The Legend of Big Daddy Rat and the Greatest Bike Show On Earth! (continued)

Interviews with Jack DeAgizo, Chief Judge and Tiger Bartz, Participating Judge of The Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show.

Over the years The Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show has become the most prestigious bike event in the world and has been the stage for several of Speed and Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off and chopper craze shows. It has become the stepping stone that every recognized bike builder has to pass in order to achieve status. It is a groundbreaking and strategic venue — the judging consists of a tightly run system that is technical but fair.

Biker Profile Magazine’s The Legend of Big Daddy Rat and the Greatest Bike Show on Earth (May 2008) is continued here. Tony Massaro’s right-hand-man Jack DeAgizo, and participating judge Tiger Bartz, also known as the Bell Boy From Hell, gave us their perspective on the show and the high pressure job of judging million dollar machines.

Tara: Did you know Karl Smith?

Jack: Yes.

Tiger: He was a colorful character, he reminded me of my father.

Tara: How long have you guys been a part of The Rat’s Hole International Judging Team?

Jack: Hold on, I have to count the pieces of cheese on my sleeve…twelve years now.

Tiger: I’ve been judging the show for eleven years.

Tara: So what does it take to be a judge at The Rat’s Hole?

Jack: You have to know bikes. You’ve got to have an eye for what a builder has created, you’ve got to differentiate between true custom and shelf bought bikes. If a guy is running no chain or belt, or an open wheel with no axle, you’ve got to be able to identify how that bike is running and what level of fabrication it took to achieve such a thing. My specialty is the radical and super radical classes.

Tiger: I have experience building and entering my own bikes into shows, I’m a machinist by trade and my own mechanic. I have won numerous bike shows over the past thirty-five years and radical bikes are my specialty. All of the judges specialize in the class they judge—that’s why I judge the radical and super radical classes. The job is very intense. We judge bikes not people, and sometimes the builders try to sway us.

Tara: What are the top three points when judging a bike at The Rat’s Hole?

Jack: We look at fabrication, engineering, and originality.

Tara: Is the day of the show the first time you actually get to see the bikes you’re going to judge?

Jack: There is no prescreening for The Rat’s Hole, but between the magazines and other bike shows, we see some of the bikes previous to judging them.

Tara: All of the bikes must run the day of the show in order to enter, correct?

Tiger: Absolutely! I’ve made some of the old guys start their antiques. The show bikes are not jewelry, they do in fact run.

Tara: What are some of the basic points you’re looking for when judging the bikes by class?

Tiger: Flaws and class correctness. It is all based off of the patented Rat’s Hole scoring system.

Tara: There are so many extreme modifications done on custom bikes today and every bike is so different, how do you keep up with rating these modifications?
Jack: Every year is a new experience. The way the judging and point system functions at The Rat’s Hole enables us to comply with anything. We have created a standard way to deal with all types of workmanship. It gets pretty intense judging the super radical class. Some builders have spent in the utmost of $70,000 on their bike and they’ve got a lot on the line—so we have to give 110%. I’ve had several people comment that we’ve got the hardest, but fairest bike show around. Because of the check and balance system of the judging, the judges never actually know who is going to win, so there is no favoritism.

Tara: What do you think Karl Smith’s reaction would be to the bike show today? Do you think he would be satisfied with the results?

Jack: Yes, absolutely satisfied! Ted and Pam have done an excellent job with this thing.

Tiger: The Rat’s Hole has become the most prestigious show out there and is world renowned, so I would have to say yes too!

WANT MORE CHEESE?

Available Now! Read the Hole Story on The Legend of Big Daddy Rat and the Greatest Bike Show on Earth in the May 2008 issue of Biker Profile Magazine.

The Rat’s Hole has several up and coming events this year. June 13–15, 2008 The Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show will be held at Starke Bikefest, in Starke, Florida. July 16–18, 2008 The Rat’s Hole will host their first show at Bike Time, in Muskegon, Michigan and this year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show in Sturgis Bike Week, located at Thunder Road. For more information on how to enter your bike at any of these events visit RatsHole.com. This website also has a great archive of photographs worth checking out and a really cool store full of original Big Daddy Rat memorabilia.

www.ratshole.com