The Del Mar Show has become an institution for West Coast riders in October. It is one of the "must see" events that stretch through the late summer, and culminate with the Love Ride. This year the event was moved from its traditional location, the infield of the Del Mar Race Track, to the parking lot outside the grandstands. We haven't talked to the show operators about the move yet, but the verdict of the old hands seems to be that the new site looses some of the elegance and appeal of the infield. The swap meet was relegated to a vast side building, its size alone seeming to make it appear almost empty. The show display itself was held in the courtyard, where they display the racehorses, and that was cool. The venue was large so crowding was not a problem. At any rate the bikes were first rate, and we enjoyed our annual pilgrimage to Del Mar.

The first stop you have to make is the vendor area. The new Custom Chrome truck was a commanding presence and we had to snap a couple of shots of it.

We stopped by the Samson truck and took a look at one of Kenny's new rides.

Then it was over to the bikes, that was what we came for.

As we walked in we were greeted by a 1953 Indian Chief and it was super sharp, but no trophy.

Next we stumbled on a '41 Harley-Davidson XA that looked mint.

On down the road was a Bourget creation that was drawing a lot of attention.

Then it was off to the winners.

The Best Custom was this super clean chopper belonging to Tommy Ericson of Bellflower, California. It was sporting a 139 cubic inch, four cam motor.

The Judges Choice, and also Best of Show was this absolutely pure 1913 FN Light Single, owned by Jeffery Gilbert of Los Angeles, valued at over $100,000.

This was a show stopper that we had to wade through the crowd to get pictures of. The logo is the letters F & N separated by a set of bicycle pedals with a bayoneted rifle laid across them.

The sun was sinking into the ocean, and it was time to fight the L.A. traffic back to the Central Coast Bikernet Headquarters. Next stop, the Love Ride. Maybe after that we can get a little rest.

Later, Oz.