Bisbee Plays Host To The Chopper Culture

Article And Photos By: Troy Bensinger

lately, I’ve been swamped at work with my seasonal job as a one-man house painting crew here in

Arizona. Winter is my time to work and save enough money so that I can travel for six months each year. When I’m not traveling around the tri-state area, I paint houses and sleep in my van. I’m posted at my motorcycle campground, Camp Vagabond, in Golden Valley, Arizona. Each year, as winter sets in, many motorcycle tramps and numerous friends who live on their motorcycles find my property very accommodating. I had been hunkered down in my old ‘65 Chevy School Bus for most of the winter, and I was looking forward to this trip. The Prowl was set to take place in midMarch in Bisbee, AZ. This would be my second visit to this utopia of chopper happenings. I couldn’t sleep: all I could do was count the days on the calendar and wait.

The Prowl was organized by Matthew “Tiny” Romero. Tiny is a second-generation biker who grew up near Bisbee, Arizona. His wife, Cassandra Romero, is also a second-generation motorcyclist. Cassandra’s dad, Sandy Fowler, and Tiny’s dad, Manuel “Chito” Romero, rode together from the mid-1970s well into the 1990s. Tiny and his buddy, Sam, had gotten tired of the local Bike Night scene at the local taverns and were even

tired of hanging out in the scattered MC clubhouses around Southern Arizona. They were bored just hanging around the shed behind Tiny’s house, where they would wrench on their choppers. They wanted to start a chopper event similar to what Tiny’s uncle, Rey “Indian Rey” Romero, used to put on in the 1990s. It was called Indiana Rey’s Bisbee Run. When he wasn’t beating on his dirty BSA, Uncle Rey rode a really ratty 1950s Indian. Chito and his buddy, Raton, picked up the old Indian engine in California, and the rest is chopper history. Eventually, the younger generation started to conjure up an idea. They thought it was time for something that would involve the community, with good vibes and a good ole handshake for every guy or gal who rode in to say thanks for supporting the local chopper culture. It would also be an opportunity to show their craftsmanship. They also knew a lot of Chito’s old friends were still alive and had old bikes that rarely saw the light of day. They hoped to get people together so they could make new friends and eventually

ride together.

They did the first show in 2015 on the street without any of the necessary permits required to host such a gathering. Instead, they worked with St. Elmo’s Bar and tried to cram all the bikes in that they could. They advertised with flyers at bars, strip clubs and other places where bikers might hang out in southern Arizona. Tiny worked at the local HarleyDavidson shop at the time, and so he told any and everybody that came by they were doing something a little different down in the gulch and to come check it out. It worked- they had a good vibe.

They were able to move the Howl N Prowl to Bisbee city park in 2016 and held it there each year until 2019. At that point, Sam became focused on running his family’s ranch. Tiny’s father-in-law, Sandy, was fighting cancer, and Tiny decided to put more time and effort toward keeping his family strong. Timing was also on their side since 2020 and 2021 were not the best years for hosting large events.

Late in 2021, after Sandy beat cancer, Tiny decided that he was ready to host another event. He had become very involved in giving to the Bisbee community and wanted this event to reflect his dedication. The 2022 Prowl was intended to get back to the basics- more of a communitybuilt motorcycling block party. Tiny worked with the Bisbee town board to arrange the required permits to block off the streets in front of St. Elmo’s Bar so that the bikers could come and go as they pleased. Chris Hubert helped with organizing the event, finding sponsors, and advertising the event. Meagan “Alabama Woorley” Figueroa was involved in reaching out to the women riders and promoting the Bad Mama Jama award for the most classy lady rider. Another local guy, Naco Chris, who rides in a thrill show- the Wall of Death- for the American Motordrome Company, was able to concoct a way to bring his show into his hometown for The Prowl. Naco Chris put the word out to his Arizona chopper peeps, and the news traveled like wildfire.

The day before l blasted off to The Prowl, I got a text from my friend, Kassandra from San Diego, asking if she could tag along with me on her newly purchased ‘03 Sportster. She wanted to link up at my camp before I made the jump to Bisbee, and I happily agreed. Kass is an adventurous 25-year-old California surfer who was

fairly new to riding, and this was her first long trip. Kass rode in from San Diego with her bike fully packed and ready for action. That evening we sat around the campfire drinking wine and talking motorcycles as Kass mentally prepared for the 414-mile ride south to Bisbee.

We left Golden Valley in a cloud of dust heading for 93 South, which would take us to our first fuel stop and herb break in Wikieup, population 71. Once we made it around the hustle and bustle of Phoenix traffic, we jumped on Interstate 10 and headed further south through Tombstone to Bisbee. In record time, we had our tents up behind the Wall of Death, grabbed a beer, and headed for the Motordrome to check out the action and say hello to friends. We discovered that the Friday night pre-Prowl Tacos in Naco party was being held in front of the Gay 90s Bar in Naco, Arizona, on the Mexican/American border.

Saturday, March 19th, was the official start of this one-day event. At sunrise, the town was already bustling with the sounds of vintage motorcycles and laughter. We moseyed around town looking for the best coffee shop, which

happened to be filled with friends who had chopped in from all over Arizona, California, and New Mexico.

It was great to see Naco Chris be the hometown hero and demonstrate to all his buddies what he does when traveling the USA from rally to rally. The show had incredible energy as people watched the guys ride circles in the Motordrome. “This is what I envisioned.” Tiny said, “People enjoying each other’s company and choppers.” In Tiny›s words, some of the day’s highlights were having more people than expected, great weather, and a somewhat unexpected wedding in the middle of the event. There were over 500 bracelets sold that allowed the wearer to drink alcoholic beverages in the streets, and more than 2,000 attendees this year. Tiny and company will be putting on another Prowl in 2023, so stay tuned for updates. The weekend passed quickly, and it was a somber and chilly 414-mile ride back to Camp Vagabond on Sunday. Kass gained a lot of valuable experience and had a blast at the Prowl, and so did I. It’s guaranteed that I’ll be back next year.