Midwest Motorcycle Rental & Tours, LLC

I'm excited about this next story. A North Loop motorcycle business sells fantasy fulfillment. Yeah, customers range from local professionals to visitors. But the real character could be the shop's owner, from family owned hotels to the restaurant business and rock and roll night clubs. A family fight and divorce eventually drove Dan Johnson to Midwest motorcycle rentals and tours. That's what makes the St. Paul native a Minnesotan to meet. While the North Loop, just outside downtown Minneapolis, changes. We're downtown Minneapolis in the North Loop on Washington Avenue. Some things stay the same. Situated between Sex World and Deja Vu. Dan Johnson has kept Midwest motorcycle and tours parked here for more than 20 years. I get customers from all over the world. You have to be licensed to rent. So most customers are experienced riders who want to try out a new bike. Got a fleet of Harleys and one Honda Goldwing, and occasionally every now and then a crotch rocket. They have more than 40 Harleys while offering leather jackets and temporary tattoos to those looking to complete their biker look. Johnson looks at the business as an extension of his family's background in the hospitality industry. This is all under Johnson family history of where we came from. The Johnson family owned hotels Paul Hotel, and Paul's Place Inn, which Dan ran for six years. I was a little rebellious kid at the time. That brought him into his rock and roll era. He first owned one of the best-known bars in South Minneapolis's Hub of Hell. Duffy's in 26 and 26. The nightclub and surrounding studios helped propel the Minneapolis sound to a national stage in the 70s. Lots of rock and roll. People We partied with all the rock and rollers, either at my house or someone else's house after the concerts. In the early 80s, punk rock and new wave took over in a revamped venue. And then the music scene kind of died, and we converted it into norma jeans and upscale dance, satiric dance club. When life changes forced him out, he got revved up when he realized he could merge music with motorcycles. Memories not only fill the walls here, but the connections remain after playing Target Center. Def Leffer is supposed to come in today and rent bikes. While those moments keep him going, the business is for sale. I'm 61 years old. I've been doing it 20 years. Because And there was a clue. Dan is looking at a new business in Jamaica. He wants to open an MMA training facility with celebrities and other people. Wow. I know. He just keeps kind of reinventing himself. And since we're in the middle of the state fair, I thought this was kind of interesting, that for two years, he actually made those military-style dog tags and sold them at the fairgrounds. That's a great business. Those were popular for a long time, remember, when people would wear them around teenagers, especially, and stuff. Crazy. I've always seen that business and thought, What is it? Well, it'so out of place, right? It just seems Or is it the best ever? In between sex world and boo? Well, he says he's in fantasy fulfillment. That's his business. People want to try out a new Harley or do something It's just a different take. People find him. Doesn't matter where he is. Maybe they'll find him in Jamaica. I would Well, then he also owns a store in Florida. So he goes back and forth. The shop is only open now if you want to try out a motorcycle through September. That makes sense. Then he'll close up shop, go down to Florida. But you can also find him at Sturgis and other big rallies and stuff to rent, too. That's awesome. Cool. Fun.