Arizona Bike Week

Average J and his family journeyed to the West World in Scottsdale, AZ for the 2008 Arizona Bike Week on April 5th. It runs from a Tuesday through Sunday in the month of April and was the first time I attended the event.

The pay portion of the show was not exactly what I would have expected or would have liked to
have seen. Inside of the event there were a lot of vendors of motorcycle gear, parts, and miscellaneous other vendors that had nothing to do with motorcycles.

Anything from riding glasses to chaps were available and even lens cleaner for your glasses if you so desired. It was also the location to see custom manufactures like Jim Nassi, Boss Hoss, Korrupt Choppers and a few others. It was cool to see in person but you can see all their models on line. The bike show in the event was lack luster. I think there were only 20 bikes or so. If you want to drink beer, go to a live auction, shop, eat over priced food, and or listen to live music then the $18 entry fee is worth paying.

Just outside the paid event was the most enjoyable part of the event and it is where I spent most of my time. The parking is free and by mid day there were up words of 5000 bikes in the parking lot. So, if you want to check out a bike show there is a much larger venue that had everything from stock sportbikes to full blown custom American V-Twins.

There was a demonstration area where professional riders showed off their skills. They also had a burnout pit and dyno in the same area.

The greatest treat for me was the factory demo rides. Yamaha, Victory, Kawasaki, Spyder, Boss Hoss, and Harley Davidson were all allowing factory test rides. Not knowing what this meant before attending the event I was completely unprepared. To ride you must have long pants, close toed shoes, eye protection, must be at least 18 years old and have valid motorcycle license. It was hot and I brought the family so I did not ride and was wearing shorts. I actually purchased rain pants from a vender in the event because that was the cheapest pair of pants I could find. All manufactures provide helmets for the rides. I could have spent a few days doing test rides but because we only had the one day and most demos ended at 3pm I only got in 4 rides. Each ride was about 12 miles long and took about 30 minutes.

I got to ride the new Yamaha Raider, a Boss Hoss, the Victory Hammer, and the Harley V-Rod. The rides were long enough to get a feel for the bikes and I now have an opinion of each. To see my review of each bike check out our Riders Corner page.

Overall the event was worth the drive form Tucson. It is an experience that I will not soon forget and will return to again next year.