All American Bike Show at the World of Wheels

Appearances by celebrities included WWE superstar – The Undertaker, Coors Light Twins – Diane and Elaine, and Sponge Bob Square Pants for the kids. Entertainment included music and BMX extreme stunt team shows. Suki’s Honda S2000 from the movie, 2 Fast 2 Furious, D’Agostino’s “Firestar,” and Tucci’s “Cyprus” were among several featured cars. Another attraction that drew lots of attention was “Anaconda,” a recently-finished ten-passenger trike with two Harley motors. Gail Worth-Wilson and H.O.G. chapter members are pictured astride “Anaconda” below. The photo of “Anaconda” with six lovely ladies aboard was provided by Roger “Fat Boy” Fleener, who never seems to miss that kind of photo opportunity. This trike may soon have a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest motorcycle with the most seating capacity.

As with any car or bike show, there were lots of beautiful ladies on hand, many hired by vendors to draw attention to their displays. I met sexy model Kiera Sky from the Ladies of Kansas City 2004 calendar. Trim Spa calendar girls were poised to autograph their photos in calendars that were conveniently available for purchase. Barbi Oxley, a friend and riding buddy for several years, was representing Women in the Wind – Khrome Cowgirls of KC , a new women only riding club.

While walking through the show, I noticed a couple in a photo session of their own. Not wanting to miss out, I strode over and got permission to photograph Renee posing on Doug’s cool ’77 FXE shovelhead for this article. While I was shooting, Doug noticed the Gremlin “Stripe” airbrushed on my vest. When I finished, he told me that he had been wondering who “Stripe” was ever since my photo of him appeared in the January 2001 issue of Easyriders. As soon as he mentioned that, I saw the photo in my mind’s eye as clearly as if it had been snapped yesterday. Doug was aboard his trusty shovelhead flying around the barrel-race course at the FORR Pud-Pounders bike rodeo near Lone Jack, Missouri. The ground there was really rough and he was hanging on for dear life. I had a good visit with Doug and Renee and moved on feeling that I had made two new friends. One of the great things about motorcycling is that friendships among riders form very quickly.

To learn what it takes for a show of this size and quality to come together, I had a chat with show chairman John Hoagland and his lovely wife Mita, who have been members of the local club Rod-Tiques for thirty years. Volunteers from among fifty families who belong to this club work with the World of Wheels promoters, Championship Auto Shows and the sanctioning body International Show Car Association (ISCA) to present the Kansas City show each year. This show has 5A status marking it one of the largest in the country with around 400 entries from as far away as Thunder Bay, Ontario (a 1933 Ford). The locals invest many hours in preparation for the show, starting months in advance. There is a huge effort involved in processing entries, ticketing, floor layout and hospitality. Exhibitors must be members of ISCA and pay a fee of $15 per vehicle entered. Cars are examined and classified as they roll in. Judges are provided by ISCA and the local club. John stated that he is always open to new concepts and will try almost anything to make World of Wheels the best show possible. We reminisced about the year when the bikes were displayed in a fully-carpeted area to add a “touch of class.” If you entered a bike that year, I’m sure you share my memory of the miles of black plastic taped to the floor before and after the show to prevent tire tracks on the carpet. It was really ‘fun’ moving those heavy two-wheelers around on that slick stuff.

I asked John how the All American Motorcycle Show fits in with World of Wheels. “We believe that custom motorcycles and custom cars go hand-in-hand,” he said. “We have worked to expand the motorcycle show from a handful of bikes ten to fifteen years ago to the point where we’ll exceed 170 motorcycles including all types. We’re heavy into custom bikes and big road bikes. We’ve been working closely with Gail from Gail’s Harley-Davidson to produce the best motorcycle show in Kansas City. That’s going to be our drive in the future, to expand and put the best possible motorcycle show on the floor here along with our custom car show.”

I asked Gail the same question. Her response was “It’s just natural. Hot rods and Harleys fit together like fingers in a glove. People who own Harleys are usually interested in cars and vice versa. When World of Wheels came to us several years ago about putting this together, we were all over it.” Gail informed me that about 140 bikes were entered this year in 27 classes. Volunteers from the H.O.G. chapter helped with registration and assisted the bikers in finding their assigned locations on the show floor. They also staffed an information booth that was open all weekend.

Exhibitors paid $50 per bike and received two show passes good for all weekend. Bikes were classified and judged by motorcycle experts with the World of Wheels organization. Club displays were entered by the H.O.G. chapter, the Harley Employee Riders Association, and Cycle Disciples. Midwest Motorcycle Training Center had a booth, as did, Janey’s Over the Next Hill Ride for Immacolata Manor, and March of Dimes Bikers for Babies.

To get an exhibitor’s perspective on the show, I visited with Doug Vanderslice at the Harley Employee Riders Association display.

CC: I see you have your shovelhead entered in the All American Bike show. Do you enter a lot of shows and how did you happen to choose this one?

Doug: I don’t enter a lot of shows. This is one of the first big shows of the year, and everybody has a little cabin fever. We like to come out and see all the cars here too. Gail has always treated us really well. This is our third year to do it, and we really enjoy coming down here and seeing all of the other bikes.

CC: Do you do a lot of road riding with that bike or is it mainly a show bike?

Doug: We do a lot of road riding. I just went through the motor and tranny on the shovelhead. The last time I was into it was in ’89. I’ve had that bike for 20 years now. My girlfriend Renee and I also get on the Road King and go for a lot of miles. We usually ride 10,000 to 12,000 miles a year.

If you didn’t attend this year’s World of Wheels, you missed quite an event. The show occurs every year around Valentine’s Day, so mark that weekend on your 2005 calendar now and plan to attend. Also make sure to check out this year’s All American Bike Show Award Winners!

Story and photos by Stripe

Special thanks to Roger 'Fatboy on a Fatking' Fleener for submitting the Anaconda Girls photo