2007 Laughlin River Run Day 2

The festivities at the 25th annual Laughlin River Run heated up on Friday, April 27, as temperatures approached the century mark. The masses migrating from venue to venue got thicker, competition between vendors got fiercer, and as a hot desert wind picked up in the afternoon, clothes started to come off. Revelers were still talking about the incredible Jonny Lang Kick Off Concert Thursday night and were looking forward to Friday night's headliner ZZ Top.

I started the day headed toward the Golden Nugget with visions of perusing the Rolling Art Custom Motorcycle Display in an air-conditioned, climate-controlled indoor environment. I was disillusioned. They were set up outside just like everybody else. This didn't deter Exile Cycles' Russell Mitchell from manning his own booth, though. He countered the heat by going shirtless and sporting shorts and flip-flops. Mitchell split his time between signing autographs for young fans and working as a salesperson for his line of stylin' streetwear and apparel. I give him props for manning his booth during the heat of the midday sun and for his hands-on approach to marketing his wares.

Directly across from Exile was Gard Hollinger's L.A. County Choprods booth. Hollinger had his drag bike, the Super A.D.D. from the 'Biker Build Off' there, the one he raced against the 'Indy Elf' Jason Hart of Chopsmith Customs from Indianapolis' Gasoline Alley. Any who saw the episode remembers how the powerful drag bike pulled so hard it separated Hollinger's shoulder. Hollinger was carted off by ambulance, only to return later to finish the drag against Hart. He ended up winning the final trip down the strip, but DQed because he left the line a fraction early, but his bike was obviously the fastest. Though he wasn't at his booth the first time I passed by, I got a chance to do a quick interview with him later that evening. Likable, low-key, and good-humored, Hollinger is the epitome of cool. We talked about one of his latest builds, a custom he made for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel/Casino and about his deal with Saxon Motorcycles to design their Black Crown bike.

Up Casino Drive I hit up Biker Build-Off Grand Champion Matt Hotch's booth. He had the 'Vinnie' there, the bike he rode on the Salt Flats in his build off against Roger Goldammer, a beautiful black and chrome variation of the Vincent Black Shadow highlighted by gold accents. Hotch's VLux bike was also there, the ultra lowriding extreme retro design he built that helped him earn the title of Grand Champion after winning the 2005 Biker Build-Off for the second time in a row. Booming hip-hop beats had heads bobbing as people marveled at the skills of the talented metal master. His Crime Inc. brand of apparel was a hot commodity to ardent fans.

Next up was a stop at the Teresi Dyno Drags. The Dyno Drags gives motorcyclists an opportunity to 'run what they brung', putting them and their machines on a dyno that simulates real race conditions and allows weekenders to get a taste of the drag racing experience. The setup utilizes a pair of dynos, Christmas tree starting lights and a computerized timing system that tests racing skills. Once a rider's bike is 'staged' on the dyno, they are staring down a simulated track. An electronic scoreboard displays top speed, elapsed time, and speed in the quarter-mile. Top horsepower readings are done as well as every run is a dyno-pull.

Technician Andrew Herron said that one guy scored a perfect .500 reaction time off the line. Tron Elliott racked up the rest of the drag racing laurels, posting a 9.054 quarter-mile time at a speed of 158 mph. Elliott's 2001 Harley-Davidson FXDX also had the highest recorded horsepower reading as of Friday evening with 146 horses pumping out of the H-D 117 cubic-inch engine equipped with a Mackie Megasphere Kit. Not bad, Elliott.

A quick stop at the Colorado Belle's outdoor stage gave me a quick photo op with the Hawaiian Tropic girls. It was difficult to get close to the stage through the throngs of tongue-wagging men waiting for their chance to get a poster signed by the bikini babes clad in the trademark Hawaiian Tropic red suits. The winner of the Hawaiian Tropic Laughlin Contest is scheduled to be announced Saturday night at the Colorado Belle.

As I mentioned before, the competition to attract people to their booths between vendors really heated up. There were free giveaways, free shots of alcohol, and raffles galore. But Strip Club Choppers beat them all. They had actual stripper's poles at both ends of their booth, complete with dancers on mini-platforms. Their strategy may have backfired though, because many of the men walking by were so busy gawking at the girls that they totally missed the work they put into their custom bikes. Of course, t-shirt sales were good, but how many t-shirts add up to one bike sale?
Continuing off the beaten path, I missed the Biggest Beer Belly Contest at the River Palms Resort. I did get there just in time to take a picture of winner Mike Keele, who received $250 for his impressive paunch. Seems like all those years off beer drinking finally paid off.

I was on time for Ses Carny's Human Freakshow. What good is a biker rally without a good freakshow? With Rammstein blaring through the Peavey amps, Ses bounded on stage to amaze and repulse the crowd with his sadistic array of self-mutilating acts. He did the Human Blockhead trick, where he drove a six-inch nail into his navel cavity, using the microphone as a hammer so that the audience could virtually feel the experience themselves by the thud of the microphone hitting the nailhead. He also stuck a 7.5-inch surgical steel pin through the soft underside of his forearm, stuck pins in his chest, and for a finale offered the audience an opportunity to staple money to his body. The area people got to staple him in depended on the denomination of the bill. Ten bucks got you a nice forehead shot. It's not called a freakshow for nothing.

Another attention-getter circulating around the vendor areas at the 2007 Laughlin River Run has been the rideable ice chests. That's right, rideable ice chests. It can hold about a case of beer, rolls along on four small wheels, and is powered by a rechargeable electric motor. It takes about four hours to charge and will ride for a claimed four to six continuous hours. They were running for $499, but that didn't seem to put people off as I have seen numerous cruising through the crowds. It's a good way to beat the heat and get off your feet.

The night ended with the sounds of ZZ Top ringing out of the recently constructed outdoor amphitheatre at the Aquarius Casino resort. Would have loved to have caught the show, but like a good motojournalist I had to boot up the old laptop to knock out this article. Maybe I'll get a chance on Saturday night. Tune in tomorrow to find out and get the scoop on Saturday's schedule of events at the 25th annual River Run. 


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