This was the fourth annual Springfield Motorcycle and they certainly outdid themselves this year. Whether you're in it for the bikes, music, riding gear, or the opportunity to hang out with other bikers, this was the place to be.
Each year, OSEG brings in a featured guest. This year's guest was a great one. Vinnie and Cody from
V-Force Customs came in and
spent the weekend showing off some of their bikes and meeting and greeting the crowd. Chris and I took a few minutes out of the booth to go over and introduce ourselves. We were very excited to discover that these guys are just a couple of regular guys. They're both easy to talk to and went out of their way to make everyone feel welcome.
We caught up with Doug Sousa, the organizer of the show and had a chance to talk a little about how he felt the show went.
"I couldn't be
happier with this years show, the biking community came out in
force". He went on to say "In fact, I guess you can say the force was with us, V-Force that is! Vinnie and Cody had
a great time and now officially love Springfield".
The show attracted roughly 17,000 visitors this year. When you consider the economy and the snow that surely dampened the turnout on Sunday, this was truly a success.
In addition to V-Force Customs, there were tons of vendors. The usual suspects were there including our friends at Spike's Custom Paint with his infamous El Camino and several beautifully painted bikes. Tibby's Harley Davidson was also there along with many other regional dealers. Doug made a great point when he said "Dealers needed this shot in the arm. The motorcycles
that they sold were a needed kick-off for the new year."
The Indian Motorcycles were well represented again this year. The Springfield Museum brought out several bikes from their collection. In fact, they will be opening a new museum this October featuring their extensive Indian Motorcycle collection.
In addition to the museum's exhibit, Tim Baer turned out with two Indians from his family's collection and several original books written by his family. If you're into the history of the motorcycle, he offers several books you will want to add to your collection. Tim's grandfather owned one of the first Indian dealerships in the country and was well known in the flat track racing cirlce. Tim's father, Butch Baer, carried on the family tradition and also spent his life in the cycling industry. Butch and his brother got together to piece together a series of historical accounts of their family and their involvement in motorcycles. There are tons of vintage photos and stories that are sure to please. Their books are available at www.acenturyofmotorcycling.com.
If you were looking for parts, accessories, or maybe some new leather there was plenty to be had. There were vendors carrying anything you could want! I took the opportunity to add another patch to my vest and Christine picked up a few things for her bike.
In addition to the vendors, there was a bike show and competition. To quote Doug, "We had some of the most
fantastic bikes that I've ever seen at a motorcycle show anywhere. Both
the 'feature builders' and competitors machines were exceptional this
year." I have to agree, there were some incredible bikes and even better, some great presentations at the show. This includes the exhibit that included several bikes, girls made up as zombies, and fog. The effect was tremendous.
There were also several featured bike builders at the show. This included PT Customs, Rich Pitoniak of Pitoniak's Custom Cycles, and American Motorcycle Service, a first timer at the show. Their creations are nothing short of amazing!
OCC was again represented. The dealer brought in one of the custom bikes and one of the OCC Greenies. These are always a big attraction and draw the attention of every camera at the show.
Now there was one company at the show that both Christine and I were looking forward to meeting. The company is called Roar. If you're a female rider and haven't heard of them yet, you will. This is a custom bike builder that specializes in building bikes for women. These aren't your traditional "girly" bikes, but big, mean bikes built low enough to the ground for the average woman to ride comfortably. They are in the process of opening up a dealership here in New England. The plan is to have a location open up this spring. Christine's already got hers picked out! Keep your eyes open for a feature article on these folks as Chris will be interviewing the owner in the near future.
Of course Cool Bike Rides was there. We had information on several of this year's rides and 
carried the riding glasses this year. We even had Bethany, organizer of the Ride for Our Troops in the booth with us on Friday and Saturday. Her help was greatly appreciated.
All in all this was a really good time for all who attended. While the show isn't nearly as much fun as riding, it sure is a nice break from the long cold New England Winter. Perhaps it'll be just enough to keep me from going insane waiting for the warmer weather to arrive...