THE ALL OUT EVO MOTORCYCLE SHOW, YEAR 1

Post by Marilyn Stemp, Pics by Jack McIntyre

Celebrating the time-honored platform in an historic location

Purists will tell you quite simply; the Evolution engine is the platform that saved Harley-Davidson. See, H-D developed the Evo at a time when the company was in transition. AMF had agreed to a buy-out by the “gang of 13” which ushered in a new era for the MoCo. Pivotal to that resurgence was the Evo platform.

Introduced in 1984 it was exactly what Harley-Davidson needed to make a comeback: dependable, reliable, tunable and solid. It persisted as the heart of Harley-Davidson motorcycles for more than 14 years, powering everything from Sportsters to Big Twins. In 1998, H-D began to phase in the Twin Cam and by 2000 the Evo’s reign ended.

But that move, and the subsequent intro of the M-8, doesn’t change the Evo’s sturdy, durable character. It’s as strong as ever, still carbureted and tunable and, better yet, cheap to buy. These qualities make it the ideal basis for custom V-Twin motorcycles – a fact that like-minded riders celebrated at the inaugural All Out Evo Show in Daytona on March 1.

The iconic Turn Restaurant in Port Orange (formerly the North Turn Restaurant of Daytona racing fame) was the scene where Evo fans and riders gathered to enter the show free for a chance at $1000 cash for the best-in-show winner. The nice people at Motorcycle Safety Lawyers, whose reps were on hand passing out swag, posted the prize money.

Baker Drivetrain turned up with prizes and swag, too, along with Traditional Chopper Magazine and Iron Trader News. And, dang, were there tons of amazing prizes for class winners! Like a complete Evo belt drive from BDL, high value certificates from Baker and Memphis Shades, and Saddlemen seats for 3 winners. Avon Grips, Trask Performance, Twin Power, Fat Baggers and Spectro sent grips, air cleaners, cases of oil, handlebars and oil changes respectively. Drag Specialties sent battery tenders and universal tools and every class winner got a Cometic gasket certificate. There was a ton of swag from Twisted Tea for riders and show participants alike.

Trophies were made by Chop Docs Choppers, Bare Bones Leather and Pinstripe Mikey, with help from Speed Mill and Hold Fast Tattoo. Let’s just say this show had dynamic industry support!

When the judges finished their evaluation, best-in-show went to Jeremy Valentine of Joker Cycle Works in Ft. Wayne Indiana, who accepted the 10 crisp $100 bills from MSL’s David Shuman – and it was deserved. His stretched chopper featured a Sugarbear front end and a lovingly prepped Evo engine, of course. The rumor mill buzzed with a tale of Jeremy being pulled over later in the week but that was probably because the officer wanted to get a closer look at the bike.

Organizers say the All Out Evo Show is planned again in 2026. Stay tuned to Iron Trader News and we’ll let you know.

CLICK HERE TO HEAR A COOL EVO b065b11e514e431588132fa71d5585df

Motorcycle Safety Lawyers put out $1000.00 CASH for the Best of Show as noted above, and as you can tell from the poster below, there were many great sponsors.

Keep this group in mind for when needed. Motorcycle Safety Lawyers, great people helping people like us everyday through injuries, insurance education, and so much more.