Coker Tire

We wanted to take a minute to thank Coker Tire for sponsoring Born-Free 7. Every motorcycle needs tires and there is a good chance that if you own a vintage motorcycle you're gonna need tires from Coker! No matter if you have a Shovelhead chopper or a stock Knucklehead or maybe a custom XS650 Coker makes (yes, makes) the tires you need.

Coker has spent years tracking down molds and acquiring rights to well known brand names from back in the day so they can bring these tires back to the market for us to enjoy! Such as one of our recent favorites the Firestone ANS tire. It looks great and rides fantastic in the world of bias-ply tires. They are also the ones to bring the new skinny ribbed Firestone 21 inch by 2.75 inch front tires for period choppers or race bikes. This is what Coker has to say about these babies:

"Firestone is a legendary brand in the motorcycle community and the racing community in general. When it comes to period correct styling, Coker Tire leads the way with its Firestone products, and the new Firestone 2.75-21 and 3.00-21 tires are no exception. The straight-groove tread pattern is inspired by vintage racing tires, which had minimal tread designs, while the sidewall is smooth and clean. The two sizes are very desirable for custom motorcycles using a 21-inch wheel, as a vintage-style tire for the large-diameter wheel has not been readily available until now. Many motorcycle builders and customizers have been using Firestone Deluxe Champion rear tires, so now they can have a matching front tire in a popular size.

 

Whether you’re building a ‘70s style chopper, a race-inspired motorcycle or anything in between, the tall and skinny looks of a 21-inch front wheel offers a great look, and Coker Tire now offers two size options in its already popular Firestone product line. Now, builders will no longer need to dig through swap meets to try and find a usable tire that fits the build—the new Firestone 2.75-21 and 3.00-21 tires are affordable and they’re ready to ship to your door from Coker Tire’s distribution centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee and City of Industry, California."

 

 

If you’d like more information Coker’s line of vintage motorcycle tires or order some and pick them up from Coker at Born-Free, there are three easy ways to contact Coker Tire. You can call toll free at 1-800-251-6336 to speak with a tire expert, or you can check out www.cokertire.com to see thousands of products at your fingertips. Coker Tire also welcome visitors to its world headquarters located at 1317 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37402, with daily tours, Monday through Friday at 10am and 2pm EST. Look for the BIG Coker trailer at BF7!!!

 Matt Olsen's Born-Free 4 Best In Show winner '47 Harley with Firestone ANS

Born-Free CoFounder Mike Davis' Pre Unit Triumph with Firestone Ribbed 21

Sneak Peek : Jeff Leighton's Builder Video

Our BF7 Invited Builder Sponsor Street Chopper Magazine has a early preview of Jeff Leighton's build video...check it out now! https://www.facebook.com/streetchopper or http://www.streetchopperweb.com/

BF 7 Invited Builder : Jon Rispante

The recipe is pretty simple yet it's really hard to find guys who can do it correctly. That is building a traditional 50's/60's style British custom without over doing it. Jon Rispante is in a very small group of guys that understand what these bikes should look like and have the skills to build one. Jon has built some really cool bikes over the years. He brought the killer swing-arm Pre Unit "The Grass Hopper" to BF2, built a period perfect BSA dragster for BF3 and now is back as an invited builder for BF7. He has just checked in with his first update....he writes:
I'm building a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird this year. I purchased the start of this project about 12 years ago and have been slowly collecting the pieces for it since then. My favorite style of custom Triumph's are from the mid 1960's. That
transition period between a fairly stock bike and a raked out, extended front end, full on chopper. My Dad graduated in '67. The bike he customized and rode to High School was a '64 TR6. As a kid I loved looking at the old photos of his metal-flake blue custom. I will be building my '50 as if a 17 year old kid would have in the mid 60's. No fancy CNC parts, perfect TIG welds, or belt drives... As a kid still in school and pumping gas at the corner Phillips 66 station, funds are limited... I will be saving my lunch money for chrome and will be doing all the work myself including the Watson style lacquer paint, polishing,
engine rebuild, etc... Also, full show bikes are nice to look at but since this will be my only means of transportation, it has to work and be within "regulation"... That means brakes, lights, and mufflers. Jon       

BF7 Invited Builder : Jeff Leighton

Jeff is back after sitting out a year with a special new project. Here is the story....This year for Born Free I'm stepping a little outside my comfort zone and building a 1950 Triumph show bike. The bike will be very much in the vein of bikes that I like, but on a totally different platform. My inspiration for the bike are the early 1960's bikes from the LA and Oakland Hot Rod shows. I'm using a matching number 1950 thunderbird motor and frame. The frame will have all the extra stock stuff cut off of it. With a tank and fender molded to it. The motor is decked out top to bottom with period hop up and accessory parts, including an original Award Cycle finned timing cover. Haven't picked a front end yet. But I have a few options in my mind. The wheels are 19" wm2 with a triumph rear hub out back and a 21" wm0 radial laced to a hallcraft hub up front with an NOS Avon 2.75 tire. Every part of the bike will be chromed polished and painted. I'm sure I will look ridiculous riding it... but I can't wait to see it all finished. We can't either. Take a look at some of the bikes Jeff has built in the past.

Wes White Builder Update

Wes is building a full competition bike for his lady...to race!! That's cool. Here are a few words from Wes::

 

Well its crunch time here at the ranch and we are progressing okay with the Humble Bee land speed racing bike.  Just a few more days work and it will be ready to fire.  Anyone who has built a bike knows that the last 20% takes all of the time and I am expecting no different with this one.  Luckily I have had some help lately from some of my Bonneville homies.  We have Philly Dan who came all the way from...well...Philly to give a hand while he was out here on a family outing.  While his wife worked, Dan and daughters were working here on spacers, brake linkages and all the little stuff I forgot to do while mocking up the bike.  As for Rob Bush, my flat tracking buddy and all around good guy, he has been getting in some moto-therapy Tuesdays here at Four Aces and knows his way around a Ceriani front end like nobody's business.  He is a great help whether we be flat tracking or pitting at the Salt Flats.  Kristine Peach continues to help out as well by paying lots of the bills and doing what she can on the bike, which is more than you would think, but she is an experienced Salt Flats crew-person and that means on the job training.  The most tedious and stressful stuff is here tho, making cables running chains and running the bike in is yet to come.  Stay tuned for some graphics too!

 

Win This Full Show Pre Unit Trike in 21 Days

Ryan at the Tiger Shack has started final assembly on his  Pre Unit Triumph 60's style 3 wheeler. This is the first trike we have had built for the show and it's definitely a head turner. If 3 wheels are better than 2 for you...this is your baby. You can wheelie it home on Saturday June 28 th at Born-Free. Get over to Lowbrow before it's too late.... CLICK HERE  

 

 

 

 

 

Born-Free 4 Builder Video-Tyler Lepore

Good Afternoon!
Hit play and check this video out Jeff Twa did of one of our builders Tyler Lepore from Canada. You can follow his Born-Free 4 build & check out his friends on their BLOG, CLICK HERE>