KINGMAN, ARIZ., APR. 27—As the Laughlin River Run was well underway Friday night and Saturday morning, a spring storm of cold rain, thunder, hail and winds had engulfed the area and was bearing down on Kingman, Arizona. Kelly’s Bodacious Biker Palooza, in a style consistent with the dedicated, persistent and honorable character of its hosts Thomas “Kelly” Kelly and Deb Frain, emerged victorious from the storm and the Palooza continued on as planned at Performance Specialists, situated just off Historic Route 66 on the outskirts of Kingman.
For the past six years Kelly and Deb have hosted their customers, friends and guests to a day full of outrageous fun and entertainment during the Laughlin River Run, and this year’s event at Performance Specialists was no different. Highlights of this Biker Palooza included classic rock from the local 5th Gear band, and a fantastic bike show that awarded Best in Show to Indian Mike’s 2014 Indian Chieftain. Mike got a trophy and $250 cash, and graciously gave back some of his winnings to the event charity, Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
Also included in the madness were some of the crazy and wild traditions like the 100-foot drop of not one, but two, metric bikes from a crane to the ground before everyone got the opportunity to smash the bikes with sledgehammers. You would have thought some of these bike smashers had a grudge against the metric bikes as there were parts and pieces of fiberglass, metal and plastic everywhere. 5th Gear drummer Kevin Wadley won the Bike Smasher trophy that day. Then there was the double burnout contest between Performance Specialists owner Kelly and shop worker Jesse, who took the win with his blown-out tire.
Run for the Wall riders served up a great barbecue, raising money for their cause to help any riders in need that would be coming through Kingman the following month on their annual Run for the Wall to Washington, D.C.
With an amazing style of professionalism, Kelly and his crew jumped in and worked on the bikes that came in that day from out-of-town bikers whose bikes needed immediate attention. It was impressive to watch the crew at work doing what they do best. They got those bikers back on the road without skipping a beat, keeping the party going all day.
Kelly’s is a family-owned business that is incredibly down to earth, hospitable, hard working and honest. Their work ethic is beyond reproach, and yet they still have all the skills and expertise of the big boys. Performance Specialists is celebrating its 45th year in operation and has all the necessary equipment to provide high-end, specialized repair services and customization needs for Harley-Davidsons, Victorys and other American V-twin motorcycles, as well as a full-service machine shop, Dynojet and a mail-order service to rebuild your motor and transmissions. And if that isn’t enough, they put on monthly classes at the shop in motorcycle repair and Dynojet training for aspiring mechanics that come from around the country. Even the big boys will find it hard to compete with that. Plus, the Kellys know how to throw one hell of a party! So next time you are traveling through Kingman, stop in and say hello to the Kellys.
