As June rolls around, there are two things you can count on in the American South. One, it will be hotter than Hades. The second, smokin’ tires at the Horse Magazine's annual Smoke Out Event in Salisbury, North Carolina.
2006 marked the events seventh anniversary, and bikes from all across America made the pilgrimage to see what other back yard builders as well as some of the top builders in the country were doing to trick out their custom rides. The two-day event hosted well over 2,000 kick ass choppers as well as a crowd of over 15,000 people in the small, sleepy Southern town. Some of the leading custom builders in the U.S. like Billy Lane, Chopper Dave, Paul Cox and Keino of Indian Larry Legacy and the legendary Hank Young were just some of the Discovery Channel Television personalities on hand to meet and greet their fans.
People who have oil coursing through their veins come to mingle with other like-minded folks and share ideas and the latest in parts and design technology. No place else on earth will you find the sheer number of home built creations than you will find at the Smoke Out event.
Here you will find all types of bikes lovingly altered to express the riders individual tastes. Old vintage Indians and Harleys sitting side by side with British Triumphs, Nortons and BSA's along side every type of Japanese crotch rocket stripped down to their very souls and rebuilt to express the true essence of the spirit of radical custom. Some have a wild high-dollar paint job while most are pure rattle can flat black. Chrome? Well yes, some are over the top with gleaming chrome touches but mainly Smoke-Out bikes are built to go not show. Most of the builders are more concerned with function and forgo the usual circus paint in favor of spending their building budget on more practical things like engine performance and new tires after shredding them in the burn-out pit.
What more could a biker wish for? Maybe a little entertainment perhaps? That was also provided. From the lovely ladies of the Bikini Bike Wash who found the weather just too hot to leave their bikinis on, to the Texas Mechanical Bull's gyrations every time a lovely young lady hopped aboard, there was always something going on. Music from live bands filled the area under the big tent all day and night.
Saturday evening the crowd rocked to the sounds of Nashville Pussy and the trophies for the bike show were handed out to builders who showed the most imaginative innovations. The contest was only open to home builders who rode their bikes into the event. The only trailer in sight at the Smoke Out was one that was specially constructed out of wood to be burned in effigy, after the trophy's were handed out.
It's good to see that in this era of high priced “Choppers” that allow the people with more money than taste to dominate the scene, there is still an event geared for the blue collar working man who can turn garbage into gold using a few basic tools and his imagination. We salute these Back Street builders who seek neither fame nor fortune with their efforts, but rather strive to continue a tradition that hopefully will live on through their tireless efforts.
–TB
