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Bikes of Born Free 7

Born Free is one of, if not THE biggest chopper and custom show in the US. Due to it’s presence in the heart of the lovely OC, it has earned such endearing nicknames as “Bikechella,” and “Cochopper”. Despite the incredible amount of hip kids and “in the know,” grown ups that show up for the chopper mall and try to get there pictures taken for the new Levi’s mood board: this remains an incredible show that brings out the buddies and bikes from all over that I only get to see once a year. Every year you see the best that the chopper world and custom builders have to offer. This is a show that is unique to Southern California and has been growing at an incredible rate. You’ll see a pretty diverse group of bikes here, mainy v-twin choppers, but there is a bit more variety this year than in the past. Hot Bike Speed and Style competition led to some incredible modern Harleys, while the invited builders and Show Class Peoples’ Champ brought vintage choppers ranging from Roland Sands’ RD400 to King Customs’ Shovester. And as usual, there is always plenty of crazy chopper people and amazing home builds around the show and parking lot to see. Check out some of the far-out rides here and stay tuned for the “Babes of Born Free 7” gallery tomorrow!

For more information on Born Free 7 and the show, visit their website BornFreeShow.com

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Moto Where Motorcycle Travel Other Motorcycle Blogs

North Kitsap Veterans Memorials

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Tagged with: On Road, Twisty, Intermediate, Safe, Urban, Good visibility

Length: 141.66km / 88.54mi

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BikeExif Custom Motorcycles Other Motorcycle Blogs Yamaha motorcycles

Flying Dutchman: a Yamaha XS850 racer from Holland

A killer race-inspired Yamaha XS850 by Dutchman Maarten Poodt.
Every year, Dutchman Maarten Poodt builds a new bike. As winter approaches and the daylight hours shorten, he starts a new project from scratch.

There are a few must-haves. The bike has to be an older, reasonably rare Yamaha. It must be possible to convert it into a sportbike with good handling. And it needs to look ‘factory’—complete with rear fender, if need be. Like this incredible XS850 inspired by vintage racebikes.

A killer race-inspired Yamaha XS850 by Dutchman Maarten Poodt.
Maarten is one of those ‘amateurs’ whose work is a match for most professional builders. He kicks off his annual project in October, starting with a thorough test ride to check how his latest donor bike performs.

In the run-up to Christmas the bike undergoes a complete rebuild—mainly with OEM Yamaha parts, or homemade items like rearsets, gas tanks or caliper mounts. Nothing is left untouched: everything is altered, or gets fresh paint or powder.

A killer race-inspired Yamaha XS850 by Dutchman Maarten Poodt.
Maarten built this XS850 triple for a classic street race in the Netherlands. He found a donor with a broken camshaft and worn out bearings, and built it up to factory-fresh specs. The process wasn’t without incident: a small screw from the carbs got stuck between a valve, which meant a total head rebuild and new pistons.

A killer race-inspired Yamaha XS850 by Dutchman Maarten Poodt.
The electric start is gone, with just a kickstart and a small battery firing the bike into life. The Hitachi carbs have been reconditioned and now breath through K&N filters. Spent gases exit via an exhaust system from the Welsh company RVS.

A killer race-inspired Yamaha XS850 by Dutchman Maarten Poodt.
There’s serious work on the suspension too. The front end is from a Yamaha YZF-R6, with a HyperPro spring upgrade for the forks. The brakes and clip-ons are from an R6 too, along with the modified upper triple tree.

Maarten has massaged the XS850 frame to accommodate the new gas tank, which comes from a Honda Bol d’Or—the droop at the rear of the tank being the giveaway. The tank is fitted with a double petcock and a classy Monza cap.

A killer race-inspired Yamaha XS850 by Dutchman Maarten Poodt.
There’s more radical frame (and swingarm) surgery further back, where the twin shocks of the stock XS850 have been ditched for a new HyperPro monoshock setup. The rest is just detailing, but it’s also immaculate—from the matte grey powder finish on the frame and swingarm, to the discreet new wiring loom and the period-style fairing.

A classic case of form following function—and looking damn good in the process. And who can resist those iconic speed block graphics?

Images by Mark Meisner.

A killer race-inspired Yamaha XS850 by Dutchman Maarten Poodt.

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Custom Motorcycles Editorial Other Motorcycle Blogs

Joke Of The Week

Buckwheat and Darla were in school, and the teacher asks Darla: “How do you spell ‘dumb’?” Darla says, “d-u-m-b, dumb.” The teacher says, “Very good, now use it in a sentence.” She says, “Buckwheat is dumb.” The…

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Builders Custom Motorcycles Customs Editorial Other Motorcycle Blogs

Ken’s Factory Rough Neck Softail

As soon as you will read that this machine is born as a 1997 Harley Springer Heritage you will agree with me that this transformation is “uber radikal.” To keep the precious Harley title, only the factory frame and engine were saved. But as you already guessed, heavily…

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Faster and Faster MotoGP Motorcycle News Valentino Rossi Yamaha

Valentino Rossi attends the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed



The Doctor attends the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the very first time…

Valentino 'The Doctor' Rossi was a special guest at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed (the 23rd edition of this event), where Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. celebrated its 60th anniversary. Rossi, who won the Dutch TT at Assen yesterday – his third win this season and the 111th race win in his career – made his first ever appearance at the Goodwood FoS, alongside other motorcycle GP racing legends including Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Phil Read, John Surtees, and Freddie Spencer.

Specially invited by Lord March himself, The Doctor flew down to Goodwood straight from the Dutch TT and was accompanied by Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director, Lin Jarvis, and other top brass from Yamaha. Rossi and Lord March unveiled The Doctor's Yamaha YZR M1 today, which was painted in Yamaha's retro-style yellow-and-black livery to commemorate Yamaha's 60th anniversary. Phil Read‘s 1965 Yamaha RD56, Giacomo Agostini‘s 1975 Yamaha YZR500 OW23 and Kenny Roberts‘s 1978 Yamaha YZR750 OW31 were also on display alongside Rossi's M1.

"It‘s been an incredible weekend. I‘m very happy that I got to attend the Festival of Speed at Goodwood – it's even more impressive than I imagined. I want to say a big thank you to Lord March for inviting and hosting me at this year's event," said Rossi, who rode his YZR M1 up and down Goodwood's 1.16-mile Hillclimb and later joined F1 driver Nico Rosberg for lunch. Indeed, The Doctor is that one rider who actually personifies this year's Goodwood FoS' them, "Flat-Out and Fearless: Racing on the Edge."
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Moto Where Motorcycle Travel Other Motorcycle Blogs

Chapter 57 July 4th Ride

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Length: 352.26km / 220.16mi

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Burlington

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Accessories Custom Motorcycles Customs Editorial Other Motorcycle Blogs

Willie & Max Limited-edition Swingarm Bag

The Willie & Max Limited-edition Brown Leather Swingarm Bags are constructed using high quality American leather handsomely embossed with the vintage-look Willie & Max logo. The tough hand-sewn leather exterior is engineered to withstand cold, heat and water for use…

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Custom Motorcycles Merchandise Other Motorcycle Blogs

Indian Motorcycle Ultra Premium Cigars

Indian Motorcycle and Debonaire® – a 6th generation cigar marker – have joined to capture the essence of the brand’s heritage with a new ultra-premium cigar range. Phil Zanghi reacquired the Indian Tabac trademark to create a whole new brand of ultra-premium…

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Just a little sight seeing.

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Tagged with: Twisty, Easy, Safe, Good visibility, Good surface, Excellent surface

Length: 130.19km / 81.37mi

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