2005 Biker Bash at TMS

       It was 2005 and Momma & I decided to ride down to Texas Motor Speedway and take in a motorcycle show. Most of the big name builders were suppose to be there and we were expecting good results. It was a sunny day and the temperature in the mid 80's.

      Like any speedway on the NASCAR circuit, you have to drive through a tunnel to get to the inside of the facility. TMS has a long tunnel that really let the bikes echo as they made their way to the infield of the big track. I once heard Eddie Gossage (TMS President and General Manager) describe his track by saying four Texas Stadiums (home of Cowboys) could fit in the infield of TMS with room left over. The speedway is a one and a half mile track and one of the fastest on the NASCAR schedule.

     But this day the infield was packed with motorcycles of all types and shapes. A lot of vintage bikes were there just for the exhibition show, and I still marvel at the old Indians, Mustangs, and Cushman Eagles. The bikes did not fill the entire infield of TMS, but more than half of the area was jammed with every conceivable type bike. If license plates are any indication, some of the bikes on display came from far and wide. 

   
  Naturally, most of the attention was placed on the Open/Custom category of the judging. Rick Fairless is the owner of Stroker's in Dallas, and his shop has turned out some of the most beautiful machines to grace the streets. While I can't call him a friend, I have visited his establishment on several occasions. It is on Harry Hines Blvd in North Dallas and is well worth the trip.

   
   This chopper is one of Fairless' bikes and this particular photo does not do justice to the detail of the machine. I believe it was called 'Purgatory'...and you have to get closer to understand why.

      It's like scenes from Dante's Inferno all over the bike. There were ballot boxes for the bikes being judged and this is the one that I voted for...but it did not win. Still, a great example of craftsmanship.

   
  Always plenty of pretty girls at activities like this. These two have solved the problem of finding the bathrooms... take it with you. It was a motorized potty each was riding, but I doubt if they were functional.

   
  This is another bike from the shop of Fairless...and this one is covered with celebrities of movies and TV. Great paint application on these machines and the airbrush time must have been immense.

   
  This particular bike was built by Joe Martin of Dallas... His Martin Brothers project won the biker build off on TV a few years back. Great looking bike and I am a sucker for those extended front ends. Hard to make a turn, but they sure do look good. 

   
   Momma and I wanted to get out of the sun for a while and look what I found.... a '23 T-Bucket Roadster. Nice looking car and as is the application here:...the best Fords have Chevy engines!

 
    Here is the overall winner of the voting. The Texas Star was really a well presented bike and lots of detail went into this machine. Note the Alamo on the back of the rear fender.

   
  All too soon it was time to go.. As I look at the above photo I am reminded of my Nightrain. At the time of this photo I had a LaPera seat on the bike and it does not provide much cushion for the passenger. When we got home Momma told me she felt like she had been straddling a fence post. Needless to say, I started shopping for a seat from a Softail Custom the next day.