In the last few years custom baggers have dominated the shows and nothing has changed. Although there are several shows exclusively featuring the bagged two-wheelers, the traditional bike shows such as the Boardwalk and Rat’s Hole shows are filled with oversized front wheels and amazing paint adorning what used to be functional touring machines. If you sense a little criticism on my part, you may be right. Come on man, out of all the custom baggers in these shows, there were very few unique designs to be seen.

            Since I almost always write about the positive aspects of all the rallies I cover, I sometimes have to also cover the negative. Case in point was the change in venue of one of my favorite shows, The Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show. Normally held at the Daytona Lagoon water park, this year it was moved to the No-Name Saloon. What a disaster! Not only was it miles away from the main rally area, attendance was dismal at best. On the plus side, I understand that the show will be back at the water park in the spring and hopefully a lesson was learned.