25 Years of Dry Heat And Cool Bikes

wissue, but one thing I had never experienced in this area was e have wanted to be involved in Bike Week Article By: Chris Callen Photos By: Melissi DeBord And Heather Callen this incredible event is only visible for a short window each year. In Arizona for quite a long time. Superstition Mountain. There at After the festivities of the With our man Jack stationed at the the base, sits Apache Junction, Throwdown, we found ourselves Dirty Dog, we have heard stories of which provided us with a view rolling into the fairgrounds of AZ this legendary event that is home of a natural phenomenon you Bike Week. It was in full swing, to some of the greatest music, the must see with your own eyes. and people rushed over to see Dry Heat Run and the Paul Yaffe At certain times throughout the fourteen bikes of the FXR “King Of The deal for the first Baggers” show. time in person. With a rocky path The layout was through COVID, different this event organizers year. As I said looked to change in the intro, the gears in 2022. promoters took They went to the some direction people, listened to from the rallytheir comments, goers and and came back made it into with what was an two venues. On incredible event. one side was You asked, and a full-on bike they listened. rally with all the Finally, an event vendors, some that understood entertainment that these rallies with music, and are driven by shows under a people, and in the few tents where end, it was off the Jay Allen himself hook. was the Master So our part of Of Ceremonies. the Bike Week Attendees could adventure started event catch a with the FXR Wall of Death Friends Throwdown a few days the year, I believe Spring and Show with the Ives Brothers, or earlier, more like a week. We Fall, the side of the mountain, Motorcross Extreme Stunt Show. landed at Jack and Diane’s “Schit exhibits a shadow of what looks This was where all the bike shows Family Resort for Wayward Bikers” like a rabbit being chased by a would be held, and in general, folks with a few things to tighten up mountain lion. This continues could just spend the day hanging on the FXR to get ready for the through sunset when it seems out. Now for the locals who have big ride outta Winslow. Now, you like the rabbit will surely be eaten. always commented about the cost can read about that in this same A beautiful view highlighted by of AZ Bike Week, this was a big

deal as the cost to attend this portion was only $12, so if you wanted to stop in for the day or travel back and forth, it wasn’t a big hit on your wallet. But what would happen to the world-class entertainment that AZ Bike Week has become known for? I mean, national-level recording artists can’t be contracted for the gate fee of a typical rally. Well, they figured that out as well. On the other side of the giant facility at WestWorld, they had all the big acts perform. Rally-goers could buy tickets for each show individually or pay for access to them all. It really is a brilliant solution and one that I would wager other events start to adopt as well.

After scoping out the lay of the land, we all huddled around Mr. Yaffe’s area before heading off for some much-needed food, drink, and a little rest. Friday was a big day for us, with the 10th Annual Dry Heat Run kicking off the day. This has been on my list for a long time and is an event hosted by the Hamsters USA® to raise money for the Lifescape Children’s Care Hospital. It started with a fantastic breakfast at Monterra and then a spirited ride. Now let me be clear, these cats get down! From the time we left WestWorld until we came back for lunch, it was full-on. The dry heat was real, but I’m almost certain it was because I swear we were at the edge of the earth’s atmosphere. Post ride, a fantastic lunch was being served to all riders, but Heather and I had to haul ass since it was also our Bike Show. I can’t tell you how proud and amazed we were that so many of you showed up in AZ for us. The bikes were off the hook right from the first one in, a knuckle that an old boy kicked to life to make the official ride in part of the show, to the many performance-based and chopperstyled machines. Over 70 bikes in total showed, making our first show in the southwest in quite a while a tremendous success. In the end, Xavier Muriel walked away with the best in show with his one-of-a-kind FXR.

We slipped off the property after Heather caught a little bit of Rob Zombie to catch up with Jack Shit and the guys at the Dirty Dogg Saloon. This was their infamous Wet

T-Shirt Contest night and the first one I was ever able to attend. Jack, the owner of the Dogg, and his people are some of the best on planet earth. Bartenders and sometimes the patrons entertained the masses by frequently dancing, filling the room with an air of a wild ass time. I was on hand as a judge, but in truth, I can’t remember if they ever named a winner. I mean, there were plenty of contestants, oh hell…. Maybe I just lost that gig!

Saturday found us on the scene for Paul Yaffe’s “Baddest Bagger” show. We were lucky enough to pick a bike for Cycle Source from the show, and our award went to a classic style bagger that made me think of an old Shovelhead FLH owned by Travis out of New Castle, Wyoming. The newly crowned King was Logan Fox and walked away with the third-ever championship ring.

Meanwhile, over in the campground, things were starting to get interesting. We went over and watched as a group of campers held an impromptu set of field games with a drinking component involved. I’m not sure if it was a minimum number of drinks to start or if they were delivered as a prize for completing each round, but let’s just say many libations were going around. This was another great thing to see, a vibrant campground. Sure, there were half-million dollar Prevost busses in the camping

area, but a proper old-school rally campground was also found in the field. This is an excellent part of the rally scene that is coming back. I’m not a fan of the day-only event. An entire village spread out through row after row of campers with their own and sometimes combined resources to make BBQ villages and poolside properties.

With the day’s work done, we snuck off to catch a little bit of the legendary Lynard Skynard. The joint was packed. A proper concert neon the light show alone was worth the price of admission.

All in all, for our first foray into Arizona Bike Week, we give it a thumbs up. The organizers work tirelessly to bring what the people want to the show and evolve as new suggestions and ideas come in. If I were you, I’d pay attention to what’s coming in 2023. I think some more great changes are headed our way.

In closing, after the event but before we finished this article, the Arizona Bike Week Community lost one of its leaders with the passing of Brad Bennett. Our hearts and prayers to his family, his team, and all who knew him.