The Born Free Show nestled within the beautiful canyons of Silverado, California now in its 12th year continues to remain a beacon of creative energy for the custom chopper scene worldwide. What once began as a small gathering of like minded West Coast builders and moto enthusiasts has since evolved into a motorcycle amusement park of epic proportions taking over every square inch of Southern California's Oak Canyon Ranch. Excited two wheeled marauders flock by the thousands each year to fill the ranch and the surrounding areas with motorcycles from every single genre but one thing becomes clear when making your way onto the grounds and that is custom choppers are definitely the heart of the show. With invited builders from all over the country hand crafting the most wild and amazing new builds each year this event always gives patrons something new and exciting to look forward to.
So, what do vintage Japanese motorcycles, the flat-out speed of the Bonneville Salt Flats, and punk rock, f*** it all attitude have in common? Hot Carl Racing, that’s what.
There are some people that you know have one hell of a story, and the combo of Dan Osborne and Mike Dillard of Hot Carl Racing are just the type of enthusiasts that we love at Old Bike Barn. Recently, while Bear was shooting for yet another speed record at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats, he came across a couple of dudes with a set of outrageously fabricated Yamaha XS650’s that he had never met before. Turns out, these guys not only ran one hell of a bike but had an incredibly interesting story to tell.
The Indian Larry block party has succeeded in taking over Brooklyn for the love of motorcycles annually and is going on 18 years strong! It's a beautiful sight and a truly a fitting continuation of Larry's legacy and wild spirit. A tradition that people from not just the East Coast but all over the country have come to rely on as a fantastic season ending event. This year brought two very special twists adding the Grindhouse gallery indoor art, photo and custom bike exhibition and Rhett Rotten's Wall of death, something that has not been set up in the city of Brooklyn for many years. Every square inch of concrete surrounding the Indian Larry/Genuine motor works complex was loaded with a variety of entertainment this year and and Bobby, John, and the whole crew worked really hard to make sure this was one for the books. We joined in on the fun again this year and it was definitely a well rounded experience that kept us on our toes to keep up with covering all the action.
The grounds of the Mid Ohio sports car course really come alive each year during the AMA vintage motorcycle days with every square inch of soil being utilized to its fullest for multiple forms of racing, camping, swap meet vending, live entertainment and and a list of other fun activities. Whether you've come to cruise one of the countries largest vintage swap meets for hard to find bikes or vintage parts or whether you are getting suited up for a chance at finish line glory in one of the many forms of off road and on road racing there is something to keep everyone's blood pumping every second of the day. We devoted some time on our blog to just the Old bike barn crossroads area of vintage days a few weeks back so now we would like to dive deeper and show you a little bit more of the event from all four corners of the fantastic mid Ohio grounds.
It was once again a pleasure to team up with the American Motorcyclist Association to bring back the Old Bike Barn crossroads for the 2021 AMA vintage motorcycle days at the famous Mid Ohio sports car course. The crossroads features an assortment of tents and displays showcasing some of the greatest vintage motorcycles the different regions of the world have to offer. Some of our favorite areas like the impressive originals and restorations of the VJMC - vintage Japanese motorcycle club, are always filled with some serious showstoppers from the realm of Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki. They always bring out only the finest and most pristine survivors of the seventies and eighties superbikes. This year the classic British motorcycle club of Cincinnati also showed up in force with a beautiful collection of some of the finest Norton, Triumph, Ariel and BSA motorcycles we have seen to date.
