The muffled sound of a V-twin motorcycle drifted between the endless rows of parked cars that filled the parking lot at Cleveland’s IX Center, home of the Advanstar IMS show. It was the only two-wheeler to be seen outside of the IX Center, where the morning temperature struggled to climb out of the mid-teens.

The interior of the IX Center was a completely different climate, one that is often referred to as “springtime in January.” Each year thousands of enthusiasts flow through the doors to enjoy the bright lights, shiny paint jobs and glittering chrome. The Cleveland show signals to winter-bound riders that the spring riding season will soon be within reach.

This year’s IMS Show featured the Ohio Motorcyclists for Children (OMC) raffle bike and a booth to promote the upcoming ROLL ON COLUMBUS event. A big thanks goes out to the Advanstar staff and management who went out of their way to make it possible for OMC to be present at the Cleveland motorcycle show.

The OMC booth had a prime location facing the main entrance corridor, allowing the OMC team to reach out to large numbers of event patrons. And the beautiful Beckner custom raffle bike centered in the exhibit drew big crowds throughout the weekend. Folks were lined up four and five deep to purchase a chance to win all 113 fabulous cubic inches of two-wheeled attitude.

Keith Bennett, an enthusiast from Toledo, Ohio, explained that “The Beckner bike is great because it is not overdone like so many custom bikes.”

Darren Baldwin, from Dallas, Texas added that “This bike has the exact kind of paint job I’d like to have on the custom bike I’ve been building.”

Four-year-old John Maddox from New Castle, Pennsylvania tightly grasped his father, Chad’s hand as the two of them got close enough to the bike so that young John could clearly see the reflection of his smile in its chrome air cleaner cover.

Andrew Sheets and his buddy, Josh Radcliff drove up from Columbus to see the bike after reading about it on the Ohio Rider’s club website. “I’m buying my ticket right now,” said Radcliff, who indicated that he and Sheets had the Ride On Columbus date of May 22nd circled on their calendars.

The Golaboff family, a foursome from nearby Parma, Ohio, each bought raffle tickets, improving their collective chance of bringing home the custom machine.

Hour after hour, all weekend long, the Ohio Motorcyclists for Children exhibit attracted groups of riders who slowly circled the raffle bike and then just stopped and stared. Countless enthusiasts snapped photos of the bike from various angles, while others folks crouched down to get a better look at some of the finer detail work in the fully chromed engine bay.

The only negative comment came from one rider who took issue with the word “Ohio” tooled into the hand-made leather seat. Being a Michigan Wolverine fan, he said he’d simply have the seat re-done if he won the bike.

The OMC raffle bike will next be putting in an appearance at the Easy Rider Show Feb 12-14 to be held at the Columbus Convention Center.