Bike Week New Orleans Ride Report

And what a week it was.

This is only the second year this event has been held. Yes they are suffering "growing pains" but that is nothing unusual. The part that IS unusual is in talking to several of the promoters and crew, all of them asked me two things, "What do you see that is wrong?" and also "What can we do to make this event better?" They didn't realize what kind of beast they had asked however...... But I was actually very tactful and diplomatic about my discussions with them, and they listened very intently to this Old Dawg. These guys ARE trying, and if they continue to work at it I believe they will have an event in a couple years to rival some of the bigger rallies around the country. And lemme tell ya, it was HOT and HUMID the whole rally and they held it on an asphalt parking lot. Great for attendance, but it was like getting baked in an oven for five days for the vendors. Two that I know of got very ill, one of those nearly hospitalized and many left to take breaks back in their AC hotel rooms. So remember, hydrate,hydrate,HYDRATE when you're out runnin around in the heat. And I DON'T mean beer...drink a beer, then drink a water. Alternate.  

We got there on Wednesday to set up our Wind Therapy booth, sharing a space next to Millet Motorsports, our bestest Pag dealer (and all around motorcycle guru ) we have the honor to be friends with, and our other friends who market "Bug Slide" (some of the best shine/ polish/makes the bike/car/truck/trailer SO slick and hard shelled finish the bugs slide off instead of sticking spray on stuff on the market there is ). Here we are after setup:


We had a good location right between two food booths (everybody flocks food booths. But the downside is that you get to smell food all day.   ) They did keep us pretty full though, as the one that was on the left kept sending us "samples" to critique (good shyte, too ) and the one on the right was giving away food and had guest chefs from local restaurants all day every day to promote the rally itself and their "Tailgate Bus" which is one of the most awesome party buses I have seen yet for hire. You can see details and pics on their site http://www.imagimotive.com/ ( however they didn't mention to me the loaded keg tapper on the side of the bus till late Sat. afternoon, the rats. But they made up for it in telling me they wanted the keg drained before they packed it up Sat. night.... It's a dark job but somebody had to do it.... )

All in all they had a healthy assortment of vendors, I would guess 60 or more selling just about any sort of goodies one could want, from clothes to handmade leather goods, another friend of mine even showed up selling handmade chain mail jewelry and he is awesome at it. Easyriders rolled a Semi Trailer in and had all their merchandise there. There was also a dyno trailer ready to tweak your ride for a fee and a tattoo booth. I checked out some of their finished work and they were really good.




Now why would I take a pic of a truck....


Entertainment and emceeing was provided by The Broken Spoke Saloon. They have a traveling bar and giant soundstage that they travel with and do many of the big rallies. They featured a huge amount of bands including  Sammy Kershaw, Wayne Toups and ZyDeCajun,  Bad Company Former Lead Singer Brian Howe, and Kyle Turley, plus tribute bands to The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Guns 'n Roses, Bob Seger and more. They were ALL good. For eye candy they had all sorts of scantliy clad bartenders and bartendresses dancing on the bars and juggling drink bottles. For the ladies they had this huge hunky brute in a scotsman's kilt and boots (and NOTHING else ) to eyeball. I was going to take some girl shots for everyone's benefit, but many things that went on would get me banned from this site and besides....I like my jewels where they are, I believe edera would take a dim view of that....we both are allowed to look, but keeping for posterity is another matter....
http://www.brokenspokesaloon.com/
( They DO have their OWN gallery, though...... :face )
http://www.brokenspokesaloon.com/photos.php?group=bwno09&album=spoke_girls


They also were in charge of other entertainment such as the poker run, plantation run and bike show to name just a few. They were also begging for people to ride over and do burnouts on their plywood platform in front of the stage the whole event. Andy wouldn't let me though and since he is my complete guru and mentor, I did what I was told. (Didn't stop me from pouting in the corner though. ) Here they are doing a head to head burn:


They also brought their own selection of OLDE SKOOL eye candy rides too. I had to keep wiping my chin and picking up my jaw off the hot asphalt:








They even had a wicked car as well:


LOT of bike builders showed up. Some from local, others from all over. Here's just a few:
LED Sled Customs (I like their slogan  ;D )

And they weren't going to let the broken spoke outdo them in cars either:


Vagabond had a nice setup also. Here's one work in progress, you can see just how careful and finely detailed they treat their customs:


They also have a Lady builder on staff, this is her personal bike.


*PERSONAL NOTE* I want to say it was the best feeling in the world when their Lady builder was attending the Bike Show as one of the sponsors and when edera was announced as the winner in her class, she immediately went over to give edera's bike a total look over. And seeing her eyes bulge and then her going out of her way to come over and congratulate and compliment her on her work as she came back with her trophy, I just about burst with pride.

And another staff member's ride:


And a Dragon approved bolt on:


I also loved this builders slogan. "Caution...our choppers DO NOT play well with trailers." They build fully ridable street legal sturdy bikes, not just trailer show and flash models.

The biggest builder to attend had to be G. Smith Motorsports. They rolled in two semis stuffed with custom built bikes.







Those are what I would call their standard line. Then they got wild, even doing a drag strip bike.


They had three of what I would call "Scat Cats."


Then they got REALLY crazy...this is a 350 Chevy engine....



They also had this setup in a trike. But I couldn't get a pic, one of their guys wouldn't stop riding it around and stealing the counter girls from "Dirty Dick's Tubesteak" vendor booth.

Speaking of trikes, they went there too. This one was hard to catch as well, guy was all over on it during the rally. The Batman Trike with a V Twin cross mounted in the rear so he had a big storage space underneath. Pics don't do this justice it was awesome.






And I am willing to swear they came over and had a look at edera's bike then ran back and sprayed one up trying to steal her idea.  



They we also selling what I feel are some of the most AWESOME aftermarket parts I have ever seen, from grips to linkage lines, to THIS....something I will cry over for weeks....exhaust pipe covers custom fitted...... :'(


( and NO, I did not ask the price of the covers, their grips are 300 dollars a set, I didn't want to know what the covers cost.   ) Another note...save your pennies for a LONG time, these START at 60K and go up for one of their customs....

Can Am had a huge setup going on as well:


And STILL the list goes on of shyte to do..... ;D Still more entertainment...They had an MX stunt show, guys sailing across da** hard asphalt from a springboard ramp to a catch ramp stunting clear OFF their bikes and doing flips, handstands, all sorts of wild stuff. Crazier than me, I can promise and so fast, my cam couldn't get a good shot.



Along with this show, they also had "The Globe of Death." And they're not kidding. A solid steel ball that was only around 10-12 feet across. And they put not one, but TWO guys in it at the same time on 80cc bikes and criss cross and upside down together. One slip......whew...crazier than I am for sure....
They start with one guy...



Then if that doesn't take your breath, they add a second one...

And then to make sure you have gotten your fill of heart stopping stunts, they also hired the Old Skool "Wall of Death" show. And when I say old skool, I mean this kind of show started wayyy back in 1915 and there are very few left today, particularly the ones who still use the bikes of that era and these guys DID. Including Harleys, old Honda elsinores and most amazing of all....an 80 year old Indian "Scout." FYI...less than a handful of people ride these models today and they are known to be cranky, crotchety and leg breakers on a kick startup. This guy rode it like it was brand new. They even had two go karts!

If you have never seen this show before, by all means do so before it fades into history. Descripton is difficult, so I will let Wikipedia help out:

The Wall of Death or motordrome is a carnival sideshow featuring a drum- or barrel-shaped wooden cylinder, ranging from 20 to 36-feet in diameter, in which stunt motorcyclists ride and carry out tricks. Derived directly from US motorcycle boardtrack (motordrome) racing in the early 1900s, the very first carnival motordrome appeared at Coney Island amusement park (New York) in 1911. The following year portable tracks began to appear on traveling carnivals and in 1915, the first "silodromes" with perpendicular walls were seen. These motordromes with perfectly straight walls were soon dubbed the "Wall of Death." This carnival attraction became a staple in the US outdoor entertainment industry with the phenomenon reaching its zenith in the 1930s with more than 100 motordromes on traveling shows and in amusement parks. In 2004, six or seven of these motorcycle shows were still touring the US. The first known Wall of Death in the UK appeared in 1929 at Southend.

The audience views from the top of the drum, looking down. The riders start at the bottom of the drum, in the center, and ascend an initial ramped section until they gain enough velocity to drive horizontally to the floor, usually in a counter-clockwise direction (the physical explanation behind this act is found at Banked turn and The turning car.) This act is famous in the United Kingdom, and often is seen at fairs. In the 2000s, there remain only a few tours of the wall of death; the most notable of which is "The Wall of Death World Tour", created and run by the Fox family. This touring group uses the original American Indian Motorcycles, which have been used since around the 1920s.

They announce the show with an old Harley Sportster which runs on a roller bar that is hooked up to an air raid siren.  


Then you go up top and look down inside, about 25 feet up and around 35 feet across. Look closely, you can see 2 350 sprint harleys, an old Honda 350 and closest to the door is the 80 yr old Indian, plus 2 go karts.


Then these guys get MOVING and climb right up the walls. Almost couldn't get any shots they were going so fast. Managed to get a few though
Go Kart:


Then he stopped and they asked people to hold out dollar bills. Then back up he went and snatched them out of people's hands.



One of the 350 Harleys


Yes, they got up CLOSE and personal, too.


And I got NO shots of that Indian, I must have taken a dozen trying to catch him. He had that sucker twisted up HARD and most of the ride, he was riding NO HANDS and standing on the footpegs!!!

They also brought another Old Skool bike and were riding it around the Rally as well.


They also had a BUNCH of raffles going on to win bikes. Some free, some for a donation to worthy causes. Here's one to make Lance cry.....


And also for you Trumpy lovers, this is a vendors bike from next to us:


And last but certainly NOT least of the events....the Bike Show. A first entry for both edera and myself. They had more than enough categories to satisfy everyone including antique, bagger, radical, big twin, rat, Asian and others. I would say they had around 50 entries and were inviting more to ride in from the parking lot and compete, it was free entry. (This writer secretly breathes a sigh of relief some of them DIDN'T because MANY of them would have put some of the entries, including mine, to shame...more on that later ) The judges assigned the bikes to their categories and I never found out what mine was, but I assume it was big twin. edera got Asian of course and had 3-4 heavy competitors. Myself not knowing the class got to sweat it out wondering. I got no pics of this event, as I was trying to help run the booth by walking back and forth to it and still hover around the bikes keeping them polished and clean from the blowing dust and debris, all the while keeping "touchy-feely" spectators off everyone's rides.

***We pause for a Public Service Announcement***
Let an Old Dawg give spectators some VERY vital tips to make your Bike, Car, Custom, Radical,Street, Hot Rod etc etc etc...show more enjoyable and also bump, bruise,broken bone and bleeding free as possible, mmmmk?

1. DON'T TOUCH!!!! Matter of fact, THE best posture is to place your hands behind your BACK and lean forward to look. Do not wave your hands around, point or otherwise even LOOK like you are touching or are about to. Show entrants spend hours and hours tweaking, polishing and shining. At some shows, ONE fingerprint will mean a loss if the judges see it. Fastest way to meet pavement (and possibly the ER ) is to lay your hand on their ride. Yes, I HAVE seen people get their azz seriously whipped over it, too. And if there are any cocky folk that ever read this thinkin they are badazz enough to try it, remember one thing....people in shows bond together...piss one off, that means you are going to have to whip 50, not just the one. SO don't try cute crap, enjoy the show like a responsible person. ( and yes, I DID tell one guy off while I was there myself. He laid his hand on my skull air cleaner, gabblin on to his buddy...I nicely asked him, please don't touch buddy, takes a long time to shine a bike, etc etc..he says "oooohkay uh huh uh huh...." ( insert dumb look ) next thing I know, there's his fingers runnin down the belt guard...down came the mirrored glasses so he could stare into a Dragons orbs and out came the fangs about 6 inches eye to eye...."Bud...I asked nicely once....now I'm TELLING you, and this is for EVERY bike here at this show....you TOUCH one again...I am GOING to smack your hand...and likely BREAK your F***'in fingers in the process.....savvy now?" I pride myself on being an easygoing guy, but enough is enough...and he bowed up and puffed up a lil bit...but I said it loud enough that when he did...about a half dozen other entries casually strolled over and encircled my back all casual like.... So off he went, AWAY from the show. Again. DON'T TOUCH!!!

2. YES, we DO mind having you sit on it and having your picture taken. Firstly, see number one. Secondly, blame the fools who post their pic the next day and say "Yeh DEWD, this's mah ride...yepyep...." :  Wait till after the show, some will, some won't let you. Some are very old school, and NO ONE sits on their ride but them. Ever. See number one for the end result of that one if you push it. Note that it DOES help when you ask if you are female and only semi clothed when you ask. I imagine it works in reverse if you guys ask a Lady builder however.

3. If it has ropes around it...DO NOT step over the rope just because you are half blind and cannot see the fine details, bring a set of opera glasses or something for Pete's sake... : The ropes are there for a reason. Jeebus. Can't GET much more DUHHHH!!! than that. (again, that happened to me personally at this Rally. I roped off both bikes at our booth during the event...looked up...someone across the ropes and nearly all over the bikes. Now usually in a case like this, that calls for an immediate number one response, but a couple factors were involved...one, female, two, obviously overhydrated with the wrong kind of liquid for the day and three her O'l Man lookin at me with a half turned white expression holding his hands out in plain sight as apologetic of a posture he could muster.So I blew it off, went over and made sure she had her lookabout safely. NOT a smart thing to do.Ever.

And that's pretty much it in a nutshell. Talk all you want, ask all you want, you will find some of the friendliest people on earth, all more than willing to talk about their rides. Just follow 3 simple rules. (but you would be shocked to know just how many cannot do that.  >  )
/soapbox off.


The one I thought most was going to blow me away was this one, but as it was that tricked out and dedicated to Mardi Gras that they knew it was coming beforehand and it got a special trophy itself. I never got a chance to talk to the owner, but I believe this is a Fatboy. Pics don't do justice, but that IS real gold leaf in the paint.




So the end of the bike show came and I had gotten some tips from Andy about it (He has a Yamaha that will blow your shyte away, but he only does the massive shows with $500-1000 entry fees, so he didn't bring it ) and he said that usually they just leave the trophies on the bikes and that's the end of it. Here, they were awesome about it. They had all the sponsors on the stage talking and tossing free stuff to the crowd and it was pure fun all around. And the trophies...wow. They had someone actually cut custom ones out of heavy gauge steel plates. Andy was more than impressed with that alone, he said even at the big shows it's usually just trophy shop plastic ones. Some really wicked bikes won some awards and enough of any categories I would have been in passed along. But I was hoping the hardest for her class. Finally it came up and I held my breath....And she WINS!!! I yelled so loud I still can't talk today. It was more than awesome. ;D
Here's the baddest of the bad bike builders, most intensively awesome woman on the planet with her award ( Although I COULD be a bit biased.... )


Attendance was a bit light the first couple days, but understandable. Starting on Thu., people had to work Thu. and Friday and all.



But by Saturday...WHEWWWWW...they had set aside two huge parking lots just for bikes. But then those were overflowing and they were parking them inside near the Broken spoke bar and anywhere else they could find...


So...off I went with my trusty camera....often you can find some awesome ride in bikes....and I sure wasn't disappointed..... ;D
First one is quite....unusual....





I'M not racin this guy, no matter how much he begs.....




More...




Couple after dark...



I never saw an "Extreme" model before...


Now...before alla y'all die hard alternative riders go off on Ol' Dragon about "BUTbutbut..DRRRRagon......you're Harley biased....sniveltymoancrycrywhiiiiinnnneee...."  :'(    ???  :-[  

My favorite color, blindyerazztillyarunoffatharoadanddonthitME )


Almost a matched set..... ;D


SUUUUZUUUUUKIIIIIIIIIII!!!!  (Yamaha too. )


SUH-ZOO-KEYYYYY!!!!!


VALKYRIE LOVERS REJOICE!!!


CROTCH ROCKET EYE CANDY!!!!


NAME THIS BIKE!!!! ( The Mikuni carb is gonna throw ya.   )


TRIKE INVASION!!!!


STILL MORE TRUMPYS!!!



And lastly...this one goes out to all the soapbox preachers that claim bikers don't accept everyone...this guy rode in with a MASSIVE pack of HD's, FYI...





I am sure I missed some pics in this report so I put them all on a slideshow found here:
https://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l268/darkknightwalking/New%20Orleans%20Bike%20Week/?action=view&current=88a87de8.pbw

And I am also sure I missed a LOT of other vendors and people who were there plying their trade and showing their support, my deepest apologies. I also want to say this has been my biggest report ever and while I am one of the guiltiest people who cry "PICS!!!" on a forum it has given me a deep appreciation of just how much work it is going to a Rally, taking pics, trying to keep all the stuff going on straight and remembering everyone, then coming home to edit, rename and organize the pics, get them uploaded to a host then compose the report itself. Around 6 hours for me, although I admit I am a slow typer and a writing self perfectionist.  

So on behalf of those who post reports here and also all over the net and the world in rider magazines, I personally say THANK YOU and I hope everyone will take the time to at least say it as well in a brief comment when you read anyone's posted report and also at any Rallies you yourself attend, walk your butt up and shake the hands of anyone you see with a large camera and a clipboard because it's highly likely they are doing a report and say it too. They don't bite (well, unless you ask them to ) and I know they will appreciate it, this is WORK for some of them, but mostly it's the appreciation that keeps them keeping on.....
( That goes for you lurkers too, neener neener   )

Anyway...off my soapbox. I really just hope everyone enjoyed this report. Ride Safe.

Holy crap. Nice.

Glad you liked it.

With all the pics... it was like I was there. Awesome.