Roland Sands Designs Rolls to the Sands for Good Times by Morgan Gales
Close your eyes. Go to your happy place. Feel the sun on your face and hear the waves crashing on the sand. Hear the motorcycle engines redlining as the crowd screams. Smell the exhaust fumes and burnt rubber. Okay, maybe you’ve found our happy place…It’s called the Moto Beach Classic and it happens in Huntington Beach about as often as we can handle, usually once a year unless some pesky disease shuts down the entire world.
It’s been about two years since we were able to wrap our arms around some friends at our favorite event, but this past weekend at the 2021 Moto Beach Classic, it seemed like no time had passed at all. Open to anyone and everyone that wanted to come, this was the first year that the entire event was totally free, so surf and moto fans from near and far poured into Bolsa Chica State Beach for this one-of-a-kind one-day only event.
This year for the first time,we paired up with V-twin Visionary for the ride-in bike show, which featured work from Max Hazan, Alex Earle, CROIG, Kott, and more. As you can expect with any VTV show, high performance American iron was in full attendance with everything from Indian Challengers to FXR’s and Road Glides. Big engines, custom brakes and suspension–the bagger racing influence is clearly seen in this crowd of bikes.
"We at V-Twin Visionary were excited to parter with RSD. And to have this motorcycle show right on the beach along the strand was a dream come true. Some morning precipitation separated the men from the boys and we had more than a few wet riders who braved the elements to make the show before 9am. Once the sun came out, so did the bikes. Machines from all over the globe made the scene. From vintage European and Japanese Dirt Bikes and Cafe Racers to retro track-ready racers and Performance Baggers, we were amazed at the sheer variance of all the bikes who attended. It certainly was a celebration of all things motorcycle." - Jeff Holt
Best Of Show: Brad Peterson 2007 Harley-Davidson XR750
Best Race Bike: Brad Peterson 2000 Suzuki DRZ400
Best Custom Metric: Andrew Blashco 1974 Honda CB450
Best Custom Euro: Dustin Kott 06/07 Triumph Thruxton/Bonny
Best Chopper: Anthony Robinson 1949 Triumph T-110
Best Vintage: Justin Rongier 1972 Honda CB350
Best Performance V-Twin: Richard “Dyna Dick” Seder 2015 Harley-Davidson Dyna
Best Custom V-Twin: Jr. 2016 Harley-Davidson Dyna
Best Performance Bagger: Ryan Schlig 2019 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide
Best Custom Bagger and Best Paint: Porky 2014 Harley-Davidson Street Glide that he converted to a Road Glide
Rolling art wasn’t the only kind on display at Moto Beach, with work from some of the surf and moto scenes’ top painters and photographers on display. This whole section was put on by Super73, the company putting the culture in eBike ownership and adding a little artistic culture to our event as well. Brian Bent was even working double duty, showing his paintings and performing with his daughter Esther on the drums as the Brian Bent Duo.
The vendor village at Moto Beach is a great way for attendees to see and experience new products from some of our favorite brands. Our friends at Geico were out in full force, not only as the presenting sponsor for the whole event, but handing out some swag, shaking hands and kissing babies. Whether you’re into motorcycles, eBikes, or just looking good–there was something for everyone. Indian Motorcycle, Royal Enfield and H-D LiveWire all had bikes available for demo rides. Clothing and accessory brands like Stellar, Deus ex Machina, Vans, State of Ethos and Black Fly’s brought down their latest and greatest for those that felt like shopping. MotoDoffo brought a small segment of their incredible two-wheeled collection to display, as well as some samples of its delicious wine. And for those looking to add some style and function to their bike, there’s the RSD booth of course, along with Dunlop Tires and Saddlemen seats.
There’s something special about watching a person stand a 600-pound motorcycle on one wheel and spin two-foot circles. Controlled burnouts and wheelies for days, the Senders Only crew continued to push the envelope through four stunt shows throughout the day, keeping the audience on edge as took to the pavement time and again, always to a captive audience and ending in an uproar of applause.
Another addition this year was the Stacyc eBikes kid class, letting the youngsters watching come out to the other side of the fence and spin some laps on the same ⅛-mile asphalt oval as the fast guys.
As with any RSD event, the main focus is on the racing. This year, Moto Beach served as the season finale for AMA national Super Hooligan class. But with so many other riders attending, we wanted to make sure that everyone who wanted to had a chance to race. Run What Ya Brung, Desert MX Open, Vintage Air Cooled, and the Mad Dog Mini classes were all just for fun, but man were they a ton of fun, regardless of which side of the handlebars you were.
For the first time this year, a new Lady Hooligan class was established. The class featured mostly riders from Royal Enfield’s Build Train Race program, with Enfield riders Jaycee Jones and Melissa Paris taking second and third place, and Tiani Falls beating them out for first. It’s exciting and encouraging to see this class growing–it’s not just Stephanie Pietz and Jolene Van Vugt out there anymore.
The sun lowered in the sky as a nervous energy grew in the pits. This track is short, the asphalt is hard, and there are a lot of riders in both the Hooligan and Super classes. Riders lined up with determined faces, focusing on what they’d learned through qualifiers and practice.
The Hooligan main event consisted of 15 riders on the blacktop, four of which also took part in the Lady Hooligan, and went off surprisingly smooth. After eight heated laps, it was the gold chained godfather himself, Nathon Verdugo, that took first place prize, despite not having raced in two years since breaking his leg. Way to go, you big-hatted legend.
As the fourth round of the 2021 Superhooligan QuaTTro Championship, everything was building to the main event. More than 17 riders were on the track and each of them wanted the win. If you’ve ever seen a Super Hooligan race, you know what happened. 17 wildly aggressive riders charged into the first corner, some of ‘em hit some of ‘em. We started over five or so times, but once they got going, the blood was pumping and the race was on. Having won the last two rounds, it was no big upset to see Scooter Vernon finish almost 1.5-seconds before Tony Alves in and over 2.7 seconds ahead of Andy DiBrino in third. In total standings, it was Scooter that took the Championship with Andy DiBrino in second and AJ Kirkpatrick in third.
The Official 2021 Schedule
DAWN OF THE SHRED SURF CONTEST
The first annual Dawn of the Shred started off as it should have = with the ghost of Davy Jones Locker summing a morning storm of rain, hail and wind to lash out and batter the contestants and contest site. Warding off all who feared the elements and intimidating those who dared to enter the dark waters of Bolsa Chica as a new west north west swell filled in that morning. As the light of dawn emerged a cast of characters also slowly emerged around 7am to test their skills of costume and shred in hopes of taking the title and be crowned the King and Queen of the Shred. With the likes of Weird Al, The Joker, The Swiss Miss Girl, Sporty Spice, Bob Marley, The Skipper from Gilligan's Island, Tiki Doll, Jane Fonda, Caution Tape Boy, Flower Child and many many more ghost and ghouls the contest site was literally a witches brew of shenanigans, laughter and friends. As the finals comminced the storm gave wave to sunny skies and glassy 6 foot peaks and literally OIL smooth conditions. The Joker (Jim Obrian) shredded, sneared, snickered and laughed like a wild hyena to take the Crown in the men's division as the Flower Child (Ava Bartlow) gave kisses, peace signs and love to the waves in true Haight & Ashbury fashion. AND here's the biggest twist to the 2 winners of "the dawn of the shred"..... The Joker lost his tooth in the final as he attempted a floater while the Flower Child chipped her front tooth when a back wash smashed her board into her face. The fate of those 2 teeth now rest at the bottom of the pacific in the hands of Davy Jones and his Locker filled with treasure and gold as a piece of the champs will always be apart of the first annual "Dawn of the Shred". Don't be SCARED!!!!!!!!
SPONSOR & PRIZES
Dues = 2 custom surfboards for male and female winners.
Coffee Parlor Long Beach = Scratch Breakfast Burritos, Pastries and Coffee for the event.
Banzai Bowls = Acai Bowl for event.
Ampal Creative = Custom Hats and swag give away.
Kanvas by Katin Surf Shop = Gift Certificates and swag give away.
OuterKnown = Beach Clean UP and swag give away.
EVENT WINNERS
Women's = Ava Bartlow (Flower Child)
Men's = Jim Obrian (The Joker)
JUDGES
Christian Fletcher (The Legend)
Jerico Popler (1st women's world champ)
Mickey Reiley (Quiksilver)
Chad Wells (Buel Wetsuits)
Just like previous Moto Beach Classic events, the team at RSD partnered with SeaLegs at the Beach–a bar and live music venue just feet from the sand. Some local bands played through the day until the sun set and our pal, the inimitable Badd Wolff took to the stage with his DJ, the one and only Super Dreww.
Once again, Moto Beach was a major highlight of our year and an incredible way to see the people, brands and bikes we love. Stay tuned to the Roll Blog and MotoBeachEvents.com for more information on what we’re doing next.
