Ralph Wayne’s Vintage Motorcycles Backyard Nationals (19th annual)

Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 1—“If I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand.” Trite cliché, yes, but over the years it just begins to draw you in. There is no easy way to explain Ralph Wayne’s Vintage Motorcycles Backyard Nationals unless you experience it for yourself. Then revisit Ralph’s Backyard for a few years and see how it evolves for you, and then try to explain it to someone who has never been there. Each year you mark it on your calendar sooner—and on the day of the event, you arrive at the backyard earlier and stay later.

This is simply a backyard biker gathering that has managed to grow over the years through the selfless involvement of a core group of enthusiasts that brings together the greatest number of motorcycle devotees, friends, acquaintances and occasional strangers to the best backyard party in the entire Kansas City region. This year exceeded, by far, all expectations for the number of people and motorcycles that would visit Ralph’s backyard during the course of the incredibly enjoyable, one-day party.

Clear blue skies provided the canopy for the expansive red and white tent that covered the premium parking for about 40 beautiful vintage bikes in Ralph’s backyard. Armfield Tent Rental has provided the tent for free for all 19 of the backyard parties. Thirty more vintage motorcycles were ridden into the backyard and parked beside the tent, and another 15 or so were along the street next to it. However, no matter what you rode, you were welcome in Ralph’s backyard.

“Kind of overpowering!” Ralph Wayne Blackmore exclaimed at 10:00 Saturday morning when there were already more than a thousand motorcycles parked along eight streets surrounding his corner lot at East 100th Street and Tullis Avenue in Kansas City. So do they come for the bikes, or the people, or the party, or the whole enchilada? It’s gotta be the entire experience—an incredible variety of bikes, an amazingly diverse gathering of people, free food, free beer and the commemorative T-shirts provided by T-Shirt John. Also, the coveted first place blue ribbons are presented to any bike more than 25 years old, until the ribbon supply is exhausted.

Here is just a very small sampling of the people and the bikes you would have experienced in Ralph’s Backyard this year: Dean Holter, son of Fred, co-founder of the Ralph Wayne Nationals, rode his finely-restored ’69 Triumph Bonneville and parked it under the tent. Wally LaFond brought his award-winning 1973 BMW R75/5. Kenny Howard, a perennial fixture under the tent in Ralph’s Backyard, came over on a beautiful ’72 Norton 750 Commando Roadster. Harry Enyard showed off his exquisite ’55 Norton ES2. John Stouffer rode a hundred miles on his ’48 HRD/Vincent to get to the backyard again this year. Mike Vick, from Kansas City, rode his stunning ’75 Kawasaki Mach III.

Jim and Joan Vandergriff brought a ’52 G9 Matchless and a ’75 850 Custom Norton, both strikingly restored, from their farm in Kansas. Elvy Burrus rode his ’73 Yamaha 125 AT3 from Odessa, Missouri, and Stacy Berry accompanied him on a ’74 Suzuki TS50. Paul O’Riley rode his original condition ’76 AMF-built Harley-Davidson FLH Electra Glide Liberator. Bill Venable came in with his wonderful ’52 BMW R68 ISDT.

Harley Depue and Harley, his 10-year-old, three-legged Beagle-mix riding partner, rode in on a well-traveled ’76 Honda Gold Wing Limited. John Stansbury brought over a 1914 Shaw and a 1916 Dayton Motor Wheel, the oldest vintages displayed this year. Sam Dakin of Louisburg, Kansas, brought his record-holding ’87 Sportster-powered Salt Flats racer from the recent World of Speed meet and Kansas City, Kansas motorcycle officer Chuck Householder rode his black ’46 Harley EL to his first Ralph Wayne’s Vintage Motorcycles Backyard Nationals. “It’s fantastic! I’ll be back!” he exclaimed.

Kate met Paul West at Ralph’s two years ago and they have been together every day since then. They got married this past July, and rode their matching custom-painted Electra Glides to this year’s backyard bash. Seventy-five-year-old Carl Green has been riding since 1953 and has accumulated more than 500,000 miles on two wheels. He has been coming to Ralph’s for the past 10 years and rode his Sportster in from Appleton, Missouri.

Captain Joe, Buzz, Toons, Paula, Kathi, Gary, Debbie, Vicki, Connie, Wally, Bev, Mudball, Bill, Ashley, Ron, Kerby, Greg, Phil, Marty and countless others running around in green staff shirts helped cook and serve 3,000 hot dogs, 100 pounds of Captain Joe’s special beans, 60 pounds of potato salad, 60 pounds of coleslaw and 30 pounds of macaroni salad to the hungry hordes that passed through Ralph’s backyard during the gorgeous first Saturday of October. Connie Wieseler and Gary Monnig II brought in 130 flavored Jell-O shots that were offered at the end of the food line for donations toward next year’s 20th annual Ralph Wayne’s Vintage Motorcycles Backyard Nationals. Twenty-eight kegs of beer were drained from the beer trailer before sunset, while individual donations were gladly accepted to help cover the costs of the event.

A core group of Ralph Wayne partiers hung around until after dark and drank a toast of very old Scotch to the memory of long-time friend Dean Kromer, who had passed away the month before. The lasting friendships formed at this celebration transcend age, gender or cycle preference. Another successful Ralph Wayne’s Backyard Nationals will be remembered.

Notes of the events following into the wee hours of the morning become more difficult to decipher, so you will have to attend Ralph Wayne’s Vintage Motorcycles Backyard Nationals to collect your own backyard experiences to share with your friends and acquaintances. It’s the first Saturday of October, 2012. Be there!