I'd heard through the grapevine that radio commercials were touting a biker build-off this year, so my hopes were high for a more-interesting show than what's been presented for the past (too many) years. After paying the entrance fee (fifteen bones), we all split into our own directions and headed off into the noise.
Alas; there was no build-off going on. They did have the "Axe Girls Of Maine" there, which was kinda interesting...for a short time. A number of women tour the country doing chainsaw and axe competitions (hot saw, standing log split, etc.). [shrug]
Ok, enough rambling, let's see some pics of the bikes.
I was hoping for some awesome bobbers, but I didn't see anything that blew my socks off. There were, however, a number of interesting ones there (if you click on the pics, they should open up larger). I apologize for the blurriness - I guess I should have made sure my lens was clean.
Here was a nice old Harley...
This thing is lean as hell...but where are you going to go to? Around the block? I don't know what the fuel capacity is, but it sure can't be much.
Again with the huge front tires. There was a bike here last year that had a giant front tire, and I think this one is even bigger. I overheard one of the owners talking to a patron about handling and he was saying it didn't handle any differently than any other bike. I'm not buying that.
A nice chopped bobber. I love the seat and hardtail rear end on this. I'm not much of a fan of the chopped frame, but still; I did like this one, overall.
A standard, stretched chopper. Nothing special about this one. Hey wai,t it says Budweiser on it! That must make it awesome, right? Nah...
Hold on there a minute...this one actually has a six-pack worked into the mix. You probably can't make it out because of the blurriness, but it looks like at least one of the cans is plumbed in with the fuel line. Maybe a fuel filter is tucked in there? I'm not sure, but it did a bit of 'interesting' to the bike.
This is more my style. A bit small for my liking, but a mean, stripped bobber (even if it does have a Springer front end). Low and lean - very nice!
These next two bikes were obviously old-school themed. Wrapped pipes, chopped and stretched hardtail frames. For me it was more the rear ends that caught my eye, especially on the second one. Nothing there but pure necessity.
This next bike was built in memory of a guy nicknamed "Crispy". Whoever built this tribute bike went to a lot of work, coming up with some really unique customizations to honor their friend.
First; a pic of the bike in it's entirety...
Then, a pic of some of the special mods done by the builder (again; click on the pic to enlarge it).
A close-up of the ceramic knife switch for the headlight...
The candlestick footpegs and clawfoot kickstand...
The skeleton key switch (located inside the gas tank? Very slick!) and the gas lantern petcocks on the fuel lines...
Here, you can see the grips which apparently were wrapped with sections of the straps they used to lower Crispy into the ground with. (Actually, now that I'm looking at the pics again, you can see the grips better in the pic above this one.)
Ok, moving along. And speaking of moving along - this bike would be just what you needed, if you needed to get someplace fast. (Yes, the tanks are not connected, and may even be empty, but something tells me that this bike is rigged up to take both tanks.)
A very cool idea, even if not very reliable. A frame made entirely of welded chain. The bike looked like it had been ridden, but I'm hoping no high/speedlong-distance trips were made on this thing. I can just picture hitting a pothole at 80 on the highway...
Certainly a very clean bike, even if not exactly sure what it wants to be. A bobber? Seems to have too much going on to be a legit bobber. The frame isn't stretched, either. Maybe raked a little? [shrug]
There were some respectable old Indians in attendance...
This is probably the closes I came to finding a bike that really speaks to me. Stripped to the bone, no front fender, bare minimum mechanics, and nice fat tires. And no Springer front end! The only two things that jump out at me that I'd change if this were my bike is the handlebars and the rims. Spokes = too much maintenance for me, thanks. But overall, I really liked this bike.
This was a replica Harley Davidson Land Speed Streamliner. Click on the "information" picture, below this one, to get the full story on it.
A labor of love by the sounds of it, and by a talented guy with a ton of time on his hand. Too bad he never got to see his creation in action.
This struck me as funny. I don't know if the owner is making a statement by using a fine silver serving tray as his oil pan or not...
I'm not much of a fan of the peanut tanks on top of the frames, but I did like the look of this bike. Bare rear end, wrapped pipes...and while it does look like the front end has been raked, the frame itself seems to have been left alone. And let's face it; that is a sharp color.
Another sharp bike, although I don't care for the front end at all. Raked, and just too thin. Too wimpy. But I love the hardtail style and the bobbed rear end. Another sharp color, too.
Ok, enough of the bikes that were worth paying attention to. Unfortunately, here's what many of the bikes at the show look like. Rice rockets, flamboyant paint jobs, under-carriage lighting (not necessarily bad by itself), but put all this together and it strikes me as a circus wagon. Does anything about this bike say "Let's take off for the weekend and enjoy some cool roads"?
One disclaimer; I did like the paint job on this bike. The pic doesn't do it justice, but when the light hit it, the paing kept shimmering in different shades of bluish-green.
That was it. After we'd rounded each other up and made for the exit, the consensus was unanimous; we wouldn't be back next year. In fact, we'll probably take a number of years off before we come again. It would be great if there were more old bikes and more old-school customs, but that's apparently not what this show caters to. Hell, I can't blame them; they've got a huge money-maker going - when we first arrived, the line to get in was two blocks long. And when we left, there was still a line outside. That - is - a - lot - of - money. And if a money-maker ain't broke, it ain't gonna be fixed.
And there you have it; the 2014 Motorcycle Expo.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
No comments:
Post a Comment