IronWorks Article, April

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story and photos by Marilyn Stemp
T
he world’s only motorcycle
rider rally on a cruise ship
marked it’s fourth consecutive sailing to the Western
Caribbean last November 5-12 when
Hogs on the High Seas loaded 1,500
people on the Royal Caribbean
Mariner of the Seas and headed
south. What? You haven’t heard
about this? Read on and we’ll tell
you. For those of you who think you
already know or simply don’t
care—turn the page if you like but
you’re missing out on a great time.
This is no stuffy dress-up cruise,
no sir, and we can understand why
people with our two-wheeled proclivities would shun such a thing.
HOHS attire is strictly biker-style,
jeans and leather—or less. And
HOHS cruises draw riders from all
over the United States—and the
world—each year. In fact, the fifth
anniversary cruise in November
2007 is already sold out.
Billed as “almost too much fun,”
it’s hard to dispute that statement.
Consider this: HOHS takes place on
one of the world’s largest cruise
ships as it sails for seven beautiful,
tropical days in the Western
Caribbean Sea. In addition to the
veritable Vegas atmosphere aboard
ship and at the island ports, there
are private parties just for the
HOHS group in Jamiaca at Jimmy
Buffett’s Margaritaville; on Grand
Cayman at the Hard Rock Café; and
in Cozumel, Mexico, at Carlos ‘n
Charlie’s. You might question how
private a party of 1,500 people can
be, but you don’t really know till
you’ve tried it.
There’s an on-ship pool party
during the week, a private island
stop, and all the shipboard amenities (gourmet dining, top-notch service and high-bling facilities) you
expect on a cruise. And if you arrive early you can join a Bon Voyage party at the host hotel in Florida where nearly 1,000 participants
took advantage of the chance to
meet their fellow cruisers before
casting off.
But it’s not just a party cruise.
Motorcycle-related vendors and
bike builders are onboard in the
ship’s conference room to talk shop
with cruisers, and nightly shows—
for HOHS cruisers only—incorporate cash and vendor giveaways to-
taling more than $300,000. All
HOHS cruisers are eligible for
prizes, too, just by being there. The
week culminates in a final show
where two custom bikes are given
away. Yes, two.
More cash and prizes are awarded
via shenanigans like the Belly Smacker Contest, Treasured Chest
(women), Topless Man (men), Best
Beard and Best Tattoo (both!), and Pirate Biker Bingo. Better still, a percentage of the money collected goes
to HOHS’s kidney dialysis fund that
provides no-cost cabin, airfare, dialysis treatments, and spending money
for motorcycle enthusiasts requiring
this life-altering therapy. The 2006
rally raised over $110,000 from the
fun-loving bikers through 50/50 raffles, auctions and a poker walk—
along with dollars designated by the
vendors, the organizers, and kindminded individuals—allowing for
even more dialysis patients to cruise
in future years (see sidebar). Thanks
to HOHS rally organizers Dean and
Debbie Anderson, thousands of dollars have been dedicated in the past
to this cause and the Andersons are
committed to providing continued
support for dialysis patients.
continued
63
www.ironworksmag.com
Yes, the 2007 Rally is sold out but
in 2008, HOHS is adding a Mexican
Rivera trip in late April along with
their annual Western Caribbean rally
that November. In 2009, it’s back to
Alaska (they’ve been there twice before) in late June leaving from Seattle,
Washington, plus a first-ever, twoweek “back-to-back” Eastern and
Western Caribbean rally in November. Truly, Hogs on the High Seas
gives the word “cruising” a whole
new meaning for the biking crowd.
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Mike Costic and his wife from Cumberland, Rhode Island, jumped on the custom trike he won. It was built by Terry Stonehocker of GearGasm in Anderson,
South Carolina, who says, “Three of a kind beats a pair anytime.”
Bikers get harassed everywhere, it
seems. Though you have to ask,
how could he ride holding the baby?
Resource
Hogs on the High Seas
1-800-444-8795
www.hogsonthehighseas.com
I
nvariably, whenever I talked to
one of the dialysis patients aboard
the HOHS 2006 Caribbean rally,
somebody started crying. Maybe it
was the patient’s spouse, sometimes
the patient themselves, or perhaps
even one of the technicians from the
Dialysis At Sea group who cared for
the patients. Let me clarify: these
were tears of joy, or at least relief.
See, this kind of freedom—to go
where you choose, when you
choose—is a no longer a luxury to
people who have become tied to a
machine for their very life’s blood.
Literally. Dialysis patients must have
their entire blood stream “cleaned”
by a dialysis machine every few days
to simply stay alive. This means remaining close to a dialysis treatment
Can you believe Kathy Buckbinder from Sumner, Washington, won the custom
bobber? Neither could she! Captain Johnny pulled the winning tickets for both
giveaway bikes. The bobber, like the trike, was built by Terry at GearGasm.
center, in effect tethering them to a
machine and a process.
The kind of mobility and wideopen view of the world that patients
on the HOHS cruise experienced on
this trip is akin to the exhilaration
they once felt riding their bikes on
the open road—and we can all certainly relate to that. Maybe that’s
why most of the rally participants
were so openly generous when it
came time to buy a 50/50 ticket or
sign up for the poker walk. We
heard the stories of these afflicted
folks and knew they could be us.
We commend rally organizers
Debbie and Dean Anderson for their
solid dedication to helping people
who live their lives bound to dialysis
treatment. It reminds us all of just
how fortunate we are to have our
health so that we can ride our bikes
unimpeded. —M. Stemp
Like the other 11 dialysis patients on
board, Chuck Mielak from Mesa, Arizona, had his treatments in the
ship’s infirmary, monitored here by
Dialysis At Sea nurse Frank Janke.
The IronWorks Virtual Bike Show is part of the fun for Hogs on the High Seas cruisers. Because unless you’re the
ship’s captain, the closest most of us get to two-wheeling during the week is aboard a scooter in Georgetown,
Grand Cayman. The IW Virtual Bike Show gives participants a chance to show off their rides and, if the judges
deem it so, accept the accolades and affirmation of their peers.
And the winners are…
Arthur Filipetto
Glassboro, NJ
2002 FatBoy
Class: People’s Choice
Credit undoubtedly goes to Jeff Waters at
Inferno Graphics for the stunning paint job,
but owner Arthur Filipetto added his own
hand-fabricated touches along with a Saddlemen seat and skull covers to upgrade this Fat
Boy. “And,” adds Arthur, “it’s chromed to the
last bolt.” It was chosen hands-down winner
in the People’s Choice class.
Raymond Sanchez
Port St. Lucie, FL
2006 Softail Custom
Class: Twin Cam
Raymond credits Sonny Heflin from Custom Cycle Works for building the engine of this tasty ride, incorporating Wiseco pistons, S&S cases and carb, Crane
ignition, and fully polished Diamond Cut heads and cylinders. It sits in a DNA
frame with 36-degree rake (2” up, 2” out) mated to a Pro-One front end, Baker 6speed, and more top-name components than we can fit here. One thing is sure:
the parts combined seamlessly to create a sleek and very rideable custom bike.
Sunny Siegers
Colton, CA
1993 Fat Boy
Class: Evo
This Fat Boy’s engine, packed with Screamin’ Eagle upgrades, is fed by a
Kuryakyn air cleaner with a Mikuni carb, and dispatches spent gases via a
Thunderheader exhaust system. Custom sheetmetal, handlebar, and a snazzy
paint job add bling to the Boy but we’re guessing the real story here is performance. Who says Evos can’t keep up?
John Neidengard
Wintersville, OH
1947 EL Knucklehead
Class: Pre-Evo
John Neidengard’s Knucklehead was restored by Neidengard’s HarleyDavidson with paint by Sterling’s Auto Body and plating by Brown’s. With the
exception of the exhaust, which is a reproduction system, and the Coker tires,
the bike is all original including tank, fenders, 61” engine and springer front
end. Even the speedo is a rebuilt original. It’s certainly one beautiful bike.
Angela Graves
Shelbyville, TN
1997 Sportster 1200 Custom
Class: Sportster/Buell
A 2” under fork and some shortened rear shocks give this Sporty a low profile, yet making it more comfortable for its rider. Angela and Jack Graves left
the engine stock, adding only a D&M air cleaner and Samson pipes. The bike
rolls on fancy American Wire Wheels, has a LePera seat, Ness bars, and aftermarket lighting and controls. Our judges gave it the winning nod.
Joe Rice
Albuquerque, NM
2005 Custom
Class: Scratch Built
Joe Rice chose major components for his custom build from Daytec (single
downtube frame), Ultima (100” engine), BDL, S&S, Vance & Hines, Avon,
Hawg Halters, and other familiar companies. But it’s the sum of those parts—
topped off by Danny Bally’s lightning motif paint job—that cuts such a striking profile. Nice job!
Peter and June Harraka
Port Orange, FL
2003 Victory Vegas
Class: Other V-Twin
With its tasteful touches from Arlen Ness, the Victory Vegas exemplifies
billet custom cool. Top-shelf components like a Corbin seat, Vance & Hines
exhaust, PM wheels and Brembo brakes are icing on the cake. The Biker
Buddy Hi-Low Rider air suspension contributes to function and comfort.
Owner Peter Harraka credits George Snyder for the professional photo.
Dan Zinke
Wisconsin Dells, WI
2006 Street Glide
Class: Twin Cam Touring
There were so many handsome Twin Cam baggers entered in the show that
the judges demanded a new class for them—and got it. Capital City H-D in
Madison (Wisconsin) handled this bagger’s Screamin’ Eagle engine upgrades,
N. S. Designs did the paint, stretched saddlebags, frenched taillights and inner
fairing. It’s one swoopy bagger.