There were those like Steve and Trish from Connecticut, who built a week long vacation around the Smoke Out. Steve rides a '67 XLHC.

A sleek, turquoise kickstart rigid '76 sporty is Trish's ride.

Hammer wants to encourage folks to build bikes just to ride to this event. Steve from Clover, SC had just finished doing the top end of his '78 Shovel chopper. His ride out to Cherokee was the shakedown ride. Nothing like seeing a radical 46-degree raked scoot cruising down the road. And there was plenty of that. This event is a throw back to the old days. Before you could go into a bike shop and buy just about everything for your ride imaginable.

Many of the bikes found here were built with parts found at a swap meet, in the dusty mess of someone's garage or made simply with a hammer, hacksaw, and vice. Downhome engineering at it's best.

Meeting members of The Horse's staff was great. Edge, a radical writer, rode his bike up from South Carolina. It's the only bike I have ever seen with a taillight off a '66 Mustang.

Mr. Wild does many tech articles for The Horse. I have known Mr. Wild for a few years through emails. It was the first time I have met him in person. He's a bit deaf, so we typed out most of our conversation on his laptop computer. It gave my typing skills quite the test, but it sure was a fun way to talk. He rode down from Wisconsin with his dog.