Minnesotan To Meet: Motorcyclist, Rocker Dan Johnson
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A North Loop motorcycle business sells fantasy fulfillment. 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 this St. Paul native a Minnesotan to Meet.
While the North Loop, just outside downtown Minneapolis, changes -- some things stay the same. Dan Johnson has kept Midwest Motorcycle and Tours parked in the area for more than 20 years.
"I get customers from all over the world," he said.
You have to be licensed to rent, so most customers are experienced riders who want to try out a new bike.
"I've got a fleet of Harleys and one Honda gold wing, occasionally a crotch rocket," Johnson said.
They have more than 40 Harleys while offering leather jackets and temporary tattoos to those looking to complete the biker look. Johnson looks at the business as an extension of his family's background in the hospitality industry.
The family owned hotels like The Commodore, The Ryan Hotel, The St. Paul Hotel and Paul's Place Inn, which Dan ran for six years.
"I was a little rebellious kid at the time," Johnson said.
That brought him into his rock and roll era, where he first owned one of the best known bars in south Minneapolis' "Hub of Hell," called Duffy's.
The nightclub and surrounding studios helped propel the Minneapolis Sound to a national stage in the 70s. People like Bob Dylan had a connection to the neighborhood.
"We partied with all the rock and rollers either at my house or someone else's house after the concerts," Johnson said.
In the early 80s, punk rock and new wave took over in a revamped venue. 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, but the connections remain.
After playing Target Center, Johnson said the rock group Def Leopard was scheduled to come in and rent motorcycles.
While those moments keep him going, the business is for sale. Because like any rocker, he's looking for the next big gig.
"Why get out now? I'm 61 years old. I've been doing it 20 years," Johnson said.
Dan is always looking at new businesses. He hopes to sell the motorcycle shop so he can open an MMA training center in Jamaica. Since, we're in the middle of the State Fair, it's also interesting to know that for two years he manufactured and sold military-style dog tags at the State Fairgrounds.
In the winter, Johnson closes up his north loop shop by late September and runs a shop in Florida. He also rents out motorcycles at large rallies, like Sturgis.