The Calgary World of Wheels was held recently and once again proved to be an enthusiast's gathering. With much snow on the ground and the temperatures in the minus twenties, it was no surprise that even I had to take four wheels to the show. Although there were hundreds of outstanding cars to see there was so much happening on the Motorcycle side that I never got a chance to view all the vehicles on display during the three days of the show.

The only times I ventured to the four wheeled side of the show was to escorting the seven gorgeous Gibson's Finest Girls for their pictures. As I was taking the pictures, most of my car shots are covered up by these beautiful ladies. I hope the readers can forgive me that but of course we are a bike, not car magazine anyway.

Besides having the pleasure of photographing the ladies on their tour of the vehicles and bikes, I also had a chance to meet and chat with Bo Hopkins from American Graffiti, and Joanie Laureir, formerly Chyna of WWE wrestling fame. The lineup to get an autograph from Joanie was incredible and sadly for some of her fans they had to cut the line off at some point, as she was flying out to her next stop immediately after the autograph session. Oh yea, 'Chad' from 'The Fast and Furious' was there also.

In addition to the Miss World of Wheels contest, which was won by Carol Bushfield, there were daily fashion shows featuring the latest in H-D road wear and Fantasy Swimwear. Even though I was photographing the five fashion shows that were put on by Gaylene Redman of TNT Management and sponsored by Kane's H-D and Gibson's Finest Whiskey, to mention only a few.

There were plenty custom bikes on display and a special Shovel head section featuring some twenty of the nicest Shovels from the Calgary area. A vintage display with a 1948 Schwinn Whizzer, as well as a seventy-five year old Harley-Davidson JD, and a 1951 R25 BMW, along with many other classic machines, filled the center floor area.

All the vendors in attendance were enthusiasts and riders themselves. There were custom bike builders from both Calgary, and Edmonton. Precision Frameworx, out of Calgary had about six bikes on display and were displaying their new frame c/w a 10-inch down tube stretch and six inches on the backbone.

One of After Dark's creations out of Edmonton won the 'Best of Show' prize. I managed to grab a few pictures of this bike and a few others before Adrian and the guys loaded them up to head north. Another of the bikes I photographed on Sunday night was the winner of 'Best Motor'. It is a nitrous burning, 96 cubic inch, S & S 1995 custom build, owned by Craig Payne of Calgary.

The last two bikes I caught on film were both built by Rod Findlay at 'Stroker Machine Works'. Rod's previous works include designing a rear end for Lehman Trikes and he has built many custom trikes for disabled riders. Rod has promised to sit down with me for an interview and explain the workings of the rear end we were talking about. Even though I know Jack about such workings, he guarantees me that I'll be able to understand by the time he'll be finished with me.

Both the CMDRA and CMRA had booths and Mick's and _____ Pro fuels were also on display as were Universal Cycles three dragsters. One of the few chances I had to get in a picture with the girls was with Mick in front of his 200 mph Pro Fuel drag bike.

One disappointing thing I did notice about the upcoming season for the CMDRA is that although there will be two dates in Edmonton, there are none slated for Calgary, obviously a political decision of some type. Maybe our editor can find out more than I was able.

The Angels were out selling their Red and White support gear at the Southside booth to the left of the main stage. Bow Valley HOG Chapter was in attendance and signed over a dozen new members while handing out boxes of Canadian Biker magazines to the crowd. Ride for Sight, gearing up for their 20th year in Alberta, were set up showing their support to the event.

Anderwerks had many older BMW's in attendance, a sidecar, and his special Dakar tourer. Dave Anderson recently toured the Baja on this Dakar and has promised to show me his photos of said trip. So we may see a short piece on his adventures in the future.

Barry Radu from Boss Hoss was there with David Gallup of Chrome City Cycle and this year they had a Boss Hoss trike available for viewing as well as the standard bike both equipped with 385 hp 350 C.I. Chevy small block power plants. Motorcycle transport companies, custom bike painters, leather and trailer manufacturers, as well as artists and other photographers, were all represented by the other various booths in display.

Gail, from Electrex Canada, a distributor for motorcycle charging systems was also on hand with some of her products. If you were looking for a motorcycle riding course, the Calgary Safety Council and "A" Driving School both had booths. The only thing that bothers me regarding driving schools is it seems many of the instructors have minimal experience themselves.

Casey from Living Color was also on hand enjoying the sights. Casey is one of the best tattoo artists in the area and if you are looking for any ink work this spring. I highly recommend visiting Casey or Jay at Living Color at ___ 9th Ave., SE, Calgary.

Johnny O was there with his custom Soft tail and some eye candy from the 'Loft On 8th' (the newest biker friendly bar in downtown Calgary), to keep the guys attention between the fashion shows.

The newcomer of the year award goes to Revoluzione Cycle Imports. These guys showcase Ducati motorcycles and are also the exclusive dealer of Aprilia motorcycles in Calgary. They have also agreed to allow me the opportunity to test ride some of their machines this upcoming season, which is something I'm really looking forward to.

Another newcomer that I was happy to see was Kingsway General Insurance Company who were pushing their motorcycle coverage. I make mention of these guys cause we don't have enough insurance companies offering to insure our motorcycles. They were also offering 15% discount if you join their riders club. For more info you can check out www.cmgrc.com.

Once again the charming Samantha Stevens of 103.FM, the Breeze was the MC for the weekend. Sam is always fun to hang with and as I mentioned earlier, she rides too, as most of the folks involved this weekend do. The 37th Annual World of Wheels and Motorcycle Show was a lot of fun and is going as strong as ever, as evident during the awards presentation.

To check out more photos from the World of Wheels, or visit CCRyder and Sidecar, log onto

www.ccryder.com

JD Boyd

CCRyder

CCR@ccryder.com