Here's a Sampling of the
Spring Issue's Features:

2013 Wide Open
Motorcycle Show Kansas City
Every year our bike shows seem to flip a switch inside my head allowing me to see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as winter is concerned. I always look forward to seeing what all you great folks out there have been building as well as checking out offerings from our local bike builders. The joy of catching up with old friends as well as seeing people I may only get to see once or twice a year is always a great cure for the mental hangover of the holiday season. Ralph had been keeping me updated as to how fast the show had been filling up far in advance of the actual event date so I had prepared myself for a full house. . . . Page 7

KC 1st Place Best of Show
Motorcycle styling trends are cyclical. A particular configuration gets attention and the old adage "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" kicks in on some level. This particular phenomenon is not unique to motorcycles; it manifests itself in many areas: fashion, automobiles, music, and even cinema. Once any particular style is determined to be the "Hot," "bitchin," "sick," or "insert favorite 'cool' adjective here," the style begins subtle mutations. This can be best described by the wide rear bike tire wars of a few years back. Fast forward, and to a degree, the war has moved on to the front wheels on baggers. ...Page 16

KC 2nd Place Best of Show
Our 2nd Place Best of Show bike at our Kansas City show this year is not only an incredible scooter, it is also a running and ridden piece of motorcycle history. This bike is a 1927 Harley-Davidson JD model. Do the math, folks. This bike was manufactured 86 years ago and is all original except for the paint. Back in its heyday, the "J" series bikes were transportation. Once Henry Ford began producing his automobile at a price that fell to $260 at its lowest, the motorcycle was relegated to a recreation role instead of transportation.. .21

KC 3rd Place Best of Show
For 2013 I think we may have very well brought you the most diverse group of bikes we have ever had winning the three top spots. From a pro street bike reincarnated into a slammed bagger, to a historic machine like a 1927 Harley-Davidson JD, we round out our top trio with an impressive custom chopper. .. .Page 24

2013 Wide Open Motorcycle Show St. Louis
Late every fall bike show time rolls around, and things get pretty hectic for the Wide Open staff. There are venue floor plans to be laid out for vendors and entrants' displays, registration, travel plans, set up, tear-down, hotel reservations, you name it. We no sooner finish our Kansas City show , then time speeds up , we no more than turn around, then bang, it's time for our St. Louis show. Now don't think for a minute we are complaining, but we do let out a big sigh once we've done all we can to provide a great show for you. It's a great feeling knowing once again you have helped to make our shows a huge success. . . Page 29

St Louis 1st Place Best of Show
Our first place best of show winner in St. Louis is this sweet looking board track racer inspired 1973 Ironhead. For those of you unfamiliar with the sport of board track racing, it was a type of motorsport popular in the good old U.S. of A. way back during the 1910s and 1920s. The racing was done on circular or oval race tracks with the racing surfaces composed of wooden planks. This particular type of track was first used for motorcycle racing. These facilities were known as motordromes, before being designed and modified for use by various different types of racing automobiles. The biggest part of the American national championship races were held at such venues during the 1920s.. . .Page 36

St Louis 2nd Place Best of Show
If you ever feel the urge to start a spirited debate between groups of long-time riders, ask them about customizing vintage bikes. Believe me; you will get plenty of strong opinions. The majority of said opinions will fall into one of two groups: the purists that believe vintage iron is meant to be restored, and the group I fall into--those who believe if it's yours, build something that has meaning to you. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the hell out of a meticulously restored classic bike. But appreciation is as far as I'll go. I believe scooters were built to be ridden. I don't lend a whole lot of respect to posterity, but that's just me. . .Page 40

St Louis 3rd Place Best of Show
Well, it seems we covered all the B's with our three Best of Show bikes from St. Louis. We've had a board tracker, a bobber and last but not least we have a bagger. This bagger shares something in common with our 1st Place Best of Show bike. It is another build from none other than Wolfman of Wolfman's Restoration and Custom Work, the pride of Troy, MO. The owner of this bike, Gentle Bear, approached Wolfman to take on the build and Wolfman gladly agreed, but only under one condition. The bike would wear a front wheel and tire combo no larger than 21 inches. Wolfman is of the opinion that going larger than 21 inches with your front rolling stock requires adding some rake to your frame. He also believes that the tall front tire craze sweeping custom bikers will fall into the past the same way mega-wide tires did a few years back. In his own words Wolfman put it like this, "after you cut your frame to add rake, are you going to cut it again to take it out?". . .Page 44

Buy a New Austin Victory Motorcycle –
Have a Chance to Win a New Polaris Sportsman
Buy any new unregistered Victory Motorcycle from either of the two Austin Trailers and Motorsports Victory dealerships before the end of June 2013 and you may be eligible to be entered into a drawing to win a new Polaris Sportsman, one of the most popular ATVs in the Polaris lineup. The only catch is that you need to be one of the first seventy-five purchasers of a new unregistered Victory motorcycle from Austin's before the end of June.. . . Page 48

Gail's All-American Invitational MC Show
Gail's Harley-Davidson All-American Invitational Motorcycle Show, in the 53rd Annual O'Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels show at Bartle Hall in Kansas City, Missouri, February 8-10, 2013, was another winning weekend.. . Page 55

Thinking and Driving
?Early Saturday morning... why the f**k is my phone ringing? Do I really want to answer this at 7 am? This better be life and death...ah hell..."Hello?" . . Page 51

Not So Easy Rider
Bud Morrissey loves Harleys. He has a vintage leather Harley Davidson hat that he wears with pride! The fact that Bud has never ridden a Harley has not dampened his love for them. Bud has been confined to a wheel chair for over the past 12 years. He was born with a spinal deformity and endured many surgeries to try and correct it. After high school Bud suffered a work related accident that left him unable to walk. He lost everything in the New Orleans Katrina flood, and moved to Butler with his mother into a small house outside of town. I saw Bud at an office visit and spotted the vintage hat, and found out that Bud had never been to a motorcycle show. One phone call later to Ralph by yours truly made sure that Bud was going to be at the WIDE OPEN show in KC. . . Page 70

Vintage Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet
"The best vintage bikes you will see in the Midwest " is a comment I overhead at the 4th Annual Mid-Winter Vintage Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet held Super Bowl Sunday, February 3rd, 2013 at the Douglas County Fairground building in Lawrence, Kansas. . . Page 72

Turkey Creek Cycles on the "Love Ride" Team
'Love Ride', in the world of motorcycling, usually denotes 'The Largest One-Day Motorcycle Fund-Raising Event in the World' Love Ride in Glendale, California with The Tonight Show host Jay Leno serving as grand marshal. However, this story is about a much more highly personalized 'Love Ride'. This 'Love Ride' is the Conquest Wheelchair Motorcycle that Jesse James Dupree, Johnny Dare, and Michael Ballard presented to Corporal Todd Love, USMC, 1st Platoon, B Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, at the Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally last summer. . . Page 81

Plus a whole lot more...