There are some events that seem to take on a life of their own. The Slimey Crud Café Racer Run, organized by the Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang in Wisconsin, is one of them.
The Slimy Crud Run goes back to 1994 when an informal group of motorcyclists got together to create an open, non-scripted, non-sponsored group ride. It wasn’t a big deal back then, but the seed was planted. Over the years, it grew by word-of-mouth and the occasional mention in Cycle World magazine’s “Leanings” column written by Peter Egan, one of the original Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang members.
Here’s how he described the evolution of the event since that first run in his “Leanings” column in January 1998:
“That first year we had all kinds of bikes, but the majority, I would say, were serious sport bikes—Ducatis, FZRs, CBRs, etc. But the last few rides have seen an ever-growing number of freshly restored vintage bikes, faded old classics, eccentric and odd-ball survivors, and genuine modified café racers that I almost believed had disappeared from our garages and roads.”
Since that column ran, the beat, as they say, goes on. The Fall 2024 Crud Run was conducted under sunny skies with cool, comfortable air and swirling winds. The turnout, as has been the pattern on such days, was huge, as was the diversity of motorcycles.
There were late-model, fully faired hyperbikes, Predator-looking adventure bikes, conventional street bikes, full-boat touring bikes, sidecar rigs, high-neck choppers, customs with air-brushed custom paint, mostly original vintage bikes of all sizes from brands from around the globe—British, Asian, Italian, American, you name it.
You didn’t have to look too hard for some interesting examples of historic bikes. In a matter of half an hour, from among the hundreds of bikes that had already congregated at the Leland, the endpoint of the Crud Run, I was able to take a long look at three examples of Harley-Davidsons that showcased examples of historic engine types that marked milestones of The Motor Company’s product development.
Those included the side-valve Flathead that powered the motorcycles from Milwaukee, including the 1929 DL model. It lasted on various models into the 1950s and the Servi-Car until 1972. The Knucklehead, which debuted in 1936 in the EL model with overhead valves, was the top-of-the-line Harley-Davidson engine until the Panhead came out in 1948. The Panhead lasted until 1965, when it made way for the Shovelhead overhead valve engine, which was eventually used in the legendary Super Glide.
The Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang Café Racer Run is held on the first Sunday in May and the first Sunday in October each year. The ride begins in Pine Bluff, just west of Madison, and the Slimey Crud Ride finishes in Sauk County’s Leland. The route you take to get there and the time you take is up to you!
