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By Charlie Lessard
For the past few years I’ve been
hearing much talk about a little
bike show out in the Sunshine
State of which the primary focus
was to go back to the “roots”
of custom bike building as a
whole. The concept was first
developed by a couple of buddies who were tired of going to
bike shows that were asking an
exaggerated amount of cash
as an entry fee and that didn’t
deliver much in the form of
unique handcrafted custom
Revolution Motorcycle Magazine
machines. They were fed up with
the same ‘ol – same ‘ol billet
barges
and
manufacturers
that came to the motorcycle
playing field just to make a
quick buck. They decided it
was time to resurrect the type
of bike show that echoed the
beginnings of a treasured
lifestyle, a bike show with an
essence that can only be found
in books and magazines (and of
course films) from the 1960’s
and 70’s. June 25th of this year
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marked the third annual edition of the Born Free Show – kick
started by Mike Davis and Grant Peterson – that was presented
at the Oak Canyon Ranch in Silverado, California not far from
Lake Irvine.
As we walked away from my rental car that I left in a huge dusty
and densely filled parking lot, I couldn’t help but feel excited
about the day. As early as it was that Saturday morning the
grounds were already buzzing with an enormous amount of
people. Some came from faraway places such as Australia,
Europe and Japan. As for the bikes – oh yes, the incredible bikes!
– they didn’t for a second leave me oblivious to the amount of
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work and craftsmanship involved in their
creation. I was in heaven! These were definitely custom bikes with styles deeply linked
to the birthplace of the chopper. A light
frame, a set of chromed wheels, a peanut
gas tank, handlebars that reached the sky,
a polished fire breathing motor and an eye
popping paint job. Yes, they were PURE
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CUSTOM
BIKES!
These bikes weren’t
built on an assembly
line;
these
bikes
were built with blood,
sweat, tears and beers
by working men and
women who take pride
in their machines (the
way it’s supposed to
be)! At this show you
can admire the type
of motorcycles that
bring out the creativity
and ingenuity in their
owners, not to mention the brotherhood
and camaraderie that
help make them all
come together. These
machines were more
focused on uniqueness than on big price
tags.
The vendor area was filled to capacity
with folks that specialized in everything
from ape-hangers to Zippo lighters and
some that I had never seen before at
a bike show, notably a barber who also
sold slick hair products (thought they
were all very cool!). Vans “Off the Wall”
was the main sponsor of the show
and the people that ran the company’s
booth were very accommodating. They
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gave away a lot of free stuff. A stage was set up
for the ass-kicking band and the presentation
of the bike show winner’s trophies. One lucky
raffle ticket holder (from Las Vegas) went home
with a beautifully built 1946 Knucklehead
Harley – he was one happy dude! I also had the opportunity to shake
hands with a few of our “Revolution” friends. Chica, Gilby Clarke,
Michael Lichter and Kirk Taylor were all present on this great day.
In the end my daughter Chloé and I had a memorable time. This
event was shared by thousands of people who enjoy creative
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freedom. The day was
filled with the sights
and sounds of vintage
(and no so vintage) motorcycles that brought
out the enthusiasm in
all of us. I can’t wait for
the 2012 edition of the
Born Free Show.
Did I mention that
the entry fee is zero
dollars? It’s free man!
Revolution Motorcycle Magazine