One of the events was taking place at WestWorld in Scottsdale under the Cyclefest banner, and the other was Nitro Syndicate’s Westside Motorcycle Expo at the University of Phoenix’s domed stadium in Glendale, home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Both venues had the usual assortment of vendors peddling everything from leather goods to inventive custom parts for you and your ride and a slew of lawyers soliciting pre-need hype. I had to divide my energy between both events, as they are about 30 miles apart, though both are just off the SR101 freeway. Phoenix is a huge city, size-wise, and with venues on opposite sides of the city, I got lots of city freeway riding in. Here’s a warning to those of you who like to ride fast, be aware that Scottsdale has radar cameras in operation and they pay for them with your bucks. You’ve been warned.
Cyclefest is a tried and true formula that’s been a staple of Arizona Bike Week for years, having been moved around Maricopa County to different locations over the past ten years. The WestWorld facilities are the home of the world famous Barrett-Jackson auction of Speed Channel fame. The event is held outside with a huge tent for parking; just the opposite of what you’d expect. You get sunstroke while your bike cools off in the shade. At WestWorld, comfort is provided by many port-a-potties. Most of the custom bike builders there were the homeboys like Roger Bourget and Paul Yaffe, while Brian Klock used this event to unveil his latest creation, the Cherry Bomb V-Rod. Along with a host of metric manufacturers, Harley had a demo fleet providing test rides on their latest models and the traveling 18-wheeler Harley Museum featuring significant restored bikes and 100 years of racing history inside. Rhett Rotten’s Wall of Death provided thrills and chills to an appreciative audience while Willie G. and his wife Nancy signed autographs. Willie G. even got a Tribute to Excellence award to add to his trophy case at the HandleBar Saloon. There was lots of music with headliners like Foreigner on Saturday night and many more bands playing throughout the event.
The stadium gig is being promoted by Kenny Cuppertelli, a established promoter, who successfully runs the Mardi Gras event at the Edgewater Hotel during the Laughlin River Run. The stadium is huge with a 25-acre footprint. Unreal, 76 one-horsepower motors move the 18.9 million pound grass-covered playing field on rails out of the building and leave a concrete floor for the Westside Motorcycle Expo. At this gig, bikes are parked outside and all activities are inside the air-conditioned facility. If it’s good enough for the Rolling Stones to play in, it’s good enough for scooter trash. Indoor plumbing is supplied with all the comforts like hot and cold water.
Major builders like Mondo from Denver’s Choppers, Scott Long of Central Coast Cycles, Kevin and Mona Alsop of Big Bear Choppers, Johnny Goodson of Insane Custom Cycles, and The Count from Count’s Kustoms along with many others supplied the eye candy in this magnificent facility. An unusual feature was that the vendors on the show floor shut down their operations at 6 PM and then spectators were seated in the grandstand in front of the massive stage for the evening’s concerts.
I missed out on the Steel Horse Saloon’s 12th annual Trifecta show (bikes, bands, and babes!) and the AHDRA drag races this year, to my regret. Unfortunately, there were just too many things to catch in the time I was there, and that’s the good part. There’s a lot going on seemingly everywhere. Arizona Bike Week is a party held at various sponsoring bars, motorcycle shops, WestWorld, and the University of Phoenix stadium over ten days or so. It’s been going on long enough now to be considered a fairly big event. In my opinion, as much as the promoters try to make it another Daytona or Sturgis, it attracts mostly local enthusiasts who might go to an event or two or three. But who cares? I had a great time partying there and can’t wait to go back next year.
Cardinals Stadium is a great place to hold an event and it’s easily taken for granted. But, there’s a lot more involved in building the $412 million venue than meets the eye. For three years, 600 workers toiled to build the 25-acre building on the 165-acre site. They dug a foundation 32’ deep, excavating 860,000 cubic-yards of earth to build the 1,700,000 square-foot building which used 100,000 cubic yards of concrete in construction. It seats 72,800 people within its walls, not including its 88 luxury suites. The movable playing field covers 235’x404’ and weighs 18,900,000 pounds. The 466 wheels supporting it glide along on rails 1,146’ long as the 76 one-horse engines move it. The roof opening is 100,000 square-feet and takes 12 minutes to open. It’s lit by 1,000,000 watts of light and has a sound system with 310,000 watts of power. There are 1,032 toilets and 37 concessions stands to make them necessary. Luckily, it didn’t cost me one cent to get in.