Enthusiasts get a kick out of motorcycle show

Hundreds of people came out over the course of the day Saturday to check out a wide variety of bikes, purchase gear and visit with friends at the annual Sedalia Motorcycle Association motorcycle show on the fairgrounds.

Rick Yeager organized the 10th annual event with the help of Jeff Arnwine, who has set up the show for the past nine years. Yeager said the group, formerly known as the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club, started setting up the show floor in the Agriculture Building on the Missouri State Fairgrounds on Friday before finishing up preparations early Saturday morning.

“This show is like any other big event. It takes a lot of planning to get it right,” Yeager said.

Booths for vendors and local biking organizations lined the walls across the floor of the show, which was highlighted by live music in the evening and a raffle for a 2010 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Trike coordinated by the Harrisonville Optimist Club.

This year’s show was among the biggest in recent memory, Arnwine said. With about 80 entries of bikes split into several categories for competition, this year’s show totaled about 20 more motorcycles on display than the 2009 event.

Those roaming the floor enjoyed the variety of motorcycles at the show, with styles ranging from three-wheeled and sport bikes to classic hogs and custom motorcycles.

“I think one thing that sets us apart is that all bikes are welcome here,” Arnwine said. “Everything from high-end sport bikes to custom cruisers.”

“It’s amazing the variety of different things here,” said Nancy Eckhoff, who came down from Sweet Springs with her husband, Steve, to check out a friend’s entry.

Although the Eckhoffs are not motorcyclists themselves, they said they appreciated the biking culture on display at the show.

“We’re not bikers, but I grew up around bikes,” Steve Eckhoff said. “I’ve been around them my whole life, probably since I was about 9 years old.”

Motorcycle show veterans itching to get on the roads this spring also enjoyed Saturday’s event. Shannon Maylee, with of Ghetto Superstars Cycle Center in Tipton, entered four bikes into the competition. He said the show is the perfect time to reach out to the biking community before the riding season kicks off.

“We come down for the show every year,” Maylee said. “This one works well since it’s in February and we can take some time away from the shop. ... Everybody in here likes bikes or owns bikes, so these are the people we need to be reaching.”

Tom Whittington and Mike Larkin, of Climax Springs, also visit the Sedalia show each year to prepare for the upcoming season.

“We ride and it’s been a long winter, so it’s time to get the blood flowing again,” Whittington said.

“We like to see what other people do, and what accessories they put on their bikes,” Larkin said.

Even those too young to take to the streets on a motorcycle got a kick out of seeing what the show had to offer. Austin Monteer, 13, was touring the show floor with his family. He said although he can’t drive a motorcycle on his own yet, he does enjoy riding off-road on his dirt bike.

“My dad is into them, so I’ve been to quite a few (shows),” Monteer said. “This is probably the second biggest one I’ve been to.”

Yeager said the funding for the show comes from the support of club members and money raised at other events throughout the year. He said the event is aimed more at promoting the sport than making money. The club donates much of the funds it raises over the course of the year to families or organizations in the area.

“It’s not about making money or losing money,” Yeager said. “Whatever it is, at the end of the year we give away whatever we got.”