The David Mann Chopper Fest is a blast to attend for no other reason than you’ll see hundreds of motorcycles with no two looking remotely the same. Every two-wheeled creation at the Fest started out from a builder’s dream (or nightmare) as a one-of-kind, two-wheel, rolling, rebellious statement. These are fast, noisy, hard-to-ride motorcycles that no parent wants to see their daughter getting picked up on. These are not West-Coast-Choppers or Orange-County-Choppers-type motorcycles made for celebrity athletes and Wall-Street hedge-fund managers. Many were ridden to the Fest and then ridden home. Some shinny. Some greasy. Some spotless. Some grungy. But all beautiful in their own way. Click on any photo to enlarge the image.
All My Friends Know The Low Rider: An entire exhibit hall was devoted to Vicla-style customs. Not really choppers, this growing segment deserves a place at the Fest. Much money, time and love go into these creations.
Road Huggers: Harley guys finally have a choice of high-performance, tunable suspension components and services. GP suspension, located in Oxnard, California, was showing riders how to step up to the next level of handling performance.
Not Your Kid’s Tricycle: What type of trouble could you get into on a bike like this? A Lot. And it would happen fast. I never saw this fired up. Bummer.
Rare Finds: Pilgrimage Goods had a deep selection of vintage and hard-to-find motorcycle casual apparel. Some designs were so dorky that they were cool again. You can check them out here.
One-Stop Shop: Blaken Press Print Shop does a lot more than print apparel and merch. They can help define, through art, what you or your company is all about. They have already helped out some impressive players. You can check out their work here.
Don’t Judge Me: This beauty was parked in front of the Thrashin Supply Company booth without a tag so it wasn’t being judged. Too bad. I would have voted for it.
Full Coverage: “Young lady, I think that helmet is just a little big for you.” Biltwell knows how to make an entrance. The company is way more than a helmet company. Check them out here.
Wallflower: Here is another one (and it’s red too) that wasn’t entered in the judging but was a spectacular construction just sitting at the back of the display area.
Get Off The Grass: The Ventura County Fairgrounds removed the grass from the main display area. I hope this is temporary. The bikes were too pretty to be displayed on brown, smelly mulch.
I Dare You: I double-doggy dare you! Fire this baby up and drop the clutch. May God have mercy on your soul. Built by Slim’s Fabrication just to show you what they can do. Check them out here.
Harley Domination: I can’t remember a Chopper Fest year that was more Harley dominated than 2026. You could count the Triumphs and Indians on one hand. Then there was this Honda.
Dirt Chopper: Okay, this is not a chopper. It does look like a very capable Harley-Davidson desert sled that would be so much fun south of the border.
Take It Easy: Loved this lean, clean build. Still, with no front brake and a tiny drum rear brake, you better plan ahead when bar hopping. If you tailgate on this bike, have your medical insurance card handy.
Done Right: First glance and you think you’re looking at a 1937 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead. Look closer. All the comforts (and good brakes) of a modern motorcycle are right there. Built by Blockhead Moto.
Dipped In Chrome
HERE COMES THE JUDGE How on earth does anyone judge an array of custom motorcycles as beautiful as this? Seems like an impossible task. These are just a few of the beauty pageant contestants.
THE PARKING LOT There did not seem to be as many bikes inside the David Mann Chopper Fest as in past years. I would guess that entries were down around 20%. The parking lot however, was a show to be attended after spending time inside the official show’s gates. These were no show ponies. All had been ridden to the event. They would be ridden home and some might even be ridden to work on Monday. These bikes (and riders) are the real heroes of the David Mann Chopper Fest.
