Best Get a Grip on It
So how did their gig go? Well, a modest 200 bikes harkened to the first call, but the following year and Born Free 2 things ramped up. The second event drew some 2000 bikes, while Born Free Three, which had a nice ring to it, saw that number doubled, some 10,000 people riding in from all over the U.S. and as far as Canada. Jump to 2013 and the number of fans had swollen to 25,000.
Emcee Grant to Get this Show Started
Each year the show organizers focused on inviting the best new talented builders to showcase their work. And they came…. from all the U.S., Japan, Europe, Canada, South America, the Philippines and Thailand.
Arlen Ness Being Cool and Signing a Guy’s Bike Part. He’s still very cool after all these years.
To sum it up it was truly a sea to shining sea of chrome and paint, both outside and inside the venue. Within an hour, you were elbow to elbow with swells of people moving about the bikes on display, the band stands, the high flying skate board ramp, the food and vendor booths.
With that in mind I went about my usual reconnaissance patrol picking out Paul Picks and Pix, so let the photos tell the story. Bottom line, Born Free is truly a rally and show on a national scale, so if you can, get yourself to next year’s event, the 10th Anniversary. It should be a mind bender.
Best Triumph Street Tracker on its Way to the Event
Best Hi and Lo bike buddies rolling into the show
Best Red Flames/Red Haired Rider
Best Victory Sign on a Harley (and sorry to hear about Victory Motorcycles going under)
Best Sea to Shining Sea of Bikes
Best Please Let Me Win a New Harley Lowrider
Best Forest of Springers
Best Spun Aluminum ’52 Panhead (Cristian Sosa)
Cristian and brother Roberto run Sosa Metal Works in Las Vegas-based Sosa Metal Works, specialists in custom metal fab and custom bikes and cars.
Best Even More Bare Metal Bike All the Way from Australia– Matt Machine & Brado Miller (93 cu. in. S&S Knucklehead)
Best Harley Sportster Knobby Wheeled Dual Purpose Hot Rod Not Even in the Competition – Project ‘Cobalt Storm’ from Samuel Kao of JSK Moto Co.
Best Fat Tired, Lonnnngggg Front End Trike
Best Factory H-D Trikester Couple – Scott and Rhonda Roberts
Best Size 500 Triumph Powered Shoester (Left Foot)
both created by Bryan Thompson of Thompson Cycles ( Arroyo Grande, CA)
Best Now Where Did I Leave My Bike After Three Beers
Best Long Distance Couple – Pete and Jen – ’97 Yamaha Royal Star – 2800 miles cross-country in 51 hours.
Best Bridge Over Untroubled Waters
Best Use of Wooden Crates (Power Plant MC Co. /Hollywood, CA)
Best Girl Got Tats (Not a Misspelling)
Best Win This Rolling Chassis on Sunday from Paughco
Best Elbow Resting Pose with Scary Rabbit Skeleton Art
Best Long in the Wind OG Chopper
Best Chromed Bike Couple – Miles and Yasmin (Khrome King/Fullerton)
Best the Hills have Eyes but no Cell Phone Reception
Best There’s a Reason it’s Called Redbeard Leather
Best Thinking Over a Future Bike Choice
Best First-Time Builder’s K Motored bike with More on the Way – Harden Metal of Blue Lake, CA
Best Not to Touch Me with Your Bare Fingers Copper Chopper
Best Exotic Ladies Keeping in Step
Best I Hope It Ate Before Coming to the Show
Best Gravity Defying Girl Skateboarder
Best the T-Shirts Says It All Born Free Couple
Best Don’t Slip on it “Banana’ Custom from Sacred Steel