Riders Preferred Membership
Shop by Vehicle
Track Order
Contact Us
The Born-Free Motorcycle Show just wrapped up its 17th annual event in California, and what started as a small gathering of vintage choppers has grown into something much bigger. Choppers are still at the heart of the show, but the range of builds is much wider and the event is broader, with hundreds of vendors and live music adding to the festival vibe.
We asked our boots on the ground at Born-Free, namely Anthony Silvotti and Patrick Garvin, to subjectively pick a few of their favorites on display. Here's what caught their eye.
Anthony's picks
As a fellow Philly native, I couldn't start off my list without showing some love to the East Coast and selecting the Biltwell People's Champ Winner by Jack Weidmyer, which includes a 1946 Knucklehead springer front end and a Shovelhead frame. The true magic of this bike didn't hit me until a morning walk-around in Lake Elsinore right before we prepped for a 50-mile ride along the Ortega Highway. That's when the hidden details really began to emerge, from the tucked-away purple Plexiglass fins to the unique Hardley Worthitson Hardware. Tied together by stunning paint from Mikey Machine, this pristine Panhead came to life as the perfect mix of custom artistry and road worthy chopper.
I'm a Dyna-bro at heart, and Southern California never disappoints when it comes to performance-oriented Dynas and FXRs. I was first turned on to Jam City Cycles about two years ago when I saw their builds in person at Biltwell's Parts & Labor Expo, and this 1989 FXR is a prime example of what they do so well — clean, classy performance that isn't too over-the-top. There's just something about a bronze, gold, and black colorway that forces me to stop and dive deeper into the details. It brought back that exact same feeling I had when I first saw Maxwell Esposito's FXR — just pure, aggressive style done right.
Invited builder Dave Pinkel's 1946 Knucklehead took home second place, which shouldn't come as a surprise. The bike immediately grabs your attention with meticulous craftsmanship throughout the frame and bodywork, with paint and molding by Dennis Babin. It’s tough to imagine how something so complex can come to life, but I think this photo. The cream and green color palette flows seamlessly through the bike to accentuate the molding, while the handmade chrome parts highlight that vintage motor. Like Jack's build, Dave also incorporated decorative hardware from Hardley Worthitson, straight out of Australia.
This Shovelhead from Nick Turner's Superior Vintage Iron stood out to me as the exact chopper I wanted to ride. Intentional performance upgrades like the aluminum STD heads, a Baker transmission, Brembo brakes, and a steering stabilizer all complement the precise geometry of a proper rider triangle that was clearly built to rip. There's a certain flow to this bike that allows your eyes to wander over Nick's craftsmanship and deliberate choices, like the matching rear fender struts and mid-controls. I was already sold on the bike just looking at it, but after hearing it fire up... man, this thing is rowdy.
Patrick's picks
Choppers are still the bones of Born-Free, but as the show has grown, my personal favorite genre of build is the "performance chopper," as you can clearly see from my five personal favorite builds.
I've followed Al Emerson's AE Choppers on the 'Gram for quite some time, his up-stretch, de-rake frames and uber-clean build style is something I really dig. I saw his posts about this FXR chopper build a while back so I was stoked to see it in person. It has all the facets of a performance-built FXR: big-motor Twin Cam, big brakes, fat aluminum swingarm, and high-mount two-into-one exhaust. But with all the style of a rad chopper with the upstretched chrome frame, stretched tank, and classic flames. I have seen a few FXR chopper builds, but for me this is the top of the heap.
My love for Sportsters is well documented so it should come as no surprise that a Sportster-based chopper makes my top five. And who better to represent the Sportster than Pat Patterson and Led Sled Customs? Pat and company have been building rad Sportster chops for years, so it was nice to see them in the invited builder space at the show. The classically styled chopper stretched to the perfect height sitting on the Invader wheels that seemed to almost fade away had crazy details in the frame and underside of the tank while sporting an equally crazy drivetrain. The engine featured a dual-magneto setup that was capped with billet split rockers. But what really caught my eye was the foot clutch, jockey shift rig on the left side of the bike. This is one of those bikes that every time I look at it, I see a new feature.
I spotted this rad Shovelhead sitting in the grass but, it's far from an unknown motorcycle by an unknown builder. Jacob Conard's Born-Free Texas winner, "Gnarlin' Mess," is covered in super-clean fab work but what stands out is the juxtaposition of styles. The thing about the bike that smacks you in the face is the perfect mashup of classic Shovelhead chopper vibes and new-school Harley-Davidson performance. The Frisco-mounted, louvered tank covered in flames sits atop the Shovelhead powerplant. Belt drive and kicker pedal all say I'm a classic chopper while the Brembo brakes, stainless two-into-one, reservoir shocks, and LED lighting all scream late-model Harley performance. And it all comes together in a perfect harmony of bitchin' motorcycle that looks like something you would love to rip through a canyon.
By now you've probably sensed a theme in the bikes I found most interesting. I'm drawn to the clash of classic chopper with current performance style and this next bike is no different. I didn't know anything about this Knucklehead by Ethan Porter Stiles until I walked up to it at Born-Free. It jumps out right away as kind of a classic-looking drag bike with the number on the tank and the Hooosier tires. The paint is clean and simple and the finishes really set the tone. The flat-gold frame and front end are perfectly accented by details like the red brakes, magneto cap, and velocity stacks that adorn the dual, flat-slide carbs. The Knucklehead engine is the crown jewel of the bike and the stainless two-into-two pipes perfectly balance the dual-carb setup. In most custom bikes you see things that have been done before or relate back to other builds, but this bike really stood out as one of a kind.
Last, but certainly not least, is this Shovelhead by Joshua Sheehan. This was my favorite bike of the weekend and there's really has too much detail to talk about so I highly recommend you check it out on his Instagram account.
The one-piece Funny Car-style tilt body is something I have never seen before, but more specifically it was the shape of the tank that really stood out. The stretched tank sucked back in on the sides but also was beveled up on the bottom, which gave it a unique look and also showed off some fabrication chops. Hot rod mechanical is how I would describe the bike, which has perfectly balanced orange and black finishes with not a speck of chrome to be found. The crank-driven oil pump is paired with an XR750 sump, complete the wildest oiling system I've ever seen on a chopper. Overall, the stance, finishes, and fabrication all combine with a very rideable, highly customized machine and really pushed this over the top for me.
