Tropical Tattoo's Ol' Skool Chopper Show

By Monk

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By Monk

  Once again Willie and Company at Tropical Tattoo put on the best show in Daytona, far as I'm concerned. Don' git me wrong - I like seein' the new phat-tired choppers, and super bikes built by the famous makers, as much as anyone, but this show's the best, in my opinion.

  How come? Cuz it's mainly about you an' me. It's about the guy that ain't got $100,000 to drop inna bike. Shoot, some of us're lucky if we got a hundred bucks, so we go out to Wal-Mart, buy some spray paint and rattle can our 'custom' paint in the garage or the back yard.

   We scrounge swapmeets and local bike shops for parts and ideas. We bolt it on as best we can, ride it every day and don' worry about what others like. It's our bike, after-all, and that's what matters.

Dave gettin' on it just before Biketoberfest started - hadda rev it up, doncha know!

   This is where you'll see 'cuttin' edge' stuff, too. Cuttin' and bobbin' with a hacksaw; choppin' with an acetelyne torch; bangin' away with a ball-peen hammer to get "the look." You go to the other "Chopper" shows and everyone's 'bout got the same frames, the same tires, the same engines, the same, the same, the same... Ain't nuthin' "one-off" anymore. Discovery Channel's got everyone buildin' the same 280 mm tired, softail made to look rigid, CNCed billet wheeled, low-rider with sculpted tanks. There ain't no more 'amatuer moldin'; frame cuttin'; manual rakin', Frisco tank mountin' springer or trussed, no front brake stuff goin' on. It's all the same lookin' crap from the same custom suppliers. Kit bikes with

$25,000 paint jobs ain't Old Skool, far as

I'm concerned. Gimme the guy, or girl

that busts ass in the home garage, or

living room, to build something cuz they

ain't got the coin to buy one-a-em-fancy

phat tired clones and they wanna RIDE.

   Ain't that what it's all about? The Ride?

   I think that's the reason this show keeps

on growin', year after year. It's about the

people that ride every day; the ones

that build their own; do the best they can

with the resources they have and then

git on it and RIDE.

   And then Wille and Company give 'em

a chance to "not show it off," but to give

us a place to hang out and talk about

bikes, chicks, life and how we did what

we did to our bike.

  Mother Nature was wonderful on this day. Sunny, hot - mid eighties - and not a drop of rain. Holy cow, it was gorgeous. And Jimmy and friend (I gotta write that cuz I forgot her name!) were set up givin' away ice-cold beers - well, you could make a donation to charity if you liked, and most did.

Doin' what we do.

  The place was packed with show bikes out front, and parkin' for us out back, across the street and down the sides of Tropical's shop. People hangin' out, catchin' up with old friends, makin' new friends, talkin' about this 'n that and checkin' out the bikes.

  As is normally the case, we ran into friends and neighbors at Tropical. The crew on the left is typical. Far left is Gonzo and far right is Duane and Debbie. The two guys are active duty US Army - thanks for servin'! - and were visitin' Tom and Lorraine, middle, sayin' "Hello", for Biketoberfest. Tom's retired Army, and y'all may know 'em as "Team Hunnefeld" Realtors from their ad each month in Dixie Biker Illustrated. They're good folks if you're lookin' for Daytona Beach area real estate. Link here: www.teamhunnefeld.com

  Jade DeLuxxxor, below, Hustler's March 2004 centerfold was holdin' court out back. Jeez - look at all the cameras! Does your ol' lady know you're takin' those pictures! Besides an awesome, scantily clad body, Jade is very personable and spent hours posin' for pictures an signin' autographs.

  We've kinda nick-named the show Chicks and Choppers cuz there's always some nice eye candy floatin' around, posin' with bikes, or, more 'n more is the case, ridin' their own scooters in for the show. See and be seen, by bikers - each other, not the media, is what it's all about. It's a bike show, not a fashion show. The less crap on a bike, the better. The less clothing on the chicks, the better. Shoot - this is an  All- American Chopper show in Dixie. Boys, toys and chicks. An' we certainly ain't worried about bein' politically correct.

  Above - lotsa Pan kickers each year and a couple of Knucks always make it, too. Then ya drop a rear tire to the front, tear off the fenders, paint it, or don't, and ya got an 'individual' ride. It's all "one-off." Damn - it's way off, and that's a good thing.

   Left - Man - how's 'at for a classic 'thirty-year-old" look? Drum braked, no fender, spoked front wheel leadin' up to a molded frame with a modified Frisco tank to a rigid rear topped with a velvet covered King-Queen seat with a three foot sissy bar. Shoot - you can have a Captain America clone - this is ol' skool.

  Right - Luke - a Viet Nam vet always comes by with his ol' Shovelhead, background, to check out the show. He owns Luke's Station, not even a block away, and always has the best prices for bikers. $2 longnecks and $2 liquor well drinks. Y'all go to Main Street and pay $4 for cans of beer and $7 for liquor. We'll be at Luke's Station, partyin' like it use to be. Thanks, bro - for keepin' it real.

Oh, I almost forgot - this is a Tattoo Shop! And it's been voted best in Florida several times, and named one of the best in America - so the ink art didn't stop for the artists at Tropical. Below is Clay and below right is Pete, workin' on reader Tammy, from Palatka. "Yep, Monk," said Tammy. "We ride for an hour to get our ink from Tropical. It lasts forever and we want it done right the first time!" Great point.

  You don't hafta just check out the bikes in the show, either. Just walk around the buildin' and there's bikes that y'all've built to just ride. It's always cool to see what everyone's doin'.

  Right - Readers Joe, Dawn, Jim and George rode up from Titusville to check it all out. On a couple of shovelheads and a bagger. Jim and Joe are active duty US Navy, still servin', but took a little time to do what we do.

  Below - from right: Johnny 2 Beers, AOA 1%er, his lovely wife Deanna, Jade DeLuxxxor and our host, and -  all around good guy, Willie. (Damn - I hope I don't ruin your reputation, Bro!)

  Bill and Kaye came in from North Carolina and ran the hot sellin' T-shirt booth for Wille and Jean. Below - Marcus and Angelina kept things runnin' smoothly for those in the Bike Show.

  Time to ride - it's a gorgeous day!

  Good friends Scott and Sue head out on "Bitchin'" and "TT." A couple of Shovels that Scott's built in the garage. Sue is a regular contributor to Dixie Biker Illustrated's "Roots" feature every couple of months. She's got an awesome collection of pictures from the late sixties-early seventies when the biker lifestyle was a "life-style." And she's been nice enuff to share 'em with us and our readers. Thanks!

  Frequent DBI contributer, and Viet Nam Vet, Jefferson Ryan, outta Jax Beaches, with Jade. Thanks, bro.

This shot kinda gives new meanin' to "Ride wide open," don't it, y'all?

I was so busy shootin' the breeze with y'all and catchin' the goin'-ons out back, (below is Tropical artist Chris with Jennifer,) that I missed the awards presentation for the Chopper Show. Damn. Sorry. But I also don't think it was that important. All the bikes, owners, and people comin' out were winners as far as we're concerned. It don't git any better than hangin' with y'all, checkin' out the bikes and eye-candy and sippin' on a sweatin' longneck in T-shirt temps in October.

  Right - Hey! He paid for it - least he can do is get the last picture of the day, doncha think? Thanks for the great time, the great show and keepin' it real, Willie. Betcher ass we'll be at Tropical Tattoo for the show during Bike Week 2005!