Born-Free 3 Art

It's Official

Today, Mike and Grant announced the use of my art for the Born-Free 3 show flyers and ad promotions.

I submitted a few versions as the contest went on. After they picked it, I worked with them on recoloring it. I then re-worked it in higher resolution for printing etc.

It's an honor and I am more than happy to lend a hand to their amazing effort to put on what is becoming the best chopper show in the USA.

For more show info and updates, click this: Born-Free 3

I'm thinking about doing a post on the complete process. From the roughest sketch, to the color choices, influences, and final completion.

The El Camino Conundrum

El Camino can be a hard show to completely take in. The show opens at 8 a.m. and is basically over by noon. Yes trophies are announced around 2 p.m., but pretty much everybody else has split. Not a lot of time to fit it all in, especially when you get there around 9:00.

You don't really see things if your busy looking through a camera, so sometimes it 's best to put the camera down and just take in the experience.

Here's the drill. If I'm taking pictures, I'm really not checking out the show bikes. If I'm really checking out the bikes, I'm not taking pictures, or looking for parts. If I'm looking at parts, I don't have time for the first two activities. Then throw into the mix, running into friends every 10-15 minutes or talking with someone who is admiring the same bike you happen to be standing by. The day will race by, and later I'll think, what happened?

So here's my (limited) highlights of what happened.

A well restored early Sportster will always dazzle me. This '61 belongs to Glenn Bator. It started with 3 kicks and sounded real sweet. The overcast skies don't bring out the color quite as good as it really looked.


I didn't get a chance to read the board behind this bike.


The owner of this Super-Glide really wanted to sell it. It has a few incorrect items but is still very nice.


This black VL is refreshing.


Lowrider anyone?


It's nice to see old grubby bikes are still surfacing.


This was the first time I saw Keith Ball's Peashooter.


That tank art looks familiar? The fire extinguisher is actually an oil tank.


Original paint Sprint.


Police bikes shouldn't have whitewalls and look so much better without them.


Some probably hate the green. I like it much more than the typical red Injuns.


Can't go wrong with black.


These might be the best tank emblems HD ever offered.


Didn't see many vintage chops this year.

This sums up how this year went. I didn't take many photos, didn't really see all or check the bikes out that well, bought only one part, talked with several friends and a few other enthusiast.

Still a good time overall.

La Mirada, La Habra, El Camino?

The 35th Annual El Camino Antique Motorcycle Show is this coming Saturday. In some ways that statement isn't true. I don't know how many regular attendees know it, but it wasn't always at El Camino College in Torrance.

I first heard about the show in the Feb. '83 issue of Supercycle magazine (first one I bought), when they did a feature on the '82 show. It seems they usually had the show in La Mirada in those days. The first one I went to was in '84, but was held close by in La Habra. The following year it was again in La Mirada. La Habra, La Mirada... whats the difference?

They used to make some pretty cool posters each year. This one from 82 was printed in the Feb. '83 Supercycle. Check the credits for technical assistance. I have a couple of nice posters from some later years.

Any way, it moved to El Camino in 1986 and has pretty much been there ever since. One year it didn't happen as there wasn't a promoter to pick it up (I don't know the politics or how or if the So. Ca. Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America works with the promoters these days). It also, sort of got rained out one year (2007).

I do know that Glen Bator kept it going for quite awhile. At one time he was putting on the Del Mar show too, which was some years, only a week apart.


I forgot that '84 was my first year until I dug out this old shirt. Notice it was a two day event. The show bikes were invited to a ride. I only have a few other year's shirts. Most year's designs weren't to my liking.

In those days, it was like Antique M/C Season here in So Cal. Sometimes El Camino was on Saturday, and Sunday was the Long Beach Swap Meet. Other times they were a week apart. Some years all three events were in a week's span.

Two years ago Glen announced at the show, he's moving on and not doing it anymore and the show was going to die if someone didn't step in. It was strange as it had the largest attendance ever. It didn't seem right, everyone was in disbelief and disappointed.

When the current promoter (Classic Cycle Events), took over last year, he stated he's keeping the traditional date in Sept. but up until a few years back it was always on the first Saturday in Oct. Then it crept up to the last Saturday in Sept. Now it's in the middle of the month. So much for tradition.



The old shows were quite different for better or worse. The better, it was a free event held in a shopping center's parking lot and more like a field event with riding games/contests. The worse, the bikes were roped off from spectators. It was still that style of show the first few years at El Camino where they also first began charging admission ($3.00), in '86.

I've never missed a year yet, and don't intend to miss this one.

LA Calendar Show Follow Up Report

Keith Ball of Bikernet.com took over a whole corner of vendor space near the entrance and invited a motley crew of individuals (myself included), to hang out and display their goods.

The shows attendance and participation was far less than prior years. Several factors may have been at work. Is it the economy, the $25 at the gate plus (I heard), the Queen Mary hotel charged $12 for day parking, or that the Mooneyes show and a charity ride were two other events on the same day?

I really couldn't roam and take pictures as I had to monitor my art sales but did get out once later in the day.

Keith brought out three bikes. His Assalt Weapan was right up front and gathered a lot of positive attention. One of those who checked it out was Chip Foose. As Ed Grimly would say: "He seemed to be a decent enough guy... I must say". I had a hand in the Assalt Weapan's preliminary design... but that's a story for another time.


I was hocking some prints and a few originals. Some of these are available in my Gallery/Store or by contacting me. You can always show your support for this blog with a purchase.


This was the first time I saw Keith's 1915 Five Ball Factory Racer since it's completion. Behind the bike, (more Bikernet friends), Jim Murillo (custom paint), and Yvonne Meciallis (airbrush artist), shared a booth.

My concept art for comparison.


Custom Cycle Engineering had this Pan showing off parts. Sorry about the poor photo quality but it was one of the few bikes closer to my tastes.


One crazy engraved lowrider bagger. Maybe it's because I live in a cave, but I've never seen a Twin Cam with these old style bolt down cylinders.


These ladies were enjoying the bling of this hot rodded bagger and the blue one above. I heard one say something like, "if I won the lottery"....


Reminiscent of The Terminator. Now I'm not a fan of modern choppers and especially theme bikes, but the jury is out on this one. My first thought was it's dumb, then I thought it's bitchen, then dumb, and so on. I would surely like it if I was still a kid. Probably scares the hell out of old ladies.


This unique trike won 1st place in the pro build class. The 45 magnum is a fairly rare engine to see. It was bit late in the day, but you can see it was pretty vacant of bikes and people compared to other years.


I mostly like the old school elements of the frame engine and running gear.


Best of show went to another unique bike. Sort of looks like an airplane landed on top of a bicycle or maybe something on the cover of an old Popular Mechanics. The exhaust go up the frame's seat post tube and out the grill in the tail piece.


Of course these kinds of shenanigans were going on all day.


Earl of Cycle Art by Earl (San Pedro), saddles up at the end of the day. He was one of the guys hanging with the Bikernet crew. I've bumped into him over the years, but this was the first time I really talked with him. He's a nice guy and builds some nice bikes and parts. Look him up for your custom Triumph & BSA needs. (310) 218-2979 0r earlsbike.net

Are the glory days of this show kaput? It appeared there were large gaps in most of the classes with only 3 or 4 bikes in each. It made me wonder if they will do it again next year. To make matters worse, I 'm guessing some of this years vendors and builders may not come back if they do.

LA Calendar Show

If all goes according to plan, I'll be at the Bikernet.com booth on Sunday. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Venice Vintage MC Show

On Sunday I cruised on up to Venice to check out the show. I got there late (around 2 p.m.), it was probably peaking as I could hardly make my way through the crowded street.

The group was really mixed. There were Honda's, Indians, Harleys, Beemers, and British bikes, though not as many nice Brits as I would have expected. Since it was filtering out fairly fast, things could have been different earlier.


This old Scout was an attention getter.


Rust never sleeps.


Memory says 1910


Definitely not vintage. An amazing example of what you can build and still legally register as a motorcycle. It follows the theme of Roth's original V-8 trike intentions, build a Dragster for the street.


A few of the judged entries.


A flashy '72.


Hardcore. Bikes tend to say something about their owners.


A group from the Garage Co.


Another nice Scout.


This kid's face says it all!

BF2 Part 1.3 Born-O-Rama

I don't know if your tired of seeing stuff from Born-Free 2, but here's the staff's point of view.

A Few From Pops Day

You can' tell from this photo, but there seemed to be more people than usual.


This KR was one of the highlights of the event to me.



Original Bikes Rock. In this case, a 1969 XLCH


There's no white wall on choppers!


I believe I overhead the kid with the family that owns this trike say it was a '38. I didn't see anything '38 about it. The tanks are '47- 50, and the engine was stamped '59. The rear box may have been the smaller early one.


It's nice to see old relics (27 Henderson 4), being ridden, but watching him almost lose it getting into traffic was scary. He popped the clutch, got squirrely, and ended up on the wrong side of the road. He recovered quickly and was really lucky that nobody was in the lane at that moment.


Garage Co. bikes. Nice stance. This shovels swinging fender, frame and springer combo reminds me of Roth's Oink.

Leave it to me to only photograph American bikes at a British shop. The truth is, I was disappointed at the turn out of Brit bikes this year. Maybe it was my timing.