkers on forums (that you personally have less than 200 posts on) recognize you?
It was a great conversation starter at least. After speaking with him for a few minutes, I started rotating around to different tables, introducing myself and trying to come across as friendly and respectful.
A couple of Ducati riders invited me to put down my jacket and pull up a chair, so I ordered my chinese food dinner and sat down to get to know them.
It was really wierd. The two of them (young men probably around my age) seemed nervous and were slightly turned away from me during further conversations - strange after the initial invitation to sit at their table. I tried to make small talk, but maybe they were just shy...
No worries - I moved on from them and finished eating with a slightly older group who seemed more social. After dinner, most of us gravitated outside to sit on the patio, sip delicious raspberry iced tea, and talk bikes. One other TWTexan that I recognized showed up on his Ducati Multistrada and introduced me to some more people, including the owner of a south Houston BMW/Triumph shop and the sales manager of one of the big Harley dealers.
There was quite a variety of bikes too. I don't think I've ever seen so many Moto Guzzis in my life. There were several Ducatis, Triumphs, vintage and newer BMWs, etc. I think there were only 2 japanese bikes there, a Honda 599 and a Silverwing.
Some pics (it was dark - quality isn't great):
A new R1200S. It wasn't yet plated. This is the first one I've seen in the flesh.
A British Racing Green Triumph Sprint ST. For years, this was my dream bike. Green and made for sport touring. Mmmm. If only it came with shaft drive.
A Honda Silverwing and a Moto Guzzi. Interesting juxtaposition because I once owned a 1983 Honda Silverwing...which shared the scooter's name, but had something like the Guzzi's opposed v-twin engine.
3 comments:
Looks like you really enjoyed yourself over there. Now you'll have to start making tough decisions about which bike night to go to!
"hot waiter watching" was pretty cool, wasn't it? Hope he's there again next week.
So it looks like you've become pretty settled here in Houston. Too many things to do, when only a few short months ago you arrived here and didn't know anyone. It's amazing how motorcycles bring people together.
I wouldn't have met you otherwise!
A ton of Moto-Guzzi's 'eh? Sounds like I would have been in heaven to be there...:p
For the record, I recognized you - not the bike. Also, Lurking has a negative slant to it. I don't post on, or read TWT regularly because I'm not a believer in power unchecked, especially in the hands of one person.
See you out there somewhere.
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