FIRST AMD SHOW AT THE HARLEY MUSEUM

Harley-Davidson kicked off their Labor Day Custom Bike Weekend Show event as a tune up to their 2013 110th anniversary. The Harley-Davidson Museum, located on 20 acres in downtown Milwaukee, hosted 2 bike shows, the AMD Affiliate ProBuilder show on Friday and Saturday and the ride in show on Sunday during the Milwaukee Rally.

The museum is an ideal location for a custom bike show as it documents the heart-thumping adventure and life-changing freedom that motorcycles have represented since the early 1900s.

Festivities kicked off on Friday as custom bikes were wheeled into position at Chrome, a special-built 5,400 sq. ft. event tent, for the 9AM kickoff. Assembled were award-winning builders , dealers and specialists.

The FreeStyle class was rocked with a Jack Daniels theme bike. Jon Shipley of Hoosier Daddy Choppers brought Whiskey Bent, a custom sled that features a 1977 Ironhead 1000cc mil, Pro Street rigid frame by Dirty South Choppers with a 45 degree rake, and a 6 inch stretch, and Delisle Springer. Unique theme features include a bar stool seat, a whiskey barrel that houses the battery and pours JD. The shot glass on suicide shifter is removable to get a shot from the barrel. I’ll take 3 inches of the brown gold, hold the ice, in celebration of the win – ed.

For the win, Jon Shipley came away with a check for $2,000 and a Team USA bid that provides him with an all expense trip paid to Germany to compete in the AMD World Championship.

Harley-Davidson royalty, Willie G, Nancy Davidson and Bill Davidson, stopped in to check out the show. You can almost see Willie G’s gears turning as he inspected the bikes and talked to the builders. Bandit cut out time with Bill Davidson, conducted an engaging video interview about the history of the Motor Company and got the 411 on his latest sled for a bike feature.

After Steve Iacona rolled up to the ProBuilder Show for the Custom Bike Show Weekend with his award winning bike, Challenger, you could see the concern on the MOD Harley competitor’s collective faces. The bike has a visually satisfying design and an outstanding fit and finish.

The 1996 XL custom bike sports a front and rear Invader wheels, Metzeler rubber and ISR caliper brake system. A chopped springer delivers a slammed look. The hand-formed components include fuel tank, rear fender tail section, oil tank, exhaust pipes, handle bars and mounts, rearsets, headlight number plate, seat suspension, tail light, battery box, steering damper mounts and motor mount.

Iacona left Milwaukee with a check or $3,000 and a Harley-Davidson 120 Inch Screamin’ Eagle R engine.

The Retro Mod and Performance Custom classes were won by Gio of Blacksmith Motoring and Boyd Dingman respectively.

AMD SHOW RESULTS

FREESTYLE
1st – John Shipley, Hossier Daddy Choppers – Whiskey Bent
2nd – Iler Brothers, Hammer In Hand Custom – Venus
3rd – Matt Drew – Cook Customs – Norton 3

MOD HARLEY
1st – Steve Iacona, Iacona Custom Cycles – Challenger
2nd – Paul Richards, Native Custom Baggers – Blue
3rd – Kurt Peterson, Sumo-X – First One

RETRO MOD
1st – GIO, Blacksmith Motoring – El Vaquero
2nd – Tonypan Sanfelipp – Pan

PERFORMANCE CUSTOM
1st – Boyd Dingman, Dingman Collision – Streaker
2nd – Mitch Hansen, HMC Racing – RC8

This is the first World Championship event that the Motor Company has hosted in Milwaukee. It is an AMD Affiliate show, which allows class winners to compete in the World Championship in Germany. The plan is to build Museum ProShow into a North American must-attend event.

Jon Shipley of Hoosier Daddy Choppers Talks Jack Daniels

Jon Shipley of Hoosier Daddy Choppers brought his intoxicating custom, a Jack Daniels theme bike, to the 2012 AMD Affiliate ProShow. This bike might be the coolest and best-done theme bike, ever.

Matt Drew’s 1st Bike Takes 3rd at the ProBuilder Show

Cook Customs bikes invariably have a classy, retro charm, which makes them stand out from other sleds. Matt Drew, a Cook Customs fabricator, brought in his first bike that he personally built. It is a Norton and Keith Ball gets the 411.

Paul Richards of Native Custom Baggers talk Customization
Richards of Native Custom Baggers build accessories for Baggers. He knows what it takes to make one stand out.

The Milwaukee Rally is a city-wide event that encompasses four dealers and the Harley-Davidson Museum with five days of fun covering six venues with free entertainment at each dealer’s location plus three Miller Lite Bike Nights.

The museum opened in 2008 on a 20-acre plot in the Menomonee Valley and is home to more than 450 motorcycles and it archives nearly 25,000 pieces of marketing literature, over 12,000 pieces of clothing, accessories, and collectibles, and almost 150,000 pieces in the photo collection and thousands of other items including recorded media, publications, and art.

Bill Davidson & Bandit talk about the History of the Motor Company

Bill Davidson talks about the history of the Motor Company and the excitement about the AMD World Championship ProBuilder show.

The architecture of the 130,000-square foot complex was constructed to reflect and complement the feel of the industrialized neighborhood and features exposed brick, steel beams and glass wall that allows for a lot of natural light.

The first floor features famous bikes from pop culture, such as replicas of the “Easy Rider” bikes, Elvis Presley’s first motorcycle and customized bikes such as “King Kong,” a 13-foot multi-engine monstrosity.

Other highlights include interactive exhibits, video and a gallery dedicated to racing and hill-climbing bikes. The second floor Motorcycle Gallery visually tells the company’s evolution from the beginning to the current motorcycles.

Where to eat: Motor, the museum’s main restaurant, features a menu crafted from bold, hearty, Americana cuisine inspired by the open road. I know, you are thinking Denny’s. Nope, this is actually excellent fare that is surprisingly diverse and tasty. The dining room is also a delight. There are steel communal tables next to a bar as you enter and a room partition welded out of bike parts and spare metal. The back half features traditional dining and walls of windows looking out over the canal.

On Sunday the annual Harley-Davidson Ride-In Custom Bike Show rolled into the Museum with over 140 bikes from in and around the Milwaukee area. Dave Dupor of DD Customs rolled into the venue from Chicago with over 12 custom Baggers.

The unique aspect of a corporate-sponsored event is the number of movers and shakers from the Motor Co. that are participating. Ray Drea , Vice President and Director of Styling, Bill Davidson and Steve Earnshaw, Director of Marketing for P&A are working the show and available to discuss motorcycles.

But whether you were born to be wild or mild, it makes no difference at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Museum facility is a perfect venue for motorheads… internal combustion, a watering hole and a gift shop to remember your time spent… Perfect.