Jesse James working on custom chopper for Airstream
click above to see more images of Radial Hell
If somebody told us that a custom chopper was being built for Airstream, we would have assumed that the Orange County Chopper boys were behind it. Not so, it seems. According to the press release pasted after the jump, Jesse James of West Coast Choppers fame and his crew are hammering, riveting and welding together thin sheets of aluminum to construct a custom motorcycle and sidecar combo that will debut at the 2008 Legend of the Motorcycle show on May 3rd. This is the second time that James has released a new bike at the show, the first being back in ‘06 with his Radial Hell bike (shown above) that is powered by a Rotec 7-cylinder radial engine normally reserved for powering aircraft. We’re always up for a new take on motorcycle design, and the idea of strapping the Monster bike to an old Airstream trailer has us wondering just what Jesse’s bike will look like.
[Source: Legend of the Motorcycle]
Gallery: Radial Hell
PRESS RELEASE:
San Francisco, 28 January 2008 - World-renowned custom bike builder Jesse James has announced that his newest creation, a glistening aluminum-clad motorcycle and sidecar combo for client Airstream will make its first public debut at the Legend of the Motorcycle Concours on May 3rd.
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, “Monster Garage” host, and Baja 1000 competitor has chosen to unveil a bike at 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. The response from attendees was awe.
Other legendary custom builders displaying bikes at this year’s Legend of the Motorcycle include Japanese minimalist master Shinya Kimura, Choppers Inc. founder Billy Lane, and Brooklyn’s 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 & 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, on the official website: http://LegendoftheMotorcycle.com
Related posts:
- Shoot your TV: Jesse James is a Dead Man coming soon For those of you who just can't get enough Jesse James in your life, we have good news. The rest of you, commence eye-rolling. The tattooed chopper builder will soon be back on the small screen, this...
- Prancing Steel Horse: custom Scuderia Ferrari chopper There are a lot of superlatives that could be equally applied to Ferraris and to custom choppers by their respective enthusiasts, and we're not going to try to name them all. But that's probably why...
- Size Matters: GUNBUS motorcycle featuring 350 HP radial airplane engine click above image for more amazing pics of the GUNBUS Motorcycles are known for their high power-to-weight ratios and the crazy acceleration that goes along with that favorable figure. Most of the...
- OCC to sell more of its soul to Lincoln Ever since this reality-TV craze put every type of customization/builder on TV, I cringe as the viability of the brands get smaller and smaller. The Teutul family is no different. I know, this...
- Motorcycle sales sky high in 2004 Over 1 million motorcycles were sold in 2004, up 4.7 percent from last year and is at the highest level since 1979. USA Today reports the reason being more women are purchasing motorcycles and that...
Tags: airstream, airstream motorcycle, airstream trailer, AirstreamMotorcycle, baja 1000, custom bike builder, custom chopper, custom motorcycle, forbes magazine, gauge steel, inaugural concours, Jesse James, JesseJames, jump jesse, legend of the motorcycle, LegendOfTheMotorcycle, luxury trailers, monster garage, motorcycle design, motorcycle gallery, motorcycle show, orange county chopper, radial aircraft engine, radial engine, radial hell, radial motorcycle, RadialHell, RadialMotorcycle, rotec, thin aluminum, west coast choppers, WestCoastChoppers