Awesome Saturday at Biketoberfest!

Hello everyone, it’s time for “Bone’s” next installment of reporting from Biketoberfest 2006. Ok, don’t get worried as of yet, I promise I haven’t reached a level where referring to myself in the third person will be commonplace. Excluding the accident I reported earlier in my coverage, Saturday was a “Chamber of Commerce” type of day and quite eventful for “TheBeachCruiser”. Brit, “my partner in crime” was still hanging tough, so we decided to hit what has recently become a bigger and more significant part of Biketoberfest, that is of course Daytona International Speedway. Given the knowledge obtained at the official press conference, this year was different at the speedway. One of the most notable changes was the “free” access to the infield, yes I said free. With limited success in years past, track officials have charged fees of $18.00, and $12.00 respectively to access the infield portion of the track. As promised, this year was definitely different and this is a feature that I’ve been told is already planned to be larger next year. The infield display featured world renowned builders Matt Hotch, Eddie Trotta, Indian Larry Legacy, and a relative newcomer, Gregs Custom Cycles from Clearwater, Florida, as well as other assorted vendors. Although not everyone was open and ready for the crowds, being early proved to be productive to say the least. I was fortunate enough to meet Eddie Trotta, so I passed along a business card and he was very receptive to the idea of a future interview. So stay tuned, in the future we’ll set things up and bring you the inside scoop from the owner of Thunder Cycles and BBO fame.

Our second stop was a quick glance at two machines on display from Indian Larry Legacy. Although we didn’t find any company representatives on hand, we did take advantage of the beautiful morning and snapped a couple of shots of the bikes themselves. I know that “Beach” and others here are big Indian Larry fans, so I couldn’t help but think of him while looking at these two machines.

Next stop was the display by Matt Hotch and Crime, Inc. While waiting for last minute adjustments prior to opening, I couldn’t help but notice the semi, a.k.a. “tractor” that pulls Matt’s and Crime, Inc’s gear. It’s a classic “shaved” black Peterbuilt that appears to be “slammed” to the ground, with chrome stacks that must be 8 to 10″ in diameter. They’re huge! That truck is super clean and in my opinion is one of the coolest rigs we saw the entire weekend. Simply put, it’s an 18 wheeled “Hot Rod”. I made my approach to the enclosed section and spotted Matt before most fans realized he was there. After introducing myself and “beachcruiser” and spending a few minutes with the man, Matt lived up to his reputation. He appeared to be a truly humble and approachable guy, who is no doubt one of the best artists in the industry. Sorry everyone, I didn’t force any photo opportunities, but word has it “Beach” will be conducting an in depth interview with Matt later this week, so please “stay tuned”. I’m confident you’ll see some different questions than the norm and possibly a side of Mr. Hotch unlike most feature stories from the past. Last but not least, while inside the enormous track, we ventured over to Greg’s Custom Cycle Works. Greg had an interesting display of bikes and one that couldn’t be ignored. After speaking with both he and his wife, I inquired about the radical custom in front of his booth. All I can say for now is, it’s black, raked and stretched out, maybe pushing 10 feet long and screaming “testosterone”. Myself sometimes being guilty of “being a typical guy”, I assumed the bike was Greg’s. That was my first incorrect assumption, because while overhearing his wife refer to the bike as “hers”, I had to ask for clarification. Yep, this machine was built for ” Dawn” over a four to five year period and she had earlier ridden this “beast” around the famous track at Daytona. What a woman, scratch that; that’s just cool regardless. Although for obvious reasons, I didn’t inquire or break out a bathroom scale, she looked to be about 110 pounds and sure drew alot of attention once she mounted her ride. It was a pleasure meeting this husband and wife team and I plan to visit their shop sometime in the near future.

 

That wrapped up the visit inside the speedway and for those who have never seen the tunnels below the massive track, check out the photo below as we exited the infield.

Next stop was the huge vendor area outside the speedway. This area has also continued to grow over the last few years and not only features “demo rides” from most major players in the motorcycle industry, but a wide variety of custom and production / custom builders is also featured. Although I didn’t access any attendance statistics, one can see from the number of motorcycles in just one of several parking areas outside the speedway, that throughout the day several thousand bikes and riders are continually at this popular venue.

Being a veteran of Biketoberfest, I certainly hoped to find well respected builder and new beachcruiser family member, Jerry Covington of Covington Customs. Sure enough, Jerry was there and had about a dozen eye catching machines on display. As with other builders, I introduced myself and was happy to learn that Jerry and his wife Kathleen had visited beachcruiser and had he some positive comments pertaining to what we are doing here. If you haven’t met Jerry, he’s a gentleman. Although busy with setting up photo shoots and dealing with customers, etc. he too took the time to speak with us and has since been gracious enough to provide some great images of past / current creations. As with “Beach”, I’ve admired the work done by Covington’s for a few years now and I can honestly say, his projects should be seen in person to appreciate the detail and almost unmatched level of finish work on his bikes. Again, things are happening here at a fever pitch right now, but Jerry is on our list of builders to interview, so keep an eye out for the upcoming feature. Below, Jerry is shown below with yours truly, “shooting the breeze”.

My next stop was Redneck Engineering out of Liberty, S.C. Over the last few years “Redneck” has found a niche in manufacturing frames and components for the custom industry and this stop did not disappoint. After doing a double take that caused that “burning sensation shooting down the side of my neck” (I must be getting old), I was surprised to see a wild machine that has one of the most cherished powerplants of the 50’s,… an engine from a “Vincent” Black Shadow! You heard right. M & M from Redneck said it took years to come to fruition, but the following photos prove it to be true. A Vincent custom and a damn cool one at that. I’m hoping to elaborate more on this bike more in the future, so I promise I’ll keep you posted. Till then, enjoy! I also have included a couple shots of a sweet “Sporty” project just completed by Redneck, soon to be picked up by the customer.

You name it, it’s probably here at the Daytona International Speedway. I even found an example of some work by the Detroit Brothers, “Green Demon” as well as a couple of friendly representatives that gave me explicit directions. I won’t tell you where they told me to go,… but it started out something like this. Hey you dirty old man, you can take your camera and shove,… just kidding, but that does sound more interesting than simply saying I shot a photo of a couple models for your viewing pleasure.

Hot, hot, hot, the temperature that is. Our morning at the speedway was done, I needed a break and it was off to The Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show. Till next time, Bone