The 2014 edition of the LA Calendar Motorcycle Show continued its now 23rd year tradition as the premier outdoor streetbike event in America with producer photographer Jim Gianatsis moving the show this year to the Malibu Golf Course. Highlighting this year’s exciting activities was the emergence of another new and soon to be renown custom bike builder to the sport for which the Calendar Show is known for cultivating.
Taking Best of Show in this year’s Calendar Bike Building Championship was Calin Senciac’s Image Vehicles International motorsports fabrication shop with an incredible custom billet aluminum designed chassis built by Terry Ward and the shop crew, housing a legendary 1979 Honda CBX 1047cc air-cooled in-line 6-cylinder engine. Image Vehicles now joins other celebrity builders including Jesse James, Russell Mitchell, Jesse Rooke, Roland Sands, and Shinya Kimura among many who first premiered their bikes at the Calendar Show and went on to have their winning bikes featured in the FastDates.com Calendars to assure their place in history among the premier custom bike builders in the world.
This year’s Calendar Show supported the American Cancer Society with a portion of the ticket sales going to find a cure for cancer and support those affected by the deadly disease. Builders Adrian and Ruth Packett of Canyon Motorcycles together with their spokes model, Calendar Kitten Lindsay Hancock, also raised money for the cause with Lindsay posing for pictures on a custom Canyon Triumph with spectators for their donations.
Together with the Calendar Bike Building Championship & Concourse d’ Elegance, this year’s Show again featured top Celebrity Builders premiering their latest custom builds. Included were previous Show winners Jim Giuffra / AFT Metric Customs, Richard Pollock / Mule Motorcycles, Ron Baldonado / Rock Bottom Customs, with special appearances by Russell Mitchell / Exile and Chris Redwing / MotoGPwerks.
A special treat this year were the personal appearances of SBK Fast Dates World Superbike Girls Jitka Pralinka and Petra Ruzickova from the Czech Republic. Both Jitka and Petra are featured in the current 2014, and new 2015 FastDates.com Calendars which premiered at the Show. Fans had the chance to buy the new Calendars, have them personally autographed by the two Czech Calendar Kittens, and pose with them and their bike for pictures by Victory Jon of HighwayPhotos.net.
The Calendar Bike Building Championship included the popular Pro Builder class with owner Jim Giuffra / AFT Metric Customs and his crew of female builders that including Natalie Jackson and Shelby Thompson taking their 7th consecutive win with a Honda CB 750 Cafe Racer. Samuel Kao / JSK Custom Design took Special Mention in the class with a Harley Sportster Cafe Racer featuring hand built frame and bodywork and single sided swingarm.
Other class winners this year included Street Custom: Daniel Patino / custom Road King; Cafe Bike / Bobber: Adam Gaspic/Gasser Custom,/ Honda 550; Sportbike/Racebike: Richard Pollock/Mule Motorcycles, Sportster XR1200; Classic Imported: Chris Carlson, with the last surviving 1934 Husqvarna TT500 factory road racer; and Classic American: Ron Baldonado/Rock Bottom Motorcycle Company, 1932/1937 Harley custom.
Overall and Class winners received the coveted Mikuni Carburetor trophies featuring real Mikuni VM44 Carburetors, and all top three class winners received product gift bags from Meguiar’s Care Care Products and ProLong Lubricants. Spectators with special interest custom, sport bike and collector bikes were also invited to park inside the Show grounds and display their bikes for the day.
Calendar Bike Building Championship Results
Best of Show: Image Vehicles International, Calin Senciac and Terry Ward, 1979 Honda CBX
AFT Customs Visionary Award: Image Vehicles International, Calin Senciac and Terry Ward, 1979 Honda CBX
Special Mention: Samuel Kao / JSK Custom Design, Harley Sportster Cafe Racer
Pro Builder: 1. Jim Giuffra / AFT Metric Customs, Honda CB 750 Cafe Racer; 2. Jim Tiltz, Big Twin Custom; 3. Adrian Packett / Canyon Motorcycles, Triumph Cafe Bike.
Street Custom: 1. Daniel Patino, custom H-D Road King; 2. Unkle Al’s, Harley custom; 3. Adrian Packett, Triumph late model cafe bike.
Bar Hopper: 1. Adam Gaspic / Gasser Customs, Honda CB750; 2. Michael Cooper / Gasser Customs, Honda CB550; 3. Unkle Al’s, Triumph old model custom.
Sportbike: 1. Richard Pollock / Mule Motorcycles, Harley XR1200 Streetmaster; 2. Brandon Holstein, H-D Sportster; 3. Ralph Bauman, Honda CB550.
Classic American: 1. Ron Baldonado / Rock Bottom Motorcycle Company, 1932 H-D VL Antique Bobber Custom w/ 1937 ULH engine; 2. Unkle Al’s, H-D Shovelhead Cafe Bike; Geraldo Montano, 1969 Sportster cafe bike.
Classic Import: 1. Chris Carlson, 1934 Husqvarna TT500 factory road racer; 2. Kent Riches / Race Tech, Rickman Honda 750 cafe racer; 3. Michael Cooper, 1971 BSA B54 cafe racer.
