South Bay Chopper @ LBSM

Spotted this nice South Bay Style Chopper at the swap meet last Sunday. Later, it's owner confirmed it was indeed a Fats springer.

I was sans-a-camera so Arte snapped this photo for me.

A Reader's Tale

Chris, I've been following the blog several years now. I'm now 70 and haven't ridden for decades. Had to decide between photography and bikes in the '70's, but I still have road rash from the '60's on my arms. Got popped by cars twice, but that's another story. I rode a 53 "Tin Can" we used to call them in CT from 67-69, and then rode some more in LA in the early '70's.  First I fat bobbed it, leaving the tanks and dashboard, then after the first car hit. molded the frame, peanut tank, upsweeps, etc. This 1970 in Griffith Park with my buddy Charlie on his Turnip. 

I'm now a retired professional photographer who likes to go to shows and shoot beautiful cars and bikes. -Andy Adler

The Grass is Always Greener...

...with a chopper on it.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything and even longer since it's been something from Joe Hurst.

Joe's Green Bike. I'd say this is sometime in the mid seventies. Nobody liked it cause it was green. Joe didn't care.

This is the only other photo I've seen of it. It was posted back in July 2011. Now you don't have to look it up.

More from Angel Marc

Here's some more images courtesy of Angel Marc.

Marc's Panhead build circa late '60s. It featured molding and paint by Nez along with one of the first sets of Randy Smith's Finned Dishpans.

Marc first built his '46 Knucklehead in 1973. Here's how it looked in the late '80s. Marc says it still looks pretty much the same today.

Be sure to click here to see all of Marc's great South Bay Originals stuff!

Born-Free 7 Part 6 Not Just Choppers

Here it is August and I'm still posting Born-Free 7.

While Born-Free is predominately a vintage chopper venue, there is always a good showing of vintage, racing and other styles of customs. Not to mention artistic types of various crafts hocking their wares.

This 1935 VD sports a 101 cu. in. engine along with a mix of parts from later machines. Fenders and battery box: Super-Glide. Front wheel/brake assembly: 1970 Triumph. 4-speed rachet top trans. Keihin Carb and dual WL mufflers to name a few. It all blends together rather well.

A really clean 1969 Electra-Glide with a decade later seat.

I'm always charmed by vintage stock Sportsters. This XLCH being from 1967.  I saw on Born-Free's Instagram page that it was stolen about a week later in LA.  F'ing thiefs!... are lurking among us. 

Alan Luke Vaughn's art seemed very popular with the crowd. He's been an illustrator for Easyriders for quite some time.

I had a long conversaion with artist Jack Knight (in black). You might know him from his many illustrations in Supercycle magazines in the eighties. No, that is not me in red.

Cool '56

This racy custom's size is very deceiving. The Twin-Cam's engine large size plus the oversized (26''?), wheels make it hard to tell just how HUGE this bike is in a photo. My problem with it is, it's most likely to be all show and no go with those treadless tires and antique suspension. To me that's kind of a waste of such a finely hopped-up and customized engine. 

On the other hand this tastefully done new Harley 750 custom looks like it's ready to GO!

A somewhat unusual high tech chopper-digger custom. I'm not too keen on hard-edge tanks and square fenders, but overall it's an interesting, creative, and finely built machine.

Is it just me or does the left side come off  better than the right? It could just be the kickstand-lean induced stance.

While I've never really been a fan of Arlen Ness's bikes, his Ness-tique was a bit of an exception. It might have been responsible for a trend of antique-styled Sportster based customs in the late eighties/early nineties. Some companies sold complete kits (less engine), and even offered antique-style side-cars as an option. 

Tiller Bars & Top O' the Tank.

With only a few fairly simple mods, this sport style FX comes off rather well. Other than the custom tank and fender it's mostly a bolt on affair.

Born-Free 7 -Part 5- Engine Art

Born-Free 7 Part 4 Out and About

More bikes from the general show

Chrome Frame Inspiration for Joe

Nice modern (Shovelhead), Bob Job. 

Tight Knuckle?! Sportster.

Tight Triumph.

Guys are still building Geese.

Modern take on a Goose.

Clean Machine. 

Gary Hetrick's old chopper. Except for the seat and the totally inappropriate ape hangers, it's pretty much intact as featured in Supercycle. I liked it much better as first featured in Street Chopper with a the springer, front mag, dual lights and pullbacks as seen below.

Coincidentally it was used as one of those big photos where you poke your head through for photos. Why it was made into a fictitious cover is a mystery to me. The original cover on the right was lifted from Irish Rich's blog. BTW, Street Chopper never cost 35 cents.

Born-Free 7 Part 3

Here's a collection of bikes from the show. Some of of these are from sort of a VIP corral of bikes belonging to friends of the promoters. A few of them are related to the Show Class-People's Champ venue, and a few others are from exhibitors/vendors.

Mike Davis exhibited some of his own machinery.  If you throw a bike party like this, who's going to say you can't show your own bikes?

Classic Panhead Chopper.

Classic Knucklehead Chopper.

Cool Gooseneck Flathead.

Clean Shovelhead Chop.

Looks like the S&S aircleaner shrunk in the laundry. 

You don't see many 45's at Born-Free, especially given the complete show bike treatment. This one appears to be stuffed into a vintageTriumph frame and retains the Brit's transmission.

Copper Bear?

One Crazy Engraved Knucklehead. The details are amazing.

Ryan of the Vintage Dreams blog, specialty is resurrecting vintage choppers. Lately he's scored a few of Dean Lanza's frames and bikes. How he found them is a mystery... 

...his blog can be found in the side column.

Ryan's rebuild of Dean Lanza's Quicksilver. It recieved the Mooneyes Best of Show award.

More to Come...

Born-Free 7 Invited Builders Part 2

Here's the second bunch of Invited builders bikes. 

Jason Moss brought out this Racy looking Panhead. It's competion like finish features carbon fiber rocker boxes and practically no chrome.

A very tidy Knucklehead by Matt Jackson.

Chrome frames seem to be back in style these days.

Mark Drews unusual take on using dual headlights. Unless it's a survivor it had a worn patina that may not be the best way to express this kind of show bike. A color other than black might have been a better choice for such a sculptured sixties style show bike.

On the other hand Go Takamine's Indian Chout (Chief in a Scout frame), had a faux aged paint job that worked because of it's old racer styling.

Since they have a dull finish the modern snow flake wheels seem to work. Some might say the rear disc brake doesn't fit in with the rest of the bike.

Mick Evangelista's specialty is early seventies style long choppers.

Oliver Jones high tech race inspired generator/alternator shovel. It's so much of a custom hybred there's hardly any thing shovelhead left of it.

Another high tech race inspired chopper by Church of Chopper's Jeff Wright. This time using a Kawasaki KZ 900. It was one of only two Japanese bikes in the Invited Builders Corral.

Nick Zazzi's Shovelhead. While it likely envolved as much work as many of the other bikes, it's somewhat conservative styling probably made it less of a stand out to many spectators.  Except on a Cobra Trike I can't say I've ever seen a fat tire sixteen inch brakeless wheel combo up front.

It appears that Paul Cox's knucklehead was not finished. I'd say he learned more of what the Born-Free crowd likes from last year's experience.

Another Knucklehead. This time by Shawn Long

Uwe Ehinger's Speedway inspired Flathead/Knucklehead hybred. While I'm not into high tech/vintage combinations, I can appreciate the engineering and craftsmanship.

Trevelen Rabanel of SuperCo just descrides his machine as a custom motorcycle. You can decide for yourself what to call it.

That's all of the Invited Builders bikes but for one. I didn't get a photo of Roland Sands 2-stroke Yamaha Racer. Although it was very trick, I don't think it fit that well into this type of show.

More of the show to come...