Chrome & Thunder
Arizona Bike Week Revs Up the Art Scene
Writer Joseph J. Airdo // Photography Courtesy of Childress Photography
When WestWorld of Scottsdale transforms into the epicenter of American motorcycle culture this April, don’t let preconceptions keep you away. Arizona Bike Week has evolved far beyond the leather-and-chrome stereotype into something more refined: a five-day festival where custom engineering meets concert-grade production, and every bike in the PowerYard qualifies as rolling sculpture.
“Scottsdale is an interesting city,” says Lisa Cyr, who produces Arizona Bike Week alongside Kristina Anderson. “Take the Phoenix Open — the largest-attended sporting event in the world. How many of those people actually know anything about golf? Or Barrett-Jackson. A lot of people go just for the atmosphere. They don’t know anything about classic cars. Our event is becoming like that as well.”
The 29th annual celebration, running April 8–12 at WestWorld, drew 75,000 attendees last year and shows no signs of slowing. This year’s programming reads less like a traditional rally and more like a curated arts festival that happens to feature motorcycles.
Start with the concerts. The RockYard stage hosts four consecutive nights of headliners spanning hard Southern rock to outlaw country. Black Stone Cherry kicks off Wednesday, April 8, followed by Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening on Thursday — the only Led Zeppelin experience endorsed by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page themselves. Friday brings rising country star Cody Jinks, with Ted Nugent closing the weekend Saturday night.
But the true gallery exists in the PowerYard, where the term “custom bike” barely captures the artistry on display. Cyr draws a telling comparison to automotive culture.
“The motorcycle industry is kind of how the automotive industry used to be,” she explains. “People would buy a car and then start putting in their own sound system, their own wheels, and they’d make it their own. People don’t really do that with cars anymore. But with motorcycles? Owners start making that bike their own from Day One.”
The result: bike shows that function as genuine art exhibitions. Viclass — lowrider motorcycles featuring intricate engraving and airbrush murals — command their own showcase. Classic choppers evoke “Easy Rider” nostalgia. Performance bikes prioritize “more about the go than the show.” Two separate women’s bike shows celebrate how female builders customize differently than their male counterparts.
“The Vicla bike show we had last year drew 120 entries — which is unheard of for a first-year bike show,” Cyr notes. “So we said, let’s do one just for the gals.”
Partners like Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys bring custom builders whose one-of-a-kind creations demand close inspection. MC Jay Allen’s military tribute display features custom bikes honoring each branch of service, including the Space Force.
“You have to get up close and really look at the detail and see all of the little nuances that these builders think up,” Cyr says. “It’s incredible.”
Then there’s the spectacle. Four different stunt shows run throughout the event, including FMX Brigade’s aerial jumpers who disconnect from their bikes 35 feet in the air, the Identical Twin Brothers’ tandem ground stunts, and the Globe of Death — two riders circling opposite directions inside a steel sphere.
“It truly takes your breath away watching it,” Cyr says.
The HellRacer Dome hosts flat-track racing where bikes maintain virtually constant turns on an oval dirt track. Arena Wars Fighting Series brings MMA to The Pit on Saturday afternoon. And Sunday, the Handlebar Saloon stage showcases performers from Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers — teens receiving their first professional paychecks for live performance.
Perhaps most surprising: the atmosphere itself. When Cyr first encountered the event in 2000, she confesses to initial hesitation.
“I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, now we have to deal with a bunch of bikers,’” she recalls. “I can tell you, I have never met a more fun group of people — kinder, more respectful, generous. The clubs that come to our event are organizations like the Christian Motorcyclists Association, firefighters’ clubs, police officers’ clubs, veterans’ clubs. In all these years, I can count on one hand the number of fights or even scuffles that have occurred in the 26 years I’ve been doing this event.”
With around 200 activities across five days, rally passes granting access to all four concerts run under $200. The PowerYard offers free entry until 5 p.m.
“I have so many people approach me and say, ‘The first time I came here, I was nervous. These people look rough,’” Cyr says. “But they’re really nice people. Everyone comes to have such a great time.”
Arizona Bike Week
April 8–12 // See website for schedule // WestWorld of Scottsdale // 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale // See website for prices // azbikeweek.com