2002 Easyriders Bike Show

Chrome It, and They Will Come

By Spark

Dallas, Texas - April 6, 2002. It was all about excess - Excessively long forks, excessively fat tires, and excessive obsessive attention to detail. It was the 2002 Easyriders Bike Show at Fair Park in Dallas, where the bike builders were playing for keeps and nothing was cheap. Between parking and admission, I was down a twenty before I was even allowed to see the bikes I could never afford.

It seemed at first that they wanted to keep out the riff-raff. That strategy might have worked on the poor and smart, but not on the poor and hopelessly chromium-addicted. We'll pawn our toaster ovens for just one more glimpse of plated perfection, and they know it. No, they weren't trying to keep anyone out, they were just following the age-old mantra: Chrome it, and they will come. Hey, somebody had to pay for all of those radio ads.

This had better be good, I thought as I went through the door. I entered a dinky hallway with a few bikes and a couple of vendors. This had better get good real soon, I thought, as I headed down the hall. As I worked my way around a corner, I saw that the hall went on for a long way, and there were bikes down both sides, some pretty nice bikes at that. And then... then there was this really big room with lots of bikes and lots of vendors and lots of chrome and there was a band and there were lots of people and show bikes were going round and round on display stands and people were staring glassy-eyed at all the bikes and brand-name vendors and there was too much cool stuff to look at all at once, and this show was going to be just fine, thank you very much. Whew!

My first stop was at a booth that featured a purple and chrome V-8 powered trike by Craig's Customs of Terrell, Texas. Craig claims that he can show you how to build your own custom trike for less than five grand, and proceeded to detail the parentage of the various bits that made up this one. Although they can build trikes, bikes, and one-of-a-kind projects, he prefers to help out with the paint and bodywork for the do-it-yourself builder.

Next was a look at Charlies Chopper, sporting 24" over forks and a killer paint job, followed by Voodoo Child - an orange 72 FX. Just around the corner was the Chrome Specialties trailer. They had more than a half-dozen hard-core bikes on display, including the Brass Knuckles 103" Knucklehead and the WFO bike. Many of the bikes they displayed have been featured in various bike mags over the last two years, and can be found and in the Chrome Specialties catalogs.

If you needed something a little different, GrimReaper Custom Motorcycle Trailers was there to help you out with a rolling casket that can be pulled behind your bike. Complete with brass handles and built-in coolers, the GrimReaper is on my Halloween shopping list. Whether you are hauling a bro for that last ride or just dragging a few cases to the party, you're all set.

The Easyriders bike show tour 2000 was seen in several major cities this year, and the bikes on display were broken into two major categories. The first was the Judged Class, populated with serious pro-built machines that competed for the votes of the expert judges. Next was the Spectator Class, which included many local bikes and was judged by the public at the show.

Music was provided by The Kentucky Headhunters and the Dan Plowden Band. On either side of the stage, the Easyrider vans provided quick and easy shopping for T-shirts and other clothing. Screen printers were busy slapping free full-sized commemorative event logos on the back of each shirt, their ink and dryers were located just outside the vans.

I was watching them crank out the merchandise when a flash of purple caught my eye, and I found myself staring at a monster truck. At second glance, it looked like an Evo-powered trike. On the third try, I figured it out. I was looking at an Evo-powered monster quike. That's right, five monster truck wheels, four in the back and one on the widest wide-glide front end you've ever seen. All done up in purple and chrome, it was ready to rumble.

I saw Rick Fairless and the Easyriders of Dallas crew, showing off a few of the stunning custom bikes they have built over the years, including one built for Darien Hatcher of the Dallas Stars hockey team. Rick was hosting an impromptu question and answer session with the peanut gallery, patiently handling everything from "How much for that orange chopper, Mister?" to "You see, I've got this old Sportster, and I was wondering..."

I moved on, and soon discovered that I was making laps around and around the same bikes. There were choppers, there were bobbers, there were bad, bad baggers. There were booth babes, there were show bikes, there was beer to make you stagger. There were red bikes, there were blue bikes, and the long low black ones, there were chrome bikes, there were gold bikes, Dr. Suess sure would have had fun.

Finally, suffering from extreme sensory overload, I decided to depart. On my way out, I came across A-1 Hydraulics, with the Handy air lift displayed. Ah, the bike lift of my dreams. No more teetering Road King, no more pumping the handle. Yes, they would be glad to sell me one; no, I couldn't take it home and try it out for a year or two. Oh well....

Although I didn't see any rat bikes in the show, I did see some drowned rat bikers arriving as I left. The rain had picked up from a sprinkle early in the day to a full-fledged flash flood. Although most of the crowd arrived in cars, a few die-hards had been at the Harley of Dallas grand opening earlier in the day, and rode to Fair Park in the downpour.

Coming to the parking lot by a different route than I had entered, I ran smack into Stegosaurus Chromosaurus - A 10-foot tall dinosaur made of chrome bumpers. As it stared me down with an unblinking metal orb, I couldn't help but wonder -- How long until the rest of us chrome dinosaurs become extinct?