Daytona Bike Week Willie’s Old School Chopper Show. A Few Close-Ups.

It was held Thursday March 13 on the parking lot of Tropical Tattoo in Ormond Beach. Some Views…(photos @ H. Roesler for Cyril Huze)

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22 Responses to “Daytona Bike Week Willie’s Old School Chopper Show. A Few Close-Ups.”


  1. 1 Chris Mar 26th, 2014 at 9:14 am

    It was good, but some backyard builders should not confuse pure junk with creativity. You can be creative with junk, but not all assemblies of junk are creative works.

  2. 2 Brett Sherman Mar 26th, 2014 at 9:17 am

    I agree. A few very creative sleds were on display. But there was a lot of junk/junk with front and rear wheels not aligned! Come’n guys.

  3. 3 Joshua Mar 26th, 2014 at 9:17 am

    Met Cyril!

  4. 4 P. Hamilton. Mar 26th, 2014 at 9:18 am

    Water cooled Knucklehead? Yeah.

  5. 5 Rodent Mar 26th, 2014 at 9:47 am

    People don’t realize that Willie’s Tropical Show is more of a “happening” than a formal show. The “show” is an excuse for the “happening”. That said, Willie’s Tropical Old School Show is by far the most popular event ever held during either Bikeweek or Biketoberfest in Daytona. The crowds speak for the popularity!

  6. 6 mike x Mar 26th, 2014 at 9:55 am

    Warren Lane is the KING of the custom bike world ! No one even comes close , no one . It has been like this for many years . ” Fame is not an asset ” , This young man knows the deal . Truly .

  7. 7 Seymour Mar 26th, 2014 at 10:01 am

    “Trailer trash. White trash. Bad girl.” It’s boring, already.

  8. 8 JohnJ Texas Mar 26th, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    it’s not so much the whole bike but the inventiveness of a particular part or section of a bike… lately been enjoying home builders using metric fuel tanks… education is important but the garage builder is importanter!

  9. 9 Catamini Mar 26th, 2014 at 12:16 pm

    Best photographic coverage of the show. In a few pics, really the way it looks, feels.

  10. 10 Blackmax Mar 26th, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    I love this show, old school don’t y’know !!!!

  11. 11 Iron Horse Mar 26th, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    Is that water cooled knuck one of the Drake motors?

  12. 12 Fredp Mar 26th, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    Feel like I am walking through a Thailand motorcycle show.

  13. 13 Badams Mar 26th, 2014 at 10:44 pm

    People are smiling so it’s likely fun. Beats the hard ass expressions you see on all the busters out there showing off flame throwing baggers and thug bike dynas at other shows.

  14. 14 CHOPMONSTER66 Mar 27th, 2014 at 8:24 am

    Great show dig all the old stuff , Pans, Knucks and Shovels . I will agree with Mike x Warren Lane is a BAD ASS builder . Very nice work !!! Great pics Cyril..

  15. 15 Bludog Mar 27th, 2014 at 7:08 pm

    More than just a show as some have mentioned and always a good time. True, I think some of the bikes enter for the best parking spots, but a few dozen stand out twice a year. Beer’s reasonable, foods decent, and a good percentage of the proceeds go to a vets charity. Good party, great company and some cool rides, no better way to spend Thursday afternoon at bike week and biketoberfest

  16. 16 Roadside Marty Mar 30th, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    The “show” has been going on since 2001 and I have been personally involved since 03 so after an 11 year commitment I feel I can honestly say a few things, ONE..”You guys should really move this to a bigger spot”, It will NEVER move to another spot because in addition to selling T-shirts it kinda helps Willie and the artists if they can do a few tattoos during the “show” as well, TWO..”Why do I have to pay 20.00 to enter the “show”..I didn’t have to pay when I went to Born Free (not yet anyway)..Believe it or not it DOES cost money to put this event on from permits to police doing traffic control to paying for the bands to paying for the Port a Johns (which I know there isn’t enough already) to paying our security guys for their help in dealing with some great people as well as dealing with some morons to other small details that cost, THANK GOD we finally have some great sponsors such as The Horse Backstreet Choppers magazine who do one helluva job, Twisted Tea, Spectro Oils, J&P Cycles, Cycle Source and a few others who have stepped up to help because for YEARS all of the costs came straight out of Willie’s pocket and you could not meet a better man than Willie, he’s always treated with me with nothing but kindness and respect ever since I’ve known the man and I’m grateful he’s in my life but it was truly becoming a major burden for not just him but for his family and business. Now as for the people who enter our show I’m grateful to each and every one of them for coming and spending their hard earned money at the show, I’ve had numerous people tell me that once the show is over they are headed back home because it’s the only reason they came to Daytona and spent almost all year building a bike just so they could enter. As far as the quality or the fit and finish of some of the bikes all I have to say is everyone has to start somewhere and even if it isn’t an H-D platform I still get a kick out of what they may have done with whatever they had to work with. Yes it’s true we have some of the best builders in the industry come and even enter and that only adds to what makes the show so special, one “Hamster” who comes EVERYTIME has told me on several occasions how much fun he has because everything is so laid back and nothing is sacred. If you want to attend a show that takes off points for exhaust’s that have blueing from use or whatever they deem negative then there are plenty to choose from but as for Choppertime I will continue to (as long as Willie will let me) be as crude,sarcastic and vulgar as I can possibly be whether it be telling a woman to show her tits or telling a person who may have won an award how ugly I may think their bike is and no matter what may be said about me or the show Rodent said it best it’s thhe best happening at Bike Week and Biketoberfest just follow the crowds dumbass who knows you might just enjoy yourself!!!!

  17. 17 Shifter Mar 30th, 2014 at 6:56 pm

    We could expect somebody working at the show and for the show to write it’s the best one 🙂

  18. 18 bill d Mar 31st, 2014 at 8:27 am

    Best ride in show.

  19. 19 Roadside Marty Mar 31st, 2014 at 10:22 am

    Hey Shifter its obvious you´ve either never been to the show or you entered your bike and didnt win or maybe your wife or girlfriend got pissed off because there are usually alot of women showing their tit?? Regardless of reason i hope you come by and at least see for yourself what the show’s really like and by all means please find me there, trust me I wont be hard to find, and let me know what you think…i mean we must be doing something right after all these years..

  20. 20 Shifter Mar 31st, 2014 at 10:31 am

    Roadside Marty. Thanks to Cyril coverage (how I would know about it?), I have been there for the last 3 years. It’s ok. But nothing new happening. So, getting a little bit boring. Meeting people, yes. But too few interesting bikes to my taste (they must be built correctly to be ridden safely for more than 20 miles, whatever your financial means.) Pretty ladies? Well, not to offend anyone, it’s not the place…

  21. 21 Roadside Marty Apr 1st, 2014 at 9:24 am

    Well i respect your opinion Shifter since you’ve at least attended the show unlike some others who have an opinion strictly from hearsay but come on man were you too busy looking at how functional the bikes were to notice that there were quite a few gorgeous tattooed little vixens walking around but to be fair I did see a few that looked like my middle school bus driver haha!!!! I hope we have a chance to meet in oc..hope you have a great day man

  22. 22 BCinSoCal Apr 8th, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    Mike X, got news for you I’m sure Warren Lane is good, but there is only one King of the custom bike world , Arlen Ness. Most things that are thought of as new and innovated have already been done by Ness, superchargers , dual engines, bodywork and on and on. Not putting you down pal, but you must be young and new to the custom bike world.

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Cyril Huze