Custom bike builder Jesse James, host of TVs Monster Garage, will display his newest creation, a glistening aluminum-clad motorcycle and sidecar at the Legend of the Motorcycle Concours on May 3rd. This marks the bikes public debut.
The bike was made for Airstream. As reported recently in Forbes magazine, “James and his welders machined, riveted and hammered 18-gauge steel and razor-thin aluminum into a space-age-looking vehicle, applying some of the same construction methods Airstream uses in its shiny luxury trailers.” The result is “one of the most elaborate masterpieces James shop has ever produced.”
This is not the first time the West Coast Choppers founder and Baja 1000 competitor has chosen to unveil a bike at the Legend of the Motorcycle. At the inaugural Concours in 2006, James debuted his Radial Hell aero bike powered by a 7-cylinder Rotec radial aircraft engine shown in accompanying photo. The response from attendees was awe.
Other legendary custom builders displaying bikes at this years Legend of the Motorcycle include Japanese minimalist master Shinya Kimura, Choppers Inc. founder Billy Lane, and Brooklyns Paul Cox. Last year Cox and partner Keino, in addition to displaying two bikes by late friend, business partner and legend Indian Larry, debuted When Push Comes to Shove – a bike the pair built for client Brad Pitt – whose intricate and painstakingly detailed metal engraving was something typically only seen on handmade European shotguns. All three builders plan to unveil something new at the May event as well.
The third annual Legend of the Motorcycle, including the Bonhams amp; Butterfields auction of motorcycles from the Mike Corbin Collection, takes place the first weekend in May, Saturday the 3rd, on the lawns of the ocean-side Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California, just south of San Francisco. Tickets can be purchased, and additional information can be found at LegendoftheMotorcycle.com.