By Lulu

OB’s packed the place for the 3rd Americana Custom Bike Show. The adorable bikini contest girls gave us all plenty to look at, and Sandi from Jacksonville walked away with the winning title and money. The front lot was full of beautiful bikes and Best in Show was a bike recently added to Shireen Fletcher’s stable of bikes, a beautiful 2003 Harley Night Train. Other winners included Hiram’s 1978 Shovelhead that took the Cap Wilson award and Al Harrison’s Harley Road Glide won People’s Choice. Tribucon rocked the stage and Kristi and the wonderful staff kept the drinks flowing. This is a yearly show in June and even with bad weather was a GREAT event!

For those of you who haven’t lived the rally circuit you simply can’t understand the extended family that grows across the miles. Having tended bar at one of the original biker bars in Daytona Beach, working the rallies in Laconia, Texas, Sturgis, Ohio Bike Week, Myrtle Beach and of course Bike Week and Biketoberfest you get to know so many people that you see year after year.

Facebook makes it easy to keep up with their lives and that is the one thing Facebook is good for. I worked for 5 weeks in Sturgis at the Easy Rider Saloon several years ago and I saw many of the girls we hired from back in the day. Whether it is vendors, Doug from Sick Boys, Billy from Twisted Tea, other magazine owners or bar owners it is just like a family reunion.

My 4th trip up to Sturgis and I still find the riding to be amazing and the vistas spectacular. Sturgis was awesome this year! Weather picture perfect. Camp Kristen like coming home! Thank you Wade, Kristen and Billy. The first weekend the crowds were huge. The Kid Rock concert had to be attended by 70000! It quieted down quickly going into the second weekend. Their Governor Kristi Noem not only rode her horse around town, but she also rode her brand new Indian! Kenny, T.J., Jeani and I made it home safely but I sure wish Sturgis wasn’t so far or so cold in the winter!!! Check out the calendar as there are so many local events across our state that you shouldn’t miss!

Schedule a trip to Sturgis, say a prayer for the folks left in Afghanistan and don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Lulu

Gotta love it when a female owned bike gets Best in Show. Shireen and David Fletcher are DeLeon Spring residents both busy, busy people. Somehow, they do find time to get on their bikes and ride. They both have won bike shows in the past, but a bike caught their eye at the Thunder Beach Spring Rally in Panama City Beach and Shireen added a beautiful custom Night Train to her stable of bikes. She is a beautiful blond with a great sense of humor and named her new “piece of art” Lo Ho 26. The bike is a classy & sleek 2003 Harley Softail Night Train Anniversary edition, the build year for the custom creation was 2020. The look of the bike may have sold Shireen on the purchase, but the paint is exceptional. The paint was done by Smurph at Dirty Wizard Cycleworx. And the custom seat even had the paint scheme under the grommets, such attention to detail. My favorite part of the bike is the Samson Cholo 39-inch Fishtail pipes in Sinister Black; what an awesome throaty roar. Shireen cranks that throttle and it’s as if she is a lion roaring in the field. The 95 cubic inch engine is complete with Roland Sands Nostalgia intake. Suspension is Dirty Air Simple on the front and the rear is Dirty Air Suspension with Dark Horse Cycleworxs Layframe Drop Pads. The neck triple tree is AFKustoms Layframe neck with American Suspension Trees installed by Bare Knuckle Baggers. The Dirty Bird Long Two Piece Nacelle headlight completes the unique sleekness of this ride. The front wheel gives Lo Ho 26 her name with the 26-inch DNA Specialty Mammoth Spoke. The rear wheel is a 16 inch. The handlebars are 12-inch Monster Ape Hangers with Performance Machine Elite Grips. That unique seat with grommets I spoke of earlier was done by James Carter. The fenders are Pickard USA. The front a Classic FL and the back a Cho-Low Smooth. All in all, this bike looks spectacular and Shireen enjoys the way it rides. The last bike she was featured for was her custom trike built by Kory Souza. If you see Shireen and David out take a close look at the immaculate detail of this bike!