Antique motorcycle show set for rally

As the motorcycles roll in to Hot Springs this weekend for the Open Rally, the Antique Motorcycle Club of America Diamond Chapter of Arkansas will set up shop in Hill Wheatley Plaza.

Saturday marks the seventh year for Antique Motorcycles in the Park, a show with motorcycles ranging from the early 1920s to 1980s. According to Mike Thomson, club president, there will be something for everyone.

"Last year we had around 108 bikes, but we're really only expecting about 85 this year," he said. "With everyone in town for the rally that weekend, people walking and riding up and down Central Avenue stop to see what's going on. We draw a pretty good crowd every year."

The show draws several antique motorcycle enthusiasts from neighboring states and last year, members of the Cherokee Chapter in Texas made the trip to display their collections.

"We've got about six guys from Texas coming up this year, which isn't near as many, but that's because most of those guys are on their way ride in the Cannonball (Endurance Run)," he said.

The oldest motorcycle in the show is a 1923 Ner-A-Car owned by Buddy Muirhead, of Searcy, which had been in his family for 60 years before he brought it back from his brother's home in Denver, Colo., in 2004.

Muirhead told The Sentinel-Record in May 2013 that the motorcycle was owned by his uncle in Vicksburg, Miss., and that his father had purchased it in 1943. Muirhead and his brother learned to ride on the Ner-A-Car.

Muirhead and his late wife, Alice, restored the motorcycle and she made him clothing that fit the time period for when he rides it. He now continues the hobby with his son, Chris.

"That one really draws a crowd because it's so unique," Thomson said. "And we've got several Harley-Davidsons from the 1930s and a big variety of Simplexes, scooters.

"We've got Japanese bikes, American and European -- just about everything you can think of."

The deadline for pre-registration for the show was on Aug. 26, however many people "run home and get their bikes" to participate on the day of.

"We don't have judging or trophies because, honestly it's just too much trouble and people get upset," he said. "For our show it's $10 for each bike for the first two, and any after that are free.

"Everyone that's pre-registered gets a plaque with their name on it and information about the motorcycle. If you register that day, it's still $10, but there's no plaque with that."

According to Thomson, who has been riding since he was 14 years old, the show mostly sees people who owned similar motorcycles in the 1950s and 60s.

"We hear a lot of 'Oh I had one just like that when I was a kid. I wish I never sold it,'" he said. "We've got a lot of people who plan their trips to Hot Springs just for this show."

Thomson said that holding the show during the rally makes the event such a success because, the rally organizers work closely with the club.

"We aren't affiliated with the rally, but we help each other out for sure," he said. "They kind of bring the people in and we put on a good show for them. When the rally goers register right around the corner at the (Hot Springs) Convention Center, there's a good little write up on our show in their bags and we thank them for helping get the word out about it."

Local on 09/01/2014

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