[Mark Wilsmore on a DCC CB750 Resto-mod leaving the Cafe Racer paddock area at Barbers Vintage Festival. Photo by: Erick Runyon of www.choppershotz.com]

[Snap shot of our banner which employed Scott Toepfer's photo from the It's Better In The Wind Project]

When Rev. Jim Goodrich told Herm and I (Jason) that we really had no idea what we were getting into when we said we thought we were ready to have our grand opening we honestly didn’t know what he meant. Thoughts of people doing burnouts, the cops getting called and brawls taking place in streets just like Brighton Bay filled our minds. Oh the horror! Fast forward to after our event which took place on May 14th and we now know what he meant. It had nothing to do with bikers foaming at the mouth gnashing at one another…rather the overwhelming acceptance of our “different” way of doing things and what it is to live and be part of, cafe racer culture.

That said, we want to thank the most important person throughout all of this. You. That’s right, the guy/gal sitting on the other side of the screen right now reading this BLOG post. Without you and your support and belief in what The Wing’d Piston stands for Herm and I would not be able to do what we do every day. You say we inspire you well, you inspire us…and thus is displayed the beauty of what we can all accomplish together!

And for those of you that are local, an extra twist of the throttle goes out! You braved wind, water and the washing away of band equipment and despite the elements trying to shut things down, you stuck it out, with us, and made the Dime City Cycles grand opening a fantastic event that will hopefully go down in the history books as one of the best gatherings of legit vintage speed machines to ever take place in Florida. We had everything from a 37 Knuckle to a one-off hand-made factory works MV Augusta! Where else has that ever happened in Florida? You guys and gals rock and we are forever in debt to you for all that you do to help us keep the dream alive.

[Louise and Chris Dutton from Vintage-Rider.com braving the rain]

[One of the Miss Dime City USA Pageant Contestants and the stunning MV Augusta that was brought out]

We would also like to thank Rev. Jim Goodrich, Terry Hopkins, Zane Kuhle, the entire team from Preachers Motorcycle Promotions and Winters and Yonkers. Rev. Jim was instrumental in guiding Herm and I through the process of planning a proper grand opening. Spending countless hours managing tasks that really didn’t even belong to him, Rev. Jim took charge and made the event one to remember. All the way down to driving around and physically putting fliers in peoples hands, Rev. Jim was there every step of the way.  Guys, you’re the best- there’s no way we could have done this without your help! Your fresh ideas, involvement in the process, financial investments and authentic interest in what we’re all about made the event what it was. Bruce, you’re the man! Thank you!

[Rev. Jim doing what he does spreading the word]

Next we would like to thank all of the vendors that took the time to come out and share their products and services with the event attendees. We had (in no particular order) the crew from Lowside Magazine who rode over 1,000 miles to partake in the event, Rusty Knuckles out of North Carolina and Loser Machine Co. out of Los Angeles to name a few that came from a distance! Locally, we of course had the entire team from St. Pete Powersports onsite with some awesome new Triumphs, we had On The Trashy Side and Pin Up America promoting classy pin up clothing and the lifestyle as well as the rockin’ Dive Bar Stalkers who drown out the storm with some killer rock-a-billy tunes!

[Debbie Fitch, Dan and Rich from Lowside enjoying a reprieve from MD's weather]

[Ralph Miller from Rusty Knuckles and Soda Pop from Pin Up America discussing rock n' roll]

[The Dive Bar Stalkers doin' what they do]

Folks, it’s important to know that these guys all come out for you and without their financial and back-breaking support prior to and during the event, we wouldn’t have been able to create such a unique and diverse offering for everyone to enjoy. Give it up for them and the next time you need a helmet, motorcycle, some rad pin up digs for your lady friend or an awesome band look ‘em up, first. They’ll appreciate it and so will we!

[Another lovely contestant in the Miss Dime City USA Pin Up Pageant]

Shifting gears and getting closer to the ton, we would like to thank the staff of Cafe Racer TV as well as Mark and Linda Wilsmore from the Ace in London. The involvement of their brands was instrumental to the success and “air” of the event throughout the day. The crew of Cafe Racer TV truly does believe in and love cafe culture, they’re not guns for hire shooting from the hip to collect a bounty. These guys spend over half the year away from their families on the road staying in hotels living out of their suit cases to bring real quality motorcycle content to your TV screens, (and soon computers) so give it up for them. They’re the real deal and deserve some applause! Season 2 begins soon and it’s guaranteed to one hell of a ride!

[From left to right; Ed Caughlin, Producer Cafe Racer TV, Mark Wilsmore, Ace Cafe London, Alain Bernard, Santiago Choppers]

As for Mark and his fantastic wife Linda who came all the way from London, what can we say? Having them here for our event with the mini-Ace Cafe setup serving coffee, tea and beer was such a delight. Just listening to Mark talk of days gone by in London where Rockers and their vintage speed machines ruled the streets left us speechless. To be able to ride next to Mark through and around gorgeous Clearwater Beach with him at the front of the pack on a brand new Triumph Thruxton, now that was amazing! After the ride, and during the event to share in laughs and moments that will be imprinted in our memories forever, that made the days happenings EPIC.

We can only hope that as time goes on and Americans adopt cafe culture that it’s kept as close to the roots as possible and that we can continue bring a smile to Marks face. Even if it be an old joke about Johnny Kidd vs. Johnny Cash… Mark, you’re the best sir. We thank you from the bottom of our petrol burning souls!

[Mark Wilsmore leading the morning ride from Dime City out to Clearwater Beach]

Last and most definitely not least I’d like to take a quick moment to note all the awesome photographers who were on-site the day of the eventsnapping away despite the wet camera damaging rains that we started off with. Without them capturing all the images you’ve seen above and here at THIS LINK there would be no way to share and re-cap the event.

We’d like to thanks Debbie Fitch, Chuck Carroll, Doug Barber aka: Q-Ball, Vickie Smith from Ducati.net, Zane Kuhle from Preachers and Staci Hocket. All of your images were stellar! Please click this link for the “Best Of” photo gallery being hosted on our Facebook Page and click their names above for their full albums (1,000+ pics.) And, if you’re ever in need of professional photography give one of them a call, it’s how they make their livings and we know they’d appreciate the opportunity.

[Devon's awesome So Cal style v-twin bobber from Sake Bomb in St. Pete]

As for us and what we feel about the event? The feedback from the community has been fantastic and that’s all the matters. From what we gather you all loved the diverse showing of bikes and the prizes for those who entered the legit vintage bike show, having The Ace onsite was super-cool and something no one expected and everyone loved, the Miss Dime City USA Pin Up Pageant. Which would NOT have been possible without the support of St. Pete Power Sports and their gracious GM, Donny Wilson. Donny shares the vision with Dime City and we were proud to have them as the main sponsor of the Pageant.  More on that soon, Miss Dime City is getting doll’d up and heading to her first photoshoot soon and will be making an open request for vintage bikes in Tampa Bay to be part of her new calendar! Stay tuned for more details on that!

[The gorgeous ladies of the Miss Dime City USA Pin Up Pageant]

We’re glad everyone enjoyed the afternoon and evening as much as we did and we feel both honored and privileged to have hosted for such a ground breaking event. We look forward to seeing all of you again next year for another big bash…

Ride fast. Live well.

The DCC Crew

As always, our fellow ton-up brothers and sisters, the Wing’d Piston strives to bring you the coolest products from around the globe at prices that won’t break your bank! As we continue to grow our apparel offerings from not only the DCC Originals line, but brands like Rusty Knuckles and Cafe Racer we find it important to only focus on products that are top-shelf in quality and have meaning and weight as it pertains to our beloved speed machines that hail from London.

Having said that, please put your carb tuning spanners and pints of Boddingtons down for a moment and allow us the opportunity to introduce you to Stefano, the man behind CaraibiRockers Clothing, based in Italy.  He’s an appreciator of vintage speed machines, loves quality clothing and has a smile that could tame a wolf. Then again, don’t all Italians?

CaraibiRockers is a clothing brand that pays homage to the “Hero’s of Speed” that laid rubber on the brick-layden streets of Bristol back in the days when air-cooled twins ruled the North Circular road and filled the parking lot of the Ace. No fancy vector art or cliche’s will be found here folks, only high quality shirts with meaning that keep the memories of our ton-up forefathers alive. Digg it.

Having garnered the likes of guys like Horst Friedrichs, author of 21′s Century Rockers (above) and Mark Wilsmore from the Ace in London, Stefano has spared no expense in searching high and low to find the highest quality material available to weave the intricacies of the CaraibiRockers brand together. Simple things like double stitched and banded collars and fitted shoulders create a t-shirt that fits likes a glove. These aren’t you run of the mill Hanes or Gilden’s we’re used to folks, we’re talking the Ducati of tee’s here. Proper stuff! And like most things produced in Italy, they simply just have style…

So, take a few minutes and look through the tri-fecta (full line available later this year) now available from Dime City Cycles, exclusively in the USA. We guarantee you won’t find a nicer quality shirt, trust us- we’ve looked.

Click this link: http://www.dimecitycycles.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=caraibi

Originally built in 1938 as a roadside stop to cater to traffic using the new and fast North Circular Road, the building was badly damaged in World War II but was subsequently rebuilt as one of the first purpose-built roadside cafes. With its proximity to the new, fast arterial road network, and its round-the-clock hours, the Ace soon attracted young motorcyclists from all parts of London looking for a place to call their own, meet friends and talk bikes. They found it at the Ace, together with rock n’ roll.

This new generation, for whom speed and looking cool were all that was important, took it upon themselves to re-engineer their machines to be fast, agile and minimal, anything that did not make the bike go, stop or turn, was rejected. Pure fun.

Like the Ace itself, the cafe racer was destined to become an automotive icon. It came from the same creative period of British history when rock n’ roll as played at 78 rpm and leather jackets only came in black. The legacy of the café racer lives on at Ace Cafe London. Mark Wilsmore, who has been the guiding inspiration behind the Ace since 1993, has totally restored the site that was reopened in its current form in September 2001 (http://www.acecafe-london.com/). Visitors to the café today are just as likely to have traveled from as far afield at Berlin, Cape Town, Sidney, Tokyo or New York as they are from Lands End. Literally thousands of riders drop by to enjoy a cup of tea or a meal with other enthusiasts. With passion remaining constant, the talk is still about motorbikes.

For 18 years, the Ace Cafe London Reunion has been a key date on the global motorcycle calendar. Some have called it “the world’s coolest motorcycle event.” This year’s Reunion includes the classic “Brighton Burn-up” and “Ride with the Rockers.” Check out full details at: http://www.ace-cafe-london.com/Reunion.aspx.

Keeping with tradition and paying homage to the vintage speed machines that ruled the streets of London and those who rode them, Dime City Cycles is helping usher in the next generation cafe racer here in the United States by launching their grand opening event on May 14th in partnership with Ace Cafe. Mark Wilsmore himself, along with other key members of the Ace Cafe, will be present at Dime City Cycles grand opening event where a temporary Ace Cafe will be erected for the duration of the celebration and offering classic Ace Cafe beverages, snacks and memorabilia.

“It’s another royal wedding of sorts, the best of American and British motorcycle enthusiasm coming together,” said Wilsmore.  “Being at Dime City’s big event lets us share the tradition and pay homage to the vintage speed machines that ruled the streets of London, and those who rode them.  It’s going be a great time.”

In addition, Mark Wilsmore will be judging the “Classic Cafe Racer” class in the vintage ride-in bike show presenting the trophy on behalf of the Ace and everything that the marquee stands for. A commemorative Ace Cafe/Dime City Cycles t-shirt will be presented and made available to mark the beginning of this fantastic relationship and journey into the next generation of “cafe racers” being forged on the streets, in the garages…and soon to be Ace Cafe’s of North America. Beginning next year, gearheads and petrolheads on this side of the pond will have an Ace Cafe of their own. Arrangements for the first in a collection of ten authentic Ace Cafes are close to being finalized. These new Ace Cafe restaurant and motorsports gathering venues will bring all the heritage, atmosphere and enthusiasm of the original Ace, and feature the signature looks of the original along with great food, live music and daily events. Stay tuned!

Join Ace Cafe, Dime City Cycles and HD Theater’s Cafe Racer TV who will be on site filming the entire event for a memorable and historic day!

Event begins at 3PM on May 14th at Dime City Cycles facilities located at 2025 Lake Ave. SE, Largo, FL 33771. For more information visit www.dimecitycycles.com/blog. For media, partnership or sponsorship opportunities please contact jason@dimecitycycles.com

Links:

Ace Cafe London – http://www.ace-cafe-london.com

Dime City Cycles – http://www.dimecitycycles.com

Cafe Racer TV – http://www.caferacertv.com