Hell on Wheels Chopper Show
For the past 5 years, a group of fun loving custom chopper builders, antique bike restorers and all around good natured motorcycle hooligans have gathered in the small town of Franklin, Iowa for the "Hell on Wheels" chopper show and group ride. Toting slogans like "No sponsors, No masters" and "No trophies, No awards, Just Hell on Wheels" they aimed to put on a very grassroots event that was focused on the camaraderie of old bike riders and custom builders without the hassle for trying to outdo one another with trophies and such. The event also began with organizer Nathan Kirchner putting on something in the spirit that his father "Teddy Bear" Kirchner, who had since passed, would have been proud to be a part of, as he had been a big presence in the local bike scene for years. We heard that their 5th anniversary show was potentially going to be their last, so we saddled up with some folks from Indianapolis and hit the highways to jam out to the nearby town of Keokuk, Iowa for some amazing camping and great times with the whole Iowa crew.
We started off the night getting onto the main highways and jamming our 90's blockhead Harleys at high speeds because we had heard the campgrounds closed their gates at 10pm. Making great time and making our way through Illinois we finally reached the town of Galesburg (a destination for a previous Hell on Wheels group ride) where the riding turned from 90 mph highway blasting to some really fun winding country backroads. With sore backs and bugs in our teeth we triumphantly crossed the state line and made it just in time to navigate the sketchy dirt road paths surrounding the Wilson Lake Campground just outside of Keokuk. The group there was already nice and warmed up and the vibes were fantastic pulling into camp with old custom choppers lining every inch of grass and shining their headlights out onto a big lake overlooking a set of old rustic taxidermy adorned wood cabins. The "pre-party " night at Wilson proved to be a great time and a perfect way to kick off the weekend.
Saturday morning the camped out riders wiped the crust from their eyes and merged forces to all ride out to the site of Franklin Tap, a small bar with a nice adjoining lot right on the edge of town just perfect for a little music and chopper entertainment. I settled in myself after having a pretty major mechanical malfunction on my trusty yet badly abused Canon 5D mark III, I swapped out my modern digital for an old Rolleiflex twin lens 120 and fellow Indy rider Benny Stucker's Nikon 35mm film camera finishing out the rest of the weekends riding shots on film alone (a testament to the tried and true nature of vintage equipment over modern, you gotta love a foolproof mechanical shutter, haha) Everyone found their bearings, grabbed a cold one, shook hands and settled in for a bit to await a whole new slew of additional riders coming in from all parts of the state and nearby towns. It was a pretty cool sight to see guys rolling in on showroom quality stock Panheads and such that have been holding onto these bikes for years waiting to tag along on rides like this. The lot continued to fill up with a great mix of just about everything from classic Harley choppers, stock and chopped British bikes and even a couple Honda choppers.
Once noon rolled around everyone fired up and took off to gas up and hit the backroads of Iowa. We traveled through several small towns like Keosaqua and Oskaloosa stopping at bars and main drags filling up the streets on both sides with our rows and rows of bikes. The spirits were running high and aside from a few roadside repairs everyone's vintage machines were cooperative in making the day a great one to remember for the Hell on Wheels fifth incarnation. After the small town tour wrapped a good 150+ miles we headed back to Franklin where the first band, Nashville, TN sensation "Polly Ann" was tuning up her guitar taking the stage. The bikes lined up and everyone settled back in showcasing their builds but more importantly using their bikes for a recliner to sip a nice cold brew and watch the evenings entertainment or just use as a placeholder for some warm bbq from a nearby food truck. After the country rhythms of one man bands "The last Knifefighter" and "Rifflord" made their way on and off the stage then the riders packed up and headed back to camp for a night of healthy shenanigans. Each trying to out jump each other with a vintage bicycle off the short pier in front of the cabins, out into the Wilson Lake which truthfully, proved to be the best way to effectively cool down for the day. The rest of the group sat telling campfire stories while strumming dueling guitars and fiddles, and the riders and musicians from the event provided a great relaxing end to the night mixing old blues and country rhythms against a scene of starlit skies reflecting off the lake nearby. We wrapped up our campsites next morning and headed home hoping that the crew from Hell on Wheels has at least one more year of this fun left in them come 2021. Only time will tell. We would like to thank Benny Stucker for the camera lend, and especially Nathan Kirchner, Steve Davis, Michael Geltz and all the other amazing people that helped bring this grassroots biker party together.
Photos and words by Mike Vandegriff
We started off the night getting onto the main highways and jamming our 90's blockhead Harleys at high speeds because we had heard the campgrounds closed their gates at 10pm. Making great time and making our way through Illinois we finally reached the town of Galesburg (a destination for a previous Hell on Wheels group ride) where the riding turned from 90 mph highway blasting to some really fun winding country backroads. With sore backs and bugs in our teeth we triumphantly crossed the state line and made it just in time to navigate the sketchy dirt road paths surrounding the Wilson Lake Campground just outside of Keokuk. The group there was already nice and warmed up and the vibes were fantastic pulling into camp with old custom choppers lining every inch of grass and shining their headlights out onto a big lake overlooking a set of old rustic taxidermy adorned wood cabins. The "pre-party " night at Wilson proved to be a great time and a perfect way to kick off the weekend.
Saturday morning the camped out riders wiped the crust from their eyes and merged forces to all ride out to the site of Franklin Tap, a small bar with a nice adjoining lot right on the edge of town just perfect for a little music and chopper entertainment. I settled in myself after having a pretty major mechanical malfunction on my trusty yet badly abused Canon 5D mark III, I swapped out my modern digital for an old Rolleiflex twin lens 120 and fellow Indy rider Benny Stucker's Nikon 35mm film camera finishing out the rest of the weekends riding shots on film alone (a testament to the tried and true nature of vintage equipment over modern, you gotta love a foolproof mechanical shutter, haha) Everyone found their bearings, grabbed a cold one, shook hands and settled in for a bit to await a whole new slew of additional riders coming in from all parts of the state and nearby towns. It was a pretty cool sight to see guys rolling in on showroom quality stock Panheads and such that have been holding onto these bikes for years waiting to tag along on rides like this. The lot continued to fill up with a great mix of just about everything from classic Harley choppers, stock and chopped British bikes and even a couple Honda choppers.
Once noon rolled around everyone fired up and took off to gas up and hit the backroads of Iowa. We traveled through several small towns like Keosaqua and Oskaloosa stopping at bars and main drags filling up the streets on both sides with our rows and rows of bikes. The spirits were running high and aside from a few roadside repairs everyone's vintage machines were cooperative in making the day a great one to remember for the Hell on Wheels fifth incarnation. After the small town tour wrapped a good 150+ miles we headed back to Franklin where the first band, Nashville, TN sensation "Polly Ann" was tuning up her guitar taking the stage. The bikes lined up and everyone settled back in showcasing their builds but more importantly using their bikes for a recliner to sip a nice cold brew and watch the evenings entertainment or just use as a placeholder for some warm bbq from a nearby food truck. After the country rhythms of one man bands "The last Knifefighter" and "Rifflord" made their way on and off the stage then the riders packed up and headed back to camp for a night of healthy shenanigans. Each trying to out jump each other with a vintage bicycle off the short pier in front of the cabins, out into the Wilson Lake which truthfully, proved to be the best way to effectively cool down for the day. The rest of the group sat telling campfire stories while strumming dueling guitars and fiddles, and the riders and musicians from the event provided a great relaxing end to the night mixing old blues and country rhythms against a scene of starlit skies reflecting off the lake nearby. We wrapped up our campsites next morning and headed home hoping that the crew from Hell on Wheels has at least one more year of this fun left in them come 2021. Only time will tell. We would like to thank Benny Stucker for the camera lend, and especially Nathan Kirchner, Steve Davis, Michael Geltz and all the other amazing people that helped bring this grassroots biker party together.
Photos and words by Mike Vandegriff