Charlie Brechtel introduced me to Berry Wardlaw at the Buffalo Chip in August of 2004 but it was actually in November of that year that a bonding took place when Charlie invited the whole crew to join the band at The Love Ride in Los Angeles. That was the year they opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Early the following year Berry invited Wild Bill and I to help him at his booth for the 5th annual V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati the first weekend in February.
This event is no swap meet or bike show. It’s a trade show for the custom motorcycle industry. It’s not open to the public. You must be a legitimate dealer and prove it or you are not admitted. This venue showcases the best manufacturers of everything motorcycle in the business. The range of products is mind boggling. If you read my stuff on Sturgis Rider Live you know that custom is not my style but I was staggered by the overwhelming opulence on display. I had no idea the industry was so huge. Little did I know I was watching it peak.
That 1st year we attended, 2005, Berry introduced his Outlaw 120 Pan Head engine. The following year he received the Engine of the Year award it and we were all there to cheer him on. That’s pretty much the way the awards presented at the show work. An innovative product is unveiled one year. If it shows value and reliability throughout the remainder of the year it can be honored with a trophy the following February. I was unable to attend the event in 2007 since it took place just 2 weeks after my dad, Mr. B, passed away following a lengthy illness. By the way, that’s what BeeB means, son of Mr. B.
As 2008 arrived I began making plans for Cincinnati once again. During December Accurate Engineering, Berry’s company in Dothan, Alabama registered Wild Bill and I to join them as exhibitors for the 8th annual experience. From Western New York it’s a 1,450 mile ride if I were to take the short route to Sturgis and 1,100 miles to Daytona. At 400 miles the Expo is a short trip for me. It would be a nice day ride but taking a bike out of New York the beginning of February is not a wise choice. I always use a cage.
Exhibitor registration is scheduled to begin at noon on Friday. My plan was to leave at 4:00 A.M. in order to arrive at that appointed time. Unfortunately Mother Nature chose to blow an ice storm through that morning so I got about a 4 hour late start. Wild Bill never made it at all. Somehow he’d managed to ask for the wrong week-end off and didn’t discover it until it was way too late to change anything. This would be my first expo without his assistance. Berry never made it either. I do not know the details prompting his decision to be a no show, but I noticed several faces missing this year including Billy Lane, Keith Ball, Branscombe Richmond and Ruthie Grottanelli. As the weekend unwound I noticed a lot more than just faces missing.
By the time I arrived at the Duke Energy Center the Accurate Booth was just about finished. I got to help Gypsy hang a couple of pictures but that’s about it. Nearly half the booth space was taken up with Gypsy’s “Bitch” Slap Discovery Biker Build Off winning creation and Keith Ball’s “Assalt Weapon”, the fastest Pan Head in the World. He achieved that honor in the 2007 Bub International Speed Trials at Bonneville. Both bikes have Accurate engines. I felt mildly out of place without work to do but I had my pass and a camera. That’s all I really needed.
So I took a quick walk around the 1st level of the convention center and another on the 3rd. The 2nd level has only meeting rooms where seminars are held throughout the weekend. I tried to get several pictures of the bikes before the crowds of dealers arrived the next day. You can see some of them in the free photo section on Sturgis Rider Live. I’m not a photographer. I take snap shots. Rogue is a photographer. Michael Lichter is the best and most famous motorcycle photographer. Pauline Ortiz y Pino is my favorite photographer. I don’t have the talent and drive these folks put into their work. I just try to capture a little a touch of color to add to my words. As I gazed around at the exhibitors on the upper level it sure seemed to me that there were not nearly as many as I remembered.
The Friday night tradition is dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery then party all night at Champs Sports Bar in the Hyatt. The bar cannot actually contain all the revelers so the lobby of the hotel fills up with dealers and exhibitors. Just like any other convention everyone is from out of town and looking for a good time. It’s an overused expression for any venue where new friendships are created in a festival atmosphere but what happens in Cinci stays in Cinci. I’ve seen some wild things in that town but my fingers are sealed.
Downtown Cincinnati has a convenient system of overhead walkways that you can use to make your way between several hotels, shops and the convention center. Since the weather was mild this year I was making my way along at ground level towards the Hyatt when I saw my South Dakota family across the street walking in the opposite direction. I’m glad there was no traffic because I don’t remember looking before leaping across to get my hugs.
Rod “Woody” Woodruff and his lovely daughter Toni were heading for dinner at Rock Bottom. They host “The Best Party Anywhere” at The Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground in Sturgis during the rally. If you want to understand how I managed to meet these wonderful people and how they welcomed me into their family of Chipsters you’re just going to have to read my stories on Sturgis Rider Live. All of the incredible journeys and episodes of my last half decade are a direct result of going home each year to The Chip. At this particular moment our itineraries didn’t match. With promises to get together later they continued their quest for nourishment at the best restaurant in town and I dove into the party. The rest of the evening, like I said, will have to remain unwritten.
The show opens at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday. I got there about Noon and it’s none of your business why I was late. I made my way to the Accurate Engineering booth just to make sure they didn’t need anything. They were swamped. 2 lines of dealers had formed waiting for their chance to talk to Eric and Joe with all kinds of questions about the top engines in custom motorcycle building. In the past I would hang around the booth but since I don’t have the answers to the dealer’s question. I watched for a while, snapped a few pictures then decided it was time to go visiting. For me this type of event is all about the people. I try to look at the displays to see if there is anything new and exciting. I’m more about function rather than form. That means, to capture my attention an item is useful and it works. Chrome and paint are pretty but it doesn’t get me home. I’m always on the lookout for a motorcycle celebrity or a friend I haven’t seen for a while. When I happened upon Woody and Toni they were talking with Joe Biggs.
Joe Biggs runs the Spring and Fall Thunder Beach motorcycle rallies in Panama City Beach, Florida. Do you like beautiful weather, sandy beaches, great music, top notch dining, abundant lodging, reasonable prices, evenhanded cops, tolerable crowds? Take that recipe and season it with motorcycles and gorgeous women and you’ll have an idea of the party Joe puts on for your enjoyment. If I had to make a choice between Daytona and Thunder Beach I would definitely go to Joe’s Party. It’s a couple of months later in the year so there’s a better chance you can ride to it. I’ve always had to trailer to Bike Week. As I listened to my friends talking while we were standing in the middle of the trade show an analogy began to form in my mind about why I like these folks so much.
The V-Twin Expo, Daytona Bike Week, Laconia Motorcycle Week, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and others are all about making money. The trade show is all business. That’s like the definition of a trade show. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that but I’m all about having fun. Daytona and Sturgis have had bikers coming to spend their money for almost 70 years. Laconia is celebrating their 85th anniversary this year. These events count their attendance in the hundreds of thousands. Prices skyrocket. All the arrests and fines that take place are a revenue stream for the communities.
With Woody and Joe it’s all about having fun. They like to throw parties for their friends. I understand that. When I was a younger man, long before I chose to spend my life on the road, I used to throw some pretty big parties. I understand the satisfaction that comes from creating an event where everyone has a good time. I also appreciate that it takes money to make it happen. I realize that without my unique perspective you might think they are just like everyone else, out to make a buck. Joe’s rallies are free. Beat that. Woody’s entertainment extravaganza is the absolute best value imaginable. If you can prove to me that there is anywhere else on the entire earth where you can attend 9 World Class, top name concerts for 250 bucks and then camp the entire time for free I’ll give you the $250. I looked it up. That’s the price today. I paid less because I bought my ticket as soon as they were available. The price will go up as more bands are booked but I swear this year’s line up is unbelievable with only 4 confirmed artists. Go check it out for yourself. I guess I got off track. It’s just that I feel so blessed that these folks consider me a friend. I wish you all could know them as I do. Oh yeah, I always buy 2 tickets to the Chip. It’s my little way of supporting their efforts. Expecting a free pass feels like low class. It’s not like I work for them.
My favorite motorcycle builder is Vince who owns Redneck Engineering in Liberty, South Carolina. I’ve never learned his last name and he actually wears “Nobody” on his work shirt. He’s a down home boy, funny, generous and unassuming. He builds beautiful, innovative bikes that you can actually ride long distances. When I stopped at his booth to visit he started berating me because I didn’t stop in to see him last year. The builder for whom I have the most awe and respect is Arlen Ness. To me he’s like the patriarch of the entire industry. I managed to say hello, shake his hand and get a picture with him but it’s not like with Vince where we sit around telling jokes and talking about pretty girls.
It’s really amazing to me how quiet and unassuming so many of these top builders are. I often see Eddie Trotta of Thunder Cycle Design off to the side by himself, just taking in the action. I got to talk with Russell Marlowe of Carolina Custom Cycles as we stood outside having a smoke. I just love Kim and Cheryl Suter of KC creations but Kim makes me a little nervous because he’s so big and quiet. I’ve asked around a bit and my impression is correct, they’re just plain good people. A couple of years ago I got to help set up the Indian Larry Legacy booth for the expo but I never found a chance to talk with Keino or Paul Cox this year. I happened to be at the Accurate Engineering booth when Rikki Battistini stopped by. What a nice guy. You may not know of Battistini Custom Cycles but they are considered to be the top builders in the UK and Europe.
The show ended for the day at 5:00 and we headed upstairs for free food and the awards ceremony. Dave Nichols, host of V-Twin TV on the Speed channel, hosts the awards show. Can you imagine how I felt to be standing up in front of hundreds of exhibitors and dealers with Dave about 10 minutes before the show, chatting? He was telling me how his room reservation was all screwed up when he arrived and I was responding with my own lodging woes. Like so many others in this industry, he’s just a friendly, unpretentious guy. Once the show started I kneeled down up in front a little off to the right to get snapshots without blocking anyone’s view. There was a video guy up there but the only other photographer who stayed up front the whole time was Michael Lichter. It blows me away to think we could be in the same room much less sort of working together.
After the awards ceremony I hung around a little while chatting with some folks but I was in no mood to party. I’d been a little hung over most of the day. I’d taken over 250 pictures. I was anxious to see if any of them were any good at all. I had some ideas for this little story you’re reading and wanted to get it started too. I knew there were parties all over town, even over the river in Kentucky but I just wasn’t in the mood. So I went back to the room, fired up the computer hooked the camera to it and lost myself in work for a few hours before dropping into bed.
The next day was pretty much the same except I headed for home after the show ended and I was much more clear-headed during the day. Visiting with friends, making new friends, taking snapshots, trying to think about how I could possibly explain it all to you. I’ve only barely given you a glimpse. Take what I’ve written and multiply it by 1000 and you might have an idea how much fun this was for me. For factual articles about the expo I recommend Thunder Press. Once I almost tripped over Fat Robert as he practically stood on his head trying to get good shots of the Frame of the Year from DNA. I spent my last hour before leaving with my family, including Joe Biggs. The Expo actually continues on Monday morning but I’ve never stayed for it. I hugged Toni, shook hands with Woody & Joe and we all promised to get together at Daytona Bike Week. I can’t wait.