2021 Mama Tried Motorcycle Show
The Mama Tried Moto Show which takes over the city of Milwaukee each year has transformed the landscape of how far you can take indoor motorcycle events in the Midwest giving patrons a weekend long experience that covers a range of custom bike exhibits, parties, racing and moto centric fun for the whole family. The recent show at the historic Eagles Club ballroom which finally took place in December of 2021 was the first in the shows history to really defy the odds though. After meeting multiple setbacks from the onslaught of cancellations due to the pandemic, the team at Mama Tried persevered with a sense of pride to finally open the doors and let the moto community in once again with open arms. The shows all inclusive nature has brought motorcycles and their enthusiasts together each year under one roof from every genre of motorcycling imaginable. It's old bikes, new bikes, dirt bikes, street bikes, choppers, flat trackers, trikes, hillclimbers and the list goes on and on. With bikes in the moto eras ranging from present day all the way back to the beginning of motorcycles for the last 100+ years its almsot like seeing the history of motorcycling in one room. If it has two wheels and a good story behind it you can be sure it will be welcome at Mama Tried. We here at Old Bike Barn have become a part of that Mama Tried family and it feels good to help their team continue thriving this amazing event for years to come. After the 2021 show we had a talk with one of the events cofounders Warren Heir Jr who alongside Scott Johnson has made this event what it is today.
So we're here with Warren Heir Jr to talk about this current incarnation of the Mama Tried Show. Why don't we just get right into talking about what it meant to put on this show with all of the setbacks that it faced coming head first into the beginning of the pandemic. The initial shut down, then the Brazil show shutdown and with all it took in that duration between then and now to get the show to finally happen today. Putting all that into consideration, what was one of your favorite parts of this 2021 show and does it feel a little more special than the others?
It absolutely does, it's hard to put into words though because we've been so immersed in it for so long, we have been knocked down and picked up and knocked down again. It feels good to be able to open that door and then finally shut the door, like at an event or anything really that you do in life. If you can finish something and feel proud of it, that's an accomplishment but, to do it in the climate that we've been in the last couple of years, living through all that we have....well it makes us feel like we could do anything. It definitely gives us a confidence and I think people respect what we do and I think it just elevates us a little bit more with a little more respect for keeping it positive and having fun through it all. That's what I'm really proud of. I'm also proud of the culture and I'm proud of the people that support us, come out and create an environment that's comfortable, inclusive and exciting, like a more family event.
It absolutely does, it's hard to put into words though because we've been so immersed in it for so long, we have been knocked down and picked up and knocked down again. It feels good to be able to open that door and then finally shut the door, like at an event or anything really that you do in life. If you can finish something and feel proud of it, that's an accomplishment but, to do it in the climate that we've been in the last couple of years, living through all that we have....well it makes us feel like we could do anything. It definitely gives us a confidence and I think people respect what we do and I think it just elevates us a little bit more with a little more respect for keeping it positive and having fun through it all. That's what I'm really proud of. I'm also proud of the culture and I'm proud of the people that support us, come out and create an environment that's comfortable, inclusive and exciting, like a more family event.
It certainly is inclusive because there are a lot of other shows that are all about well, just choppers or maybe all about cafes or whatever genre you can think of that succeeds in a specific industry niche but there really is no niche at Mama Tried show. It's a mix of everything good, everything fun. Not every show is inclusive enough to encompass that broad of a range and it works so well here.
Yeah well, I totally agree and it's really important to us to keep it that way. When I met Scott he was big into metric bikes and racing, I was really into choppers and I wasn't really that well rounded but I met Scott then I started racing and he started riding choppers, which was awesome! So we were like "OK, let's go do every other kind of motorcycling thing we can do" and let's spread that around and let other people experience that too because really that's what it's all about. Then I think the next part is about you don't create those stereotypes and stigma's of needing to be in a group in order to feel welcome, you can just as easily have a chopper out here as a race bike and feel much more included. You're gonna learn a lot more and meet way more people if you put yourself out there and cut out the cool guy stuff, cause maybe you are nervous or can't hang around certain types or whatever but, what's great here is, it's easy to just break all that down and talk to people. Everybody is really positive and willing to share and that's what makes this work.
You know I was having a conversation here with someone yesterday and we were talking in depth about the effort it takes to build any one of these bikes and it was like, what it really comes down to is, a lot of these motorcycles in this room were built by the biggest freaking nerds that you could ever meet in your life. haha. Which of course I mean in the best way possible. I'm right there with them. It's like, we are talking about people that lock themselves in a room for days on end so they can craft this insane machine that by some accounts shouldn't even work, shouldn't even exist but these guys keep finding a way and reinventing the wheel time and time again. The underlying thing that most people don't see from the outside looking in is, ....NERDS! These glorious incredible nerds built all of this! It's like sometimes you're in a sub culture for a reason, you might not feel like you fit in to whatever box or niche that the world has laid out for you and these people all come together on this island, this safe haven, it's almost like the "island of misfit toys" you know. The misfits created all of these wild machines out of that angst and it couldn't be more of a beautiful incredible thing. It's always amazing to see that creativity and that community in one room.
Exactly! Right, it's the same thing over at Flat out friday too you know. We are a bunch of local yokels that just took over a billion dollar sports arena and then brought our bikes, our kids and our families even. That comes off very well it's a very special thing that we can get away with all of it.
And through it all, all positive vibes too! All good vibes all around the whole time!
People are stoked and it's really awesome to see it. It gets us stoked to see it unfold and like you said all positive.
Well I think the flow of Flat out friday was really good this year. There was never a dull moment to wear it lagged at all, it just went really smoothly. It even finished up early it flowed so well? Is that true?
Yeah, we were nervous about like "Hey should we slow it down" cuz we were kind of ahead of schedule even which is not normal cause we always have a lot of crashes or other things come up. We also had a broadcast to deal with that could slow some stuff down too and the team really came together though, the production team worked well, the people on the floor worked well, it's like it was a really good flow you know. We even extended the last race and doubled the laps and let those guys have a little more fun.
Well that fun aspect is always entertaining as well cause you get some serious guys in this especially the hooligan guys that are like just so serious about it. It's fun to have that wild card race at the end where there is nothing serious about it, just pure entertainment.
Right, because the worst thing to walk into is a room full of assholes that are just wound too tight and just wanna win. I mean I understand that competitive spirit but it doesn't have to belong there.
Those tight wound guys sometimes end up being the 1st guys to wreck cause they were just going too hard too sometimes so yeah.
Right it's like you put them in a room where you take the ability for them to be serious away from them and let them calm down and relax and it helps them too, they don't even realize it. I mean there's always guys that just can't turn it off which I understand but that's part of racing
Well sometimes you have a lot of money invested in your bike or your gear and all your time to get there, then maybe even a certain spot or position you're trying to hold for the season but really none of that is what Flat out Friday is about I feel like. It's more about fun and comradery in a form of racing that doesn't exist everywhere else and also in an arena you wouldn't even normally see that kind of thing which makes it funner.
Yeah, it's like we're all amateurs except for one class you know. We're not out there racing for money, I mean we give out trophies and plaques but it's not a money race kind of thing, it's all fun.
I was actually talking with one of the racers in the pits and they were talking about how awesome it was to get to race on that stadium track specifically and if you think about it not everyone could just come in and do that at any other event. I think that Flat out Friday gives that opportunity for some good hearted amateurs and beyond to show some people just what they are made of in front of a group of their peers and friends cheering them on. It's just a really great environment for racing no matter what class you fall in.
Exactly and we have everything from 5 year olds up to 84 year olds out there out there on the track in Flat out Friday, it's like there's just a spot for everyone.
Wow is that what Chuck Dickerson is now, 84 years old? That is wild, we met with Chuck one year after the races and you couldn't find a nicer and more knowledgeable guy about racing.
Yup, exactly Chuck is one of the best.
Well thank you so much and we appreciate all it takes to bring all these people together under one roof or actually two roofs if you add Flat out Friday and Mama tried together. We always look forward to this event every year and we are happy that you and Scott keep bringing this to the community.
Photos and words by Mike Vandegriff
and Instagram at @mamatriedshow and @flatoutfriday