Downtown Peoria Is noisier than usual. The sound of engines revving is coming from thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts.

Two-thousand bikes rocked the decibel level on Main Street Saturday morning. Most are here for Sunday's Grand National TT Race. Some are competing for their own trophy in the Custom Motorcycle Show.

"My bike is an '09 custom that we built there at the house," said Kenny Watts of Ottawa. "I had my buddy pant it for me. We had a little bit of imagination and this is what I ended up with."

Thomas Driggers has twin fuel tanks on his bike.

"I can't go very far though because its got a lot of power and it uses a lot of gas. It's a motorcycle that's a gas guzzler."

Mike Munoz spent 22 years in the Marines. His bike is a tribute to that service.

"The foot pegs are actually knives that the military used to use. I just cut a couple in half and welded them on. It was kind of hard cutting them in half. I didn't want to do that, but I had to."

So many of the machines at the bike show are one of a kind. They really show off the personality of the owner. But that just makes it harder for the judges to pick a winner.

"We look at the engine, the paint, the chrome, the authenticity," said John Weisehan, one of the judges. "Those are the 4 or 5 different things we really look at and it goes on a point system. My job is going to be tough."

"It's amazing the amount of money people put into their motorcycles," said Danielle Purcell, a spectator at the bike show. "People take such good care of them and show so much pride in what they own. It's nice to see."

"There's something about motorcycles," said Michael Marriott. "They represent freedom –freedom to be out in the open. A lot of people like convertibles, they put the top down and the wind is blowing. To be able to go out and just ride, it's a freedom thing."

Their bikes are a personal statement. And the noise is music to their ears.