The Born Free Motorcycle Show is one of the best chopper jamborees around. It always gets the coolest and craziest choppers to attend and show off. DicE Magazine covered the show and produced a “Coffee Table” picture book all about the bikes at the show.
At 300 pages of the coolest motorcycles, choppers, bobbers, racing and culture pictures the book is fun to flip through. The creativity of some of the builders is hard to believe.
This book will grace my coffee table for quite a while.
Not sure what was going on in 2019 but there were not a lot of selections for the “best of” motorcycle tank art. As always, these tanks might be from a time much earlier than 2019 but that is when I first saw them.
This year there was no cut down, I ended up with 9 and this is those 9 best motorcycle tanks for 2019. I wish I could attribute the artist (and photographer) who made these crazy works of art. If you know who created these rolling motorcycle art pieces, formally called a tank, please let me know so I can properly label them.
Which one do you like the best?
A few years ago, I started to “collect” motorcycle themed posters/print, a few are even in real life. This year I added 21 individual motorcycle prints/posters to my collection.
With that said I award, with nothing but that fine badge and a mention on this blog, the top 9 motorcycle posters of 2019! I wish they all had the artist information on them so we could recognize their talent.
If you see some cool motorcycle posters while you are cruising about in real life or cruising the interwebs, send me a link and they might make next year’s list!
I just stumble upon these weird and wonderful motorcycles as I fool around on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit. But this year there were fewer than in the past, only had 12 to cut down to 9.
Those 3 motorcycles that did not make the cut just might show up on our IJUSTWAN2RIDE Facebook page.
So without further ado I present the 9 Weird Motorcycles for 2019! Which one is your favorite?
A feature length documentary released in 2019 covering the “contemporary motorcycle culture”. The film attempts, and I think accomplishes, to show how individualism is embedded into our culture. “This is not a film about motorcycles, its about motorcycle people.”
This was a very ambitious undertaking. According to their website they interviewed nearly 300 custom motorcycle builders, riders, racers, artists, etc. from the US, Japan, Europe, Australia, and Africa. They also talked with representatives from Harley Davidson, BMW, Yamaha, Ducati and Royal Enfield. ON TOP of all that how about attending events at the Bike Shed in London and Paris, The Trip Out, The Brooklyn Invitational, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, Dirt Quake, Snow Quake, Mama Tried, and Mooneyes among many others.
So, with all that, is this motorcycle film any good, is it worth your time? Yes and yes. The
only negative was that they had so much content that some will think it is a bit too long at 2 hours. Now don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of fun to watch and it will be on my winter 2020 motorcycle movie list! I like the interviews and discussion around why people are doing the things they are doing. I really loved seeing myself or someone I know in nearly every person they talked with.
I do have one additional negative; they went back to one guy multiple times who did nothing but lambast people who “customize” via bolt on and manufactures who sell limited addition motorcycle. That guy really pissed me off. Not all of us are a wiz welders and have hundreds of hours to create our personal masterpieces.
I am giving this film 5 stars. I know some will think that this is a bit long, but I enjoyed seeing that motorcycle people, around the world, are pretty much the same. The “Oil in the Blood” documentary is available on Apple, Google, Amazon and other streaming services.
In Part 1 I wrote about our trip to Timonium for the annual motorcycle show. That was on a Saturday, on Sunday we attended the International Motorcycle Show, Washington, DC.
As I noted with the Timonium show the crowds were smaller then in previous years. Having the shows on the same weekend definitely impacted attendance IMHO.
As always with the IMS all the major vendors were on site with their latest products. Ducati had a couple new Scramblers, Indian had their new FXR but the one that caught my eye was the new Suzuki Katana. Last produced in 2006 this new Suzuki motorcycle look clean, sleek and ready to run! I would love to get a test ride on this bike.
There were also a bunch of vendors, but not quite as many as in the past (again same weekend). Two of the vendors really caught my eye, the Moto Power Puck and Silent Beacon. This is not an endorsement or recommendation, I just liked their concept. Check them out for yourself.
Adam Cramer
I also got to talk with Adam Kramer. Adam, of Liberty Vintage Motorcycles and the TV Show Philly Throttle, was at the show promoting not only his shop but Side Car Racing.
We enjoyed the International Motorcycle Show and are looking forward to going back next year.
There was some confusion on if this motorcycle show would even be held. The original promoter bowed out due to health issues and almost at the last moment the mantle was picked up by Jam-On Productions.
As things worked out, due to the change of promoters, the Timonium Motorcycle Show ended up on the same weekend as another major bike show was in the area. Not the best of worlds for either. As it was obvious to me that they cut into each other’s attendance.
We hit the Timonium Motorcycle Show on Saturday, driving the car to the Maryland State Fairgrounds (it is about 90 minutes from home). This show had everything from RV toy haulers, typical show vendors, vintage motorcycles and all the major motorcycle manufacturers represented by their local dealers. But, just as with attendance, there were slightly less vendor spots then previous years, I bet many had to chose between the two events.
Even so, there was still a lot to look as there were quite a few motorcycles entered the show! We enjoyed looking at all the work the folks had put into their bikes and display space. Turns out there is a trophy for best displayed bike.
All said and done I think the Timonium Motorcycle Show came off well. With an entire year to plan the next one I am sure things will be much better in 2020.
After being off the air for a few years the American Choppers motorcycle TV show is back on the air. Discovery Channel has brought the Teutul’s back for another run Monday’s at 10PM EST.
If you liked it in the past I think you will like it now. If you did not like it in the past, then I don’t think you will change your mind. This time around, in addition to the shop hijinks, there is a focus on Senior and Junior trying to rebuild their relationship. Scripted or not your call.
As far as the motorcycle builds go, not much has changed…which is a bit disappointing, hardtail and pro stock bikes. The closest they come to something out of the norm was an ethanol (E85) bike. But, Paul Jr. used a standard engine just tuning it to be able to use the fuel. With all the angst out there about ethanol in motorcycles this would have been a great time to do more. Just my 2 cents.
BUT, here is the crux of my problem, and it is not with the show, if you want more motorcycle TV then you need to watch (or record) the show. Without ratings American Choppers will not last and Discovery and other channels will not invest in more motorcycle themed shows.
I for one want more motorcycle TV and, at least once a month, I search the TV listings for motorcycle themed shows. Whether or not I am interested in those shows I set the DVR to record those shows to at least give them a small boost.
Soooo, like it or not please give American Choppers a chance if not for that show but those motorcycle shows we don’t even know about yet by watching/recording.
Fuel for a Rant! Motorcycles and the EPA.
As like the previous years, Debbie and I attended the Timonium Motorcycle Show. As always it was held at the Maryland State Fair grounds.
We enjoyed walking around the facilities looking at the 2017 motorcycles from all
Yes, that is a TV, why? Why not?
the big makers. There was one in particular missing though and that was Victory. With the news that Polaris was pulling the plug, now 17 months away, guess there is no real reason to be at the motorcycle show.
But all the other usual suspects were on site. Harley Davidson of Baltimore had the largest display of all the manufacturers, in terms of footprint it was not even close. If I had to guess I would think that the Honda display would have been next largest in terms of bikes. Pete’s Cycles had, what looked like, at least one of every Honda made.
Lois Pryce discussing her recent trip to Iran
One of the busiest sections was the motorcycle travel/adventure area of the show. Lisa and Simone Thomas (2 Ride the World) and Lois Pryce were just a couple of the folks on hand to discuss their global adventures. Other speakers were on had discussed travel techniques and opportunities guided and otherwise.
Several regional motorcycle rallies (Ocean City Bike Week, Mountain Fest, and Thunder in the Valley for example) were on site to remind riders that there were many places to ride to that did not require anything more than a long weekend.
And of course all the custom and vintage motorcycles your heart could desire. Debbie and I really enjoyed looking at all the great bikes, from stock/restored bikes from the bygone years to mild customs to full blown, over the top motorcycles!
As for the crowds, my guess is that in the nearly 5 hours we spent at the event the crowd was at least even with 2016.
Premiering tonight at 9PM EST on The Esquire Network (formerly Spike TV) is the latest entry into Motorcycle TV “Wrench Against the Machine”.
According to Esquire’s web site Wrench Against the Machine is:
“The country’s most prestigious motorcycle builders put their reputations on the line in the ultimate test of creativity and craftsmanship. Each episode pits two teams in a head-to-head battle, with only three days and $3,000 to transform basic stock motorcycles into rowdy, riding, works of art.”
So from my POV an updated, bearded, DIY, “Biker Build Off” mashup with “Junk Yard Wars” or “Trading Spaces”. This motorcycle TV sounds interesting to me so I hope to see it in the future.
Now, I do not get The Esquire Network as part of the “packages” on my TV provider but I am hoping that it will be part of the providers “On-Demand” offering. Check out the “sneak peek” video below.
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 