It's a Chopper, Baby

B aseball. Apple pie. The bald eagle. From April 27 to 29, the Bayside Expo Center. Yes, nothing says America like 270,000 square feet of leather-wearing, gas-guzzling, beef-jerky-eating motorcycle show. From the deerskin bustiers to the evangelistic "Riders for Christ," the Great American Motorcycle Show makes you want to put on that American flag do-rag and sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." Any red-blooded American should be proud to shell out their eight dollars to see the latest in Japanese motorcycle technology.

Beyond the racks of leather jackets, chaps, boots, collars, and "exoticwear" lies the greatest motorcycle show on the East Coast. Sponsored by Hooters restaurant, the show features stunts performed on a variety of ramps, props, and one dilapidated Subaru. At the recent half-hour spectacle, one observer noted, "He's good...very good" as the stuntman popped a wheelie before launching himself onto a platform seven feet in the air.

But a motorcycle show isn't just about diesel fumes and naugahyde throttle covers. It's also about beef by-products. Free samples and a hundred and one varieties leave discerning beef connoisseurs with their mouths watering. One jerky gourmet stopped chewing long enough to proclaim his sample "the best ever."

Tucked away in the far corner of the convention center are the resplendently decorated show motorcycles. The most striking of these comes complete with double rear tires, airfoil, and American flag paint job. Beside the bike stands a buxom woman also clad in red, white and blue, who refuses to explain the origin of the license plate number ("JUGS").