There once was a popular television show set in a bar, in Boston, The theme song was something like… “you want to go where everybody knows your name…” 
Vacationing in Las Vegas is a unique experience; outside of the casinos is a real world . Yes, there are bunches of stuff to do.
Vegas is in the middle of the desert so the off-road motorsports outlets abound. 
But, what if you crave the macadam madness? What if your taste is to the exotic? To the road less travelled? Rarified air? That fits the Miles Beyond Ordinary theme.
Driving (thanks, Uber!) to the hotel from the airport, we passed a number of retail outlets and several motorcycle shops. Me being a moto-geek, I say to myself, “self” “you must visit these shops to further moto-geekdom everywhere. To spread the good and benzene perfumed world good tidings of moto camaraderie.” And so (having no rental, and Uber-less time), I walked the mile or so to the shops, walking to the farthest one first – Freedom Cycle, Las Vegas – www.freedomcyclelasvegas.com
They are a dealer for Vespa (yawn) Triumph (do tell?) and MV Agusta (oh me, oh my!).
Entering, I felt right at home, just like the show’s theme song says. These were my people. Their salesman, Craig Knapp, was personable, about my age and had been in motorcycles all his life. It turns out we had been in similar places, knew the same people, and more importantly, spoke the same language. It was truly fun reminiscing about the big names like Don Vesco, Rob North, Gary Nixon, Russ Collins. This list was long with people I had forgotten, and many of whom, sadly, are gone. But, it was truly fun to reminisce!
The décor was a mix of old and new–Triumphs and even a homulgation MV Agusta (a mere $40K) that was cooler than cool. Or how about a Buell (post Harley Davidson)? Exotic is common there.
In our motorcycling careers, his is ongoing, mine quit long, long ago (but the passion remains – just say’n). I pursued a technical/engineering career in aerospace; he stayed in the industry.
With rueful charm, he mentioned wives (past and present) injuries, broken bones, broken bikes, and the like. We laughed a lot and I think I gained a friend in our hours-long discussion.
No, he didn’t make a sale, though I was drooling over pretty much everything in the shop, and there weren’t any other customers, so I felt kind of bad about taking so much of his time – to which he laughed (out loud–mind you), and said he enjoyed himself too.
Rarely did he get to talk tech, tell the real story that would sound like braggadocio to lesser mortals and savor a life chosen with someone who understands.
My grin only faded when I visited the other motorcycle dealer on my way. It was much, much slicker, more motorcycles, more of everything in fact. So much more that it lost its personality and I spent about 10 minutes there, compared to the 2 hours at Freedom.
So if you’re ever in Las Vegas, please stop into Freedom Cycle and find my (new/old) friend Craig Knapp. Tell him I sent you – I’m that crazy engineer guy from CT.
Only, you should buy something.
