Actually, this was a repeat of last year and the same question, but I never take anything for granted especially after going to two out three events last year. Flat track racing was a must-see this year, but what I was really interested in was the 2016 Handbuilt Motorcycle Show put on by one of Austin’s own, Revival Cycles. This show which takes place in a giant Quonset-hut of a warehouse is the hippest place to be in Austin during Moto GP weekend. And, as you know, that’s saying a lot as Austin is known for its out of control hipness and couldn’t be happier. Everything about the whole experience both inside and out was as entertaining as it could get with rows and rows of street-parked, one-off bikes littering the roadside and their über-hip owners who rode them in to see the show. This was definitely a case of being too cool for school and the bikes were fabulous one after the other.

  Inside the show, bikes are parked randomly with plenty of room to scrutinize them for every little detail that got them invited in the first place. There were builders you know like Roland Sands, Max Hazan, Shinya Kimura, Walt Siegl, and the always lovely, always cheerful and always talented, Steve Iacona, to name just a few. There were a lot you don’t and that’s what made it cool. What somebody slaved over for years in their garage was finally getting recognition for all the time, skill and, most of all, their imagination and it’s one of those shows where you have no idea what the next bike you look at could ever be.

   Inside the free admission show there was a few bars set up with reasonable prices and the merchandise area promoting the show could have drained you dry with cool T-shirts to die for. Just like the show, everything was high quality and the staff actually seemed to enjoy their job whatever it might be. Out side in the patio area you could grab your drink and head over to the American Motor Drome Wall of Death for the best entertainment per dollar you’ll ever experience. Those guys earn every penny of it too. Strange how there’s such an intimate feeling in this huge building, but the lighting which sucks for photographs makes it feel so much more real than the usual open hall with super bright lights and the bikes cordoned off. One of my very favorite things about this show is that over the course of an evening, it seems as everybody showing their bikes made it a point to start them and let you drink in all the different sounds. It’s a freakin’ fun show and if I were you I would make it a point to attend. You won’t be disappointed.

  As far as the racing goes and I’ll be right up front and say that Mark and I are racing freaks so we were really looking forward to the Moto GP races out at the astonishing Circuit of the Americas race track. This brand new facility is beautiful beyond all belief for such a big facility. Until you’ve hung over the railing of the 243-feet high tower and looked straight down at the track or just checked out the Austin countryside, you haven’t experienced the track. There was tons of entertaining things to do from Austin food trucks to al kinds of vendors and the latest models and test rides from all the big manufacturers. If I’m not mistaken, Mark got to see his first CVO Pro Street Breakout in person after the first one at Barnett Harley-Davidson sold in like six seconds. It was mine too and that is one fine looking production bike.

  Saturday night we drove over to watch flat track racing as that is possibly the closest thing to Mark’s heart after his family and his two beloved dogs. You can take the boy off the flat track (injuries), but you can’t take the flat track out of the boy. It was AMA racing at its best with the top teams on unfortunately too small a track. Listed as a half-miler, it must have been measured with a nine-inch ruler, but the racers put on the best show they could and it was pretty okay. If it was a true half-mile, it would have been great both for the spectators and especially the riders.

  After a big build-up of exciting practices and a fight for the pole, the Moto GP races went down from there. There were a lot of crashes, a lot of crashes that took out all the fun as everybody ended up riding single file and far apart. What a letdown. Same went for the two support races where you felt they should just call the race halfway through. I’m sure all those poor bastards that crashed felt a lot worse than we did, but it took any sign of life away from a race. There’s always next year. I’ll be waiting for the call and I already know my answer, “Yes!”