A good old fandango, kicking-up some dust Texas-style in Fredericksburg. If you’re into motorcycles, chances are you are also into old ones. There’s no better way to snatch a weekend full of antique and vintage two-wheel machines than an AMCA (Antique Motorcycle Club of America) meet.
Problem can be some of the AMCA meets are a tad slow-paced, and sometimes if you pull in on a chopper, you’ll get a raised eyebrow or two. That’s not true in Texas, with the Cherokee Chapter of the AMCA. They initiated the Texas Fandango, and 2024 marked the third annual Fandango in Fredericksburg, Texas. It was a huge success.
But this story covers exactly what this event stands for. The Cherokee Chapter managed to be an open-door for all motorcycle people, even the Chopper maniacs. Because of this, it’s the chapter Heather and I belong to, even if it’s1000 miles from home.
Their attitude towards inclusion and celebration of motorcycle culture, is a major reason why it has the largest memberships in the country. Plus, it organizes and hosts one of the best events nationwide.
Cycle Source Magazine sponsored the bike show at Fandango since the beginning, and we worked in conjunction with Steve Klein, the spiritual leader. He organized an incredible display of vintage motorcycles every day. This year was no exception, with the addition of truly unique trophies for all class winners.
I mean, after all, if you do anything worth a damn in Texas, you get a saddle for it. So, in the spirit of the west, these handcrafted, beautiful little leather saddles were adorned with class winner tags for the best bikes. And man, this was a tough room between the Fours, the old Pans, the genuinely unique motorcycles, even Bultaco’s two-stroke Astros were painstakingly restored.
This was a tough event to judge. Just outside the vintage bike show was the Chopper Corral, which displayed a plethora of modified motorcycles and a great party.
Flat track racing tore-up the red clay throughout the weekend, but the Chopper Drag races were the highlight. It should be no surprise Danger Dan once again took the championship and was honored as the best drag racer. The swap meet kicked-it, and I took away a killer set of saddlebags for a Cycle Source shop project. Jason Sims displayed early twin cylinders, but in the middle of serious negotiations Heather (the wife) showed up and squashed the deal, damn.
When the sun dipped at Fandango, things on the midway got sorta quiet. That doesn’t mean the gang crashed for the night. They headed to the campground to kick-off the party. Every night kick-ass entertainment rattled the impromptu stage.
In other campsites, folks BBQ’d and shared time and road stories. Secretly, I think we all waited for Merle “The Pie Guy” to deliver some fantastic, juicy slices of pie. He also owns a beautiful ‘48 Panhead, one of the winners in our show.
Steve, the AMCA and the Cycle Source crew produced another flaming, fantastic, fun Fandago for 2024. Don’t miss it next year.
