Born Free 10 Photo Recap
Motorcycle sensory overload. There were too many motorcycles there to appreciate all of them, but here are a few that really stood out.
Another year and another Born Free down. This year marked the 10th annual Born Free show, a custom motorcycle event that started out as a chopper house party in Signal Hill, CA in 2008, that evolved into a block party, and then eventually one of, if not the biggest custom chopper and motorcycle shows in the world, and somehow they pack it all into two days. Shows like Sturgis and Daytona are obviously huge events too, but they’re a week long and more so a rally, plus they don’t place the focus on small-time DIY-type builders of vintage bikes like Born Free does.
This was my fifth Born Free, and it’s been cool to see it grow and evolve over the years. The level of fabrication and the bikes people build in their own garages is unreal, and to see so many of them in one place is unimaginable. Everywhere you turn, there’s something to be seen, and you’re continually surprised by how some of these bikes even exist. The fact that someone thought up an idea so crazy or so far outside the box and actually followed through on it – in such epic fashion, no less – really makes me happy. This also reminds me of how pathetic my “fabrication” skills are in comparison. Most of these builders, especially the invited builders, are craftsmen of the highest caliber.
This year, unlike like years past, wasn’t as hot, fortunately, but there was still no cell phone reception, almost no shade and all I got was a sunburn, a hangover, some badass memories, and a bunch of photos. I also got to ride and display the ’78 Shovel I’ve been working on, so that was pretty cool, too. I wouldn’t change a thing, except for maybe the hangover part…
Below is a photo recap of some of the neat/wild/crazy/beautiful/painful/impressive things seen at Born Free 10. You can click on any photo to really blow it up.
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Victory Project 156 Pikes Peak bike: "and that’s a Ducati 899 Panigale rear Ohlins shock". 899s come with Showa. 1199s come with Ohlins.
Can remember reading, decades ago, of a famous Japanese American race engineer, maybe Yoshimura, being drug away from the racing to one of Daytona's Bike Week topless old lady/hairy huge belly chopperfests and nearly puking in disgust. "The guys on the track are spending all kinds of money and doing everything they can to improve the state of the art, and these people here don't even know what the art is."