Wheels Through Time Fills Maggie Valley With Bikes

ssentially Covid19 took most of the fun out of 2020. Your individual results may have varied, but the train has pulled into Greater Shitsville e for the foreseeable future. Luckily, I did have the privilege of going to two

INCREDIBLE motorcycle events this past year, both of which left an indelible mark. The first event was The Denton

Southern National Meet for the AMCA.

The second is this article’s subject matter: Dale’s Wheels Through Time

Museum for Raffle Day.

I decided a year ago, during my first visit to Maggie Valley, North Carolina, that I and I alone deserved to win the knuckle these good folks were raffling off! So, I devised a plan. I bought a block of tickets every so often, mentally masturbating over the promo photos of that gorgeous machine. I used this as an “excuse” to return THIS year on RAFFLE DAY. Then I could easily transport my new baby home. This totally reasonable expectation may have been a little complicated by this little fact: I have never piloted a motorcycle. Ever.

Well, ya need a bike, dontcha? Why NOT a Knuck for a first bike? So, after investing a little spare change here and there over the span of the year, I thought “The Plan” just might work. I also felt like if I was at the raffle location, I might have “a better shot at it,” or maybe I just needed ANY excuse to get my happy ass out of town for the weekend. Social pickings are and have been slim. I have discovered that motorcycle people are some of the best and most genuine people to be around. Tickets for this event were limited due to constraints inflicted by the virus and sold out quickly.

Spoiler Alert; The winner of this year’s raffle was NOT Yours Truly. Let’s just get that out of the way right now! The winner of the INCREDIBLE bike was Jared Harding, and that lazy, no-good ‘sumbish’ only had to answer his phone! So, I will just blame everything on him now. Everything.

Meanwhile, back here, in reality, we all got to listen to him over the PA whooping and hollering as he was given the news that he won my bike! (Just kidding, Jared!) Everyone in attendance was incredibly happy for you, especially me. The bike is a timeless classic, and I hope she gives you many years of pleasure!

Can you even imagine getting that phone call? You are at home, eating Cocoa Puffs in your socks and BVDs, and Matt Walksler calls you and tells you to come to get your knucklehead? Surreal.

So, after all my hopes and dreams had been thoroughly dashed against the rocks, I decided the only way to lick my wounds and regroup was to go in and enjoy the museum! This was my second visit. I was somewhat prepared to be overwhelmed by the sheer mechanical beauty this place has within its walls. And, I was right; I was floored.! The photos will do a better job of conveying the beauty than I can. Even with that being said, if you never have, you need to go. If you have been, you already know precisely what I mean. This motorcycle Mecca should be on the radar of anyone that digs bikes. COVID had taken a considerable chunk of their regular season away from them, so it was good to see so many folks gathered there in support. The raffle tickets help keep the place in operation, and this museum is a precious resource to the public. I strongly encourage you, dear reader, to pay them a visit, bring some good

friends, and enjoy the incredible legacy that Dale Walksler and his folks have built. Let’s return the favor by stopping by!

On a personal note, a dear friend of mine just happened to be inside the museum while the majority of the folks were outside waiting to hear if their name was drawn. It is no secret that Dale had not been in the best of health lately and is not as publicly visible as he once was. The pandemic has compounded that situation. Dale saw my friend milling around and engaged him in conversation. My friend was able to get a few photographs before Dale just kind of vanished, much like he magically appeared. Dale was unlikely to know how much those few minutes meant to my friend, who just happened to have hit a very rough patch in life. Those brief moments chewing the fat with Dale were special and important to my friend Rob.

With these two events behind me and a couple of years into my own personal journey into the bike world, it is nearing the time for me to line up some riding classes and get up on two wheels. I must have lost my damn mind somewhere along the way: I ended up with two complete builds going on simultaneously and no prior experience. Never piloted a bike. 51-year-old newbie!! This must be the mark of a true moron!!! The jury is still out on that, but we do what we can, the best we can. It’s time to LIVE a bit more while the living is still good. My new philosophy is, “If not now, when?!”

FYI, I started out with a basket case ’78 FXE that I bought from Steg Von Heintz, who has had to tolerate a bunch of my dumb questions at odd hours. That build is nearly complete but in limbo, waiting for me to decide on paint. During that build, I stumbled into a thrashed ’66 Shovel motor…that is, as of yesterday, now a completely finished bike. I Johnny Cash’d the heck out of it, but I am incredibly proud of how she turned out. I have stumbled into a new chapter of my own destiny, and I love it. I can thank the visits to Denton and Dale’s Wheels Through Time Museum for providing the necessary passion. I am beginning to live a bit more.