IronWorks Magazine Writes About The Donnie Smith Invitational Harley-Davidson Bike SHow

Top Magazines Attend This Bike Show

story by Eddie Larson
photos by Marilyn Stemp

Bikers of the upper Midwest know more about the long winter riding hiatus than anyone. And it's those long months of sub-freezing temperatures and tundra-like terrain that help stoke the fires of riding desire once riding season finally comes into sight.

So, when the Donnie Smith Custom Bike Show pops up on the calendar-held this year on the final Sunday in March-those in need of a motorcycle fix head to the Touchstone Energy Center in St. Paul, MN, for this one-day show. There they can partake in a feast of bikes, accessories, music and swap meet jumble.

Of course, Donnie Smith is there, along with Neil Ryan of American Thunder, co-promoter of the show, and representatives from House of Kolor, plus many other bigname distributors.

Donnie's long-time friend and sidekick from the land of strange names like Kennebunkport and Martha's Vineyard, Dave Perewitz-also manages to show up with a few of his bikes for the motorcycle concignetti to ogle, and, yes, purchase, too, if they're in a spending mood.

But to limit our mention of custom bike craftsman to just Donnie and Dave would be a disservice to the dozens of other builders-including our friend Brian Klock of Klockwerks Custom Cycle-who also show up to display their rolling art.

This year's show included 40 classes, including a Pro Class that drew some great-looking custom iron.

And we're not just talking billet customs, either. There were old British rat bikes, restored K models and custom Shovels-even an H-D sidecar outfit boasting plenty of custom handiwork-that took a trophy. The swap meet held a few treasures, too; I picked up an old wrap-around Iron Sporty oil tank for just a few bucks, and I heard a guy mention that he found some vintage Ness parts. This is one of those events that really does reflect "what's out there."

Attendance this year, estimated at over 10,000, far surpassed all previous show figures. And with so many people crowding the hall, the Energy Center turned into a virtual parking lot of gawkers, prompting Neil and Donnie to rethink how they'll promote next year's show. Talk in the Twin Cities is hinting at expanding the '04 show to two days.

So if you suffer from cabin fever next winter, and you're within a day's drive of the Twin Cities, mark your calendar for the last weekend in March for the Donnie Smith Invitational Bike Show. And when you get there, tell them Eddie Larson from Ironworks sent you.

Message From The Organizers
Let us know if there is anything we can do to assist you in making this an outstanding event for you and your team.