Entered my first bike show yesterday. Mixed feelings...

biker_reject

biker_reject

Over 1,000 Posts
My thoughts on entering a car and bike show.

1. The Shriners did not announce what classes they would be judging. There was no sport bike class, only some vague "Best Metric" which some ugly ass slammed and stretched Kaw won. Weak.
2. Bike shows are pretty much a H-D affair. You will never see a larger collection of dorks or out of shape dudes trying to look tough in you life than at a bike show.
3. If your bike isn't festooned with chrome, an outrageous paint job, or is vintage and totally untouched from the day it rolled off the assembly line, you are SOL in getting any kind of recognition.
4. Even if you list in detail, the modifications to a bike, if judges or spectators can't see them, they ain't there.
5. The guys from Buds H-D are actually pretty nice guys.
6. Car guys are much cooler than H-D guys. Much cooler. And, they know how to build shit.
7. Little kids like sport bikes, but their dads will pull them away and won't let them look very long.
8. Car guys have deep pockets and killer garages.

I had the ONLY Buell there and the ONLY sport bike. Nothing, nada, zilch, goose egg. A couple of different people thought my bike stand was part of the suspension. Gaaaaahhh!!!! Fucking Philistines. Yeah, I'm a sore loser.
 
Who gives a fuck about bike shows? If you only have a bike for "recognition" or to win a ten cent trophy and a handshake from some dbag you'll never see again that you're no better than the rest of the "dorks and out of shape guys" who are trying to make up for their insecurities by "building" chrome monstrosities for window lickers to drool over.
 
Maybe their were other reasons he entered the car show and just wanted to vent? Here in EastTN you may as well forget Any import winning much of any bike or car show.

Reasons for entering a car show outside of being a 'dbag':

(1) You just felt like it. It's a nice weekend, and the local community is having a car show/bike show and selling hotdogs and lemonade.
(2) As with most local community based car shows, all registration or partial registration went to support a local charity, toys for tots, etc.
 
Yes on 1 and 2. It was sponsored by the Hadi Shriner's, and the biggest show of this type to date with 500-600 total entries. I also did it to get an idea of what it takes to promote an outdoor lifestyle event, something I've been planning for awhile now. As I mentioned, this was my first bike show.

PS It was a gorgeous day down by the river. The air was full of the aroma of BBQ and awesome engine noises. I dug talking to the car guys. H-D guys pretty much ignored me... I guess I've finally grown into my user name.
 
Pretty much agree. I race with the Road Runner car club (Yeah I know I'm a wheel short of a roadster) but thats what has to be done to race with the SCTA. We were invited to bring some cars over to a show last year. Got there early and set up with about six other cars from the club. A long tedious, boring day watching guys "defend" their cars from the dreadfull possibility that someone might actually touch their car and leave a fingerprint.

Like I said tedious and boring. I said to our club president why don't we light the engines and have a bit of a cacklefest seeing this is so dull. So we all lit the engines and made a lot of noise for a few minutes. We haven't been invited back for this years show.
 
Sorry... Did not mean to seem like I was bashing YOU biker-reject. I wasnt.

I just dont see the point of bike/car shows usually.

Some of the smaller, homegrown deals are pretty cool as its all about folks having a good time.

Most of the shows though, are just filled with a bunch of white gloved, holier than though snobs. I remember talking to the organizers of a big car/bike show near me a year or two ago. They kept complaining about the "quality" of the bikes and cars that were showing up. One of them actually said, "Really, nobody wants to see some beat up old 50s thing. We need some real cars. Like Chip Foose builds".

Gag...
 
ChimeraMW said:
Maybe their were other reasons he entered the car show and just wanted to vent? Here in EastTN you may as well forget Any import winning much of any bike or car show.

Reasons for entering a car show outside of being a 'dbag':

(1) You just felt like it. It's a nice weekend, and the local community is having a car show/bike show and selling hotdogs and lemonade.
(2) As with most local community based car shows, all registration or partial registration went to support a local charity, toys for tots, etc.
Click to expand...

(3) Beauty pageant

Well, sometimes!
 
VonYinzer said:
Sorry... Did not mean to seem like I was bashing YOU biker-reject. I wasnt.

I just dont see the point of bike/car shows usually.

Some of the smaller, homegrown deals are pretty cool as its all about folks having a good time.

Most of the shows though, are just filled with a bunch of white gloved, holier than though snobs. I remember talking to the organizers of a big car/bike show near me a year or two ago. They kept complaining about the "quality" of the bikes and cars that were showing up. One of them actually said, "Really, nobody wants to see some beat up old 50s thing. We need some real cars. Like Chip Foose builds".

Gag...
Click to expand...

Yinzer: Good follow-up. I wasn't trying to turn the tread into an argument, just seemed a bit of an angry first reply to a persons thread ahaha. I would love some of you to come to a bike show here in Harley county. It would drive you insane. Its why i'm only affiliated with the car shows. Doesn't help that my county is home of the biggest harley dealership. Not bashing harleys, we had v-twins with us at the gtg, all had a lot of fun. Just don't hold your breath at car/bike shows here if you're import.

Will
 
My neighbor hit the mid life crisis wall a few years back. He went out and bought himself a Harley. Don't ask what model. I don't know. Could be a fat billy bob or something close. He dived straight into the overweight out of shape biker world. Doorag, cut off jacket, chaps. The whole nine yards. In the last couple of years its gotten custom wheels, pipes, apes etc. None of it done by him. All dealer work. But he does spend countless hours in the garage polishing the shit out of it. He picked up a trophy at some show a while back. Brought it down to show me. I was very polite and congratulated him. I thought why not go to a trophy shop and buy a shit load of them cheapo trophies and put them up in your garage?

Don't be a "sore loser". Shows don't mean shit. Bring it to Bonneville and get a trophy that means something.
 
Hoofhearted said:
Don't be a "sore loser". Shows don't mean shit. Bring it to Bonneville and get a trophy that means something.
Click to expand...

Amen (and I hope ya dont care Bill, but Im stealing this... Haha)
 
VonYinzer said:
Who gives a fuck about bike shows? If you only have a bike for "recognition" or to win a ten cent trophy and a handshake from some dbag you'll never see again that you're no better than the rest of the "dorks and out of shape guys" who are trying to make up for their insecurities by "building" chrome monstrosities for window lickers to drool over.
Click to expand...

its another form of competition and its super fun. I have a show car that i enter in shows all over the PNW and i love it.

Its no different then being on a basketball team, playing golf, or chess. You do it to out do the others and its fun. I dont have to win, but its nice when i do.
 
I entered Dolores in a local show a few years back. It was pretty cool. There were of course 90% douche nozzles polishing the work someone else did and looking tough and mean. But the other ten percent were cool folks. I'm still friends with two guys I met that day who were showing the Harley's that they had built. Dolores took second in class and she had a 'Built Not Bought' sticker on the top of the tank just for that show. First was a pristine and perfect triumph tiger cub. Can't argue with that, just wish he'd been in a different category. I didn't care about winning or other people's approval. And I still could give two shits what someone else's opinion is on what makes me happy. But I had fun and I'd do it again. At a small show that is. The big shows are just too much for me.
 
The guy to my right spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon on his side and back polishing the shit out of his ornate Goldwing. I walked around, took pics, and talked to some interesting car guys. The young guy to my right never said a fucking word to me til I said "How's it going, man?" He said "What's up" and that was that. He had a Sporty that was chromed out the ass. He went walking around with his g/f (who drove her car BTW). After a while, two H-D couples came by and one woman asked if that was so-and-so's bike. One of the husbands looked at the entry form and said "yes". The woman started telling this story of a group ride where this newb went way wide in a turn into oncoming traffic. The woman said she thought he and everyone behind him were going to die. I just soaked it all in.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150880300802912&set=a.10150881073982912.421662.553207911&type=3
Dude to my left, polishing, and polishing, and polishing...
https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/249185_10150879904632912_1473032906_n.jpg
Ugly ass Sporty with way loud straight pipes to my right. People passed right by the Buellie to stare at this thing.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/197634_10150881086807912_1635987247_n.jpg
No love for the XB. See dude to my left on his back, polishing the underside of his dresser.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/599376_10150880309612912_553207911_9912045_1584794519_n.jpg
This is the kind of cool shit that can pop up at a car and bike show.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/205415_10150879903482912_226332631_n.jpg
GTR stopped me in mid-stride. Owner laughed and said usually only teens know what it is.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/575327_10150880306912912_1394997289_n.jpg
Wow was all I could say to the Bentley
 
I had very much the same experience last summer. I entered my bike in the "classic" category because there was no other category. My competition was my dad's 77 goldwing, a 73a xs650 chpopper that was VERYa well done, and a 67 harley something or other dripping in store shelf chrome. He also brought his trophies from the previous 7 years. Last year was #8. Bottom line, the only judge for our category asked why dads golding had no fairing (its a 77, think about it stupid) said the xs was rough looking and had no style, and asked what my 75 cb750 was since he had no idea what a cafe racer was. Then he got to the harley. "Hello *****, how are you? I see you brought her again, well let's see your reg number.... ok that'll do it. How's the family? Ok ill put this in for 1st."

Hooray...
 
Funny! I tried to listen in on the judges. I did hear one guy say something like "It really is just a real nice bike." I had listed all the mods on the form and it looked like they read it. Most mods were indiscernible to the casual observer, but I figured you know, judges and everything... But, no bling, no love.
 
At the Steel City Mods v Rockers two years ago, Big Richs 68CL175 cafe was entered in the Cafe class. The judges walked by, stopped and that when I heard the one say "eh... fuck it, its a Honda". They kept walking. The winner was one of the judges club members 2009 Thruxton with about $1000 worth of bolt on parts. It happens at all the shows, dont feel bad.
 
I should add that I did have a bit of a laugh at that show I brought the sidecar to last year. I had a lot of kids wanting to try on the laydown seating position. Sure, no problem hop in. Parents were taking photos and I think I must have been the only one there that let anyone within ten feet of their car/or bike. Brought a lot of grins to some kids.
 
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