What a joke that Big Daddy Rat Custom Chopper and Bike Show was at the Daytona Bike Event. I entered my trike and the class they put it in was for 3 wheelers. There was only about 7 or so 3 wheelers there. Not one Tri-Glide was entered. I had the only Harley looking trike in there. The morning of the show you had to be there between 7:30 am and 8:30 am. Judging started at 10:00am. Three trikes showed up after the judging already started and they weren't preregistered. The judges allowed them to enter anyways. That showed me the show was all about them making money. The trophies were a joke. They were preformed of the rat fink of Rat's Hole. Ugly is an understatement! The plaques they awarded for 4th, 5th and 6th place was uglier than the trophies! The three late entries all took a plaque or a trophy. They are the same bikes that are entered every year. When the judging took place. You would think the judges would look for custom made additions to the trikes. If they did. I make my products well enough to pass for store bought items, meaning they wouldn't even know if it was a custom item I made compared to what one can already buy. I saw that they seemed to give extra attention to scoots that had a custom airbrushed paint job. ( That's how Big Daddy Rat started, by airbrushing T shirts) In the 3 wheeled class. Not Trike class, but 3 wheeled class was mainly 3 wheeled vehicles that had V8 engines in them. There was one there that was built by a veteran that was in a wheel chair. He designed it so he didn't have to feel like his life as he knew it was over. It had a swivel chair that he could put himself into and then even attach his folded wheel chair to his build. As for my build I didn't even place in the show. Personally I didn't care about a trophy. But this vet should have won. He builds and designs 3 wheelers for riders that have lost the use of their legs. He instills the glimmer of hope that has almost been distinguished because of their own handicap. He didn't even get a mention. How disrespectful is that? Just before handing out the trophies. They held a moment of silence for one of their judges that past away. Not even a mention before the silence, of any of our brothers or sisters that are putting their lives on the line over seas! If it wasn't for our veterans. That show or anything we have now in America wouldn't be. I went over to him. Welcomed him back home and said that He should have been the winner. He thanked me and I had to walk away before we both were moved to tears. My woman and I had to stay by our trike all day. Sitting on a cement curb. There were a lot of lookers and the lookers had chains on their wallets or pointed studs on their purses that came at times very close to scratching my paint job. So I had no choice but to stay where my trike was parked and keep a close eye on how curious onlookers are unaware that their belongings were so close to doing damage to my trike. If any of you think I'm being over protective of my trike. If you spent as much time on your build as I did. You would understand. The majority of the bikes in that show, just to qualify, the bike had to be ridden into the show. Most were trailered to the gate or they lived in town. I rode mine 556 miles to put it in that show. What made my stay at this event was that two members of the HD Talking Forum met with me and I got to show them first hand what I did to my build. You two know who you are and for your visit. I am grateful. I will never enter my trike in a show that doesn't have a specified category for it ever again and I will never promote the Big Daddy Rat Show to any rider or builder, Not Ever!
RJ
RJ