Renegade Issue 26

78-79 / 100

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Twice a year we look forward to heading north, right out-
side of Branson, Missouri, the country music capital of the
world, to attend this little known and “never before seen on
television” kickass swap meet. The swap meet is held on
a Sunday which gives us all day Saturday to decide which
parts we are going to use, which ones we may use and
which ones we will never be able to use based on our lim-
ited income. Sometimes that can take hours just to figure
out and sometimes we hang on to stuff far too long. This
year was no exception.
As Gabe was going through his pile, we had more deci-
sions to make. I really wanted to run double 16’s on my
39 Knuck and gooseneck my Jammer frame. This meant
I had to ditch the current configuration of building a long
chop with a Defiance girder while running a 21” Invader.
As we talked about what I wanted to do, within 30 minutes
I had decided to fork over $1000 (all the money I owned
plus 1/2 of the bill money) to a friend of ours to buy a highly
coveted original Springer with brake. Gabe and I then did
some trading and he ended up with my rear 16” Invader
star hub, new Avon and long ass sissy bar for his big flattie
project and for my end of the bargain, I came out with a pair
of 40 spoke wheels and will be getting my gooseneck work
done for free. He wasn’t interested in the girder or the 21”
Invader so off to the meet they went. I hoped that I could
sell enough parts to re-coup most of the money I had just
spent on the Springer.
After loading the truck up, we headed to nearby Branson
where we decided to use up one of our free motel stays at
the Marriott (thanks to credit card rewards) which included
a hot breakfast buffet. Since we were going up there with
no money except to get in to the event, breakfast would
be very much appreciated. We filled the truck up with a
free gas card (a rebate we had received on some tires) and
fought the Branson traffic. Old people, music shows and a
truckload of vintage Harley parts don’t mix. We ended up
at the wrong motel (long story), turned on the tv and quickly
realized why we choose to live without television.
When we awoke in the morning it was raining! We watched
the radar to learn that it would soon be over so we pro-
ceeded to have the most delicious breakfast ever. Not re-
ally, but since free is my favorite word and allows me to get
more parts, then I don’t really care how it tastes. It wasn’t
bad and I ended up eating enough that I didn’t have to buy
lunch later that day. As we were leaving, the rain quit and
we made our way over to Shadow Rock Park in Forsyth,
Missouri where the swap meet is held.
For just $5.00, Tracy Davis, president of the Freedom of
Road Riders (FORR) Local 15 Branson Tri-Lakes, lets you
drive in, set up and sell parts. The night before, you can
also camp at the park and hang out with the members of the
FORR, which is a non-profit organization promoting safety and
brotherhood to all. These are the guys who are trying to get
Missouri’s helmet law repealed. In Arkansas we have ABATE
and we don’t have a helmet law.
This swap meet has been going on for at least 20 years and
we have been attending for the last seven. The Spring meet
is usually the last Sunday in April and the Fall meet is held the
third Sunday in September. Tracy is talking about switching up
the Spring meet so that we can attend both his event and Kirk
Sharp’s “Just Kickers” event held in Davis, Oklahoma which is
at the same time.
In the fall, the event also includes a bike show where it is free
to enter. Even though this meet doesn’t have a cool
hip name, the great thing about the Tri-Lakes meet is
that you can find about anything you are looking for
and the last few years the chopper parts and vintage
parts have really taken over. It is always exciting to
see the unique tanks, twisted spokes, wagon wheels,
long ass springers and girders. You never know what
you are going to see. It’s definitely not as big as Dav -
enport or the meets in So-Cal, but for good honest
dealings, this is a little known gem. It is unbelievable
once you get to know some of these people where
they have been and what they have done.
There is no doubt about it, Tracy loves the vin-
tage bikes. One of his main rides is a 47 Knuck-
le that he has owned over 30 years! H e
doesn’t own anything newer than a Shov-
elhead and he hardly ever drives a vehicle.
I think last time I asked he had about 7
different bikes going. He knows that his
meet and other ones like it bring out pro-
spective chopper builders, people with a
vision who might not know where to turn,
where to get parts or even find anyone
else “who gets them”. Tracy continues
to try and grow this meet as much as
possible and is always excited to see
truckloads of OEM parts show up.
One year the guy set up next to us
was cold so I gave him a hoodie.
Last Spring he had a Triumph chop-
per project for sale that he wanted
$1000 for. I told him I was interested
and because he remembered I gave
him that hoodie, he sold it to me for
$400. Some of the greatest people
we know we have met at this swap
meet. Everyone becomes family
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but the kind of family you want to hang out with.
Four years ago we listed some Shovelhead pieces on Craig-
slist. A guy contacted us from Memphis, 5 hours away and
we told him we would be at this. He decided to come down
and pick up his parts there. He had such a great time that
he has been attending ever since. He told me this time he
had been on the road since Friday and was going on every
lead he was hearing about and actually ended up at a friend
of ours house. It really is a small world.
He always brings a wad of cash and was waiting by the truck
while we were unloading. Before I even got a few totes out
of the truck, the guy spied my girder. Another guy was stand-
ing there wanting the frontend as well, but the dude from
Memphis bought it. I sold my Invader and Avon for what I
had in them and I ended up selling almost everything I took.
At the end of the day I was only $236 shy of what I paid for
the Springer.
In this culture, if passion is not top priority then it is best left to
someone else. We always feel at home as soon as
we pull up at this meet. We have gotten to know guys who
get excited when they find out that my Knuck is almost done
or that I’m kicking my 56 Pan or that Gabe has now went
solely to flatheads. In fact, after seeing one guy just three
times at Tracy’s events, he told us he created a will and was
leaving his prized 1943 big twin flattie to Gabe as he had
never met anyone else who loved the old bikes so much!
We were blown away. How do you respond to something
that overwhelming? As a couple who doesn’t have children,
Gabe and I will be looking for the right person or persons to
pass on our beloved toys to when the time is right as well.
You know if you are riding vintage bikes, you will eventually
need more parts to keep the old machines running- that’s
where swap meets come in. If you’re like us, we try not to
buy anything “Made in China” and try to bypass the big com-
panies like V-Twin and get back to the basics. Swap meets
have become our little slice of sanity. If you’re in the Ozarks
in April or September, be sure and put this swap meet on
your must do list. It is definitely worth it.
Old Iron Never Dies
Chris
G i b -
bany