Spring Break
West Coast Choppers' Jesse James to attend Bikes, Blues & BBQ
Molly Morrison
Issue date: 10/3/07 Section: Life & Style
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World-famous motorcycle enthusiast and owner of West Cost Choppers, Jesse James, will be a guest at this year's annual Bikes, Blues & Barbeque rally.
James, who has been a part of Bikes, Blues & BBQ in past years, will be attending the custom bike show at the Tyson Track Center Friday and Saturday. He will be available for an autograph session following the daily bike show events, according to James' publicist.
James is best known for hosting the shows "Monster Garage" and "Motorcycle Mania" on the Discovery Channel. Both shows are based on the bike-building empire he has created over the years.
Born and raised in Long Beach, Calif., James discovered a passion for building motorcycles at a young age. He received his first mini-bike at age seven and had already created a crude motorcycle exhaust system before his sophomore year of high school, according to the West Coast Choppers Web site.
James left high school to play college football at the University of California at Riverside until a severe knee injury stunted his career. He then trained to become a professional bodyguard for prominent bands such as Danzig, Slayer and SoundGarden.
He finally came into his own when he made a career out of his true passion of building and crafting custom motorcycles. He began working under the direction and influence of famed bike builder Boyd Coddington.
West Coast Choppers was created in the early '90s, starting out with no partners or loans to fall back on, according to the Web site. James built the company from the ground up in his friend's garage, and his facility grew to more than 250,000 square-feet in industrial Long Beach, with a continually increasing need for talented and capable employees to match the demand for a custom built chopper.
Only a select few privileged and lucky individuals own a true West Coast Chopper. In the last ten years, a total of 200 bikes were custom-made by James and his specialized staff.
The flourishing business quickly became known as a celebrity motorcycle manufacturing company. James has built bikes for of Shaquille O'Neal, Tyson Beckford, and Kid Rock. These motorcycles would sell anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000.
James, who has been a part of Bikes, Blues & BBQ in past years, will be attending the custom bike show at the Tyson Track Center Friday and Saturday. He will be available for an autograph session following the daily bike show events, according to James' publicist.
James is best known for hosting the shows "Monster Garage" and "Motorcycle Mania" on the Discovery Channel. Both shows are based on the bike-building empire he has created over the years.
Born and raised in Long Beach, Calif., James discovered a passion for building motorcycles at a young age. He received his first mini-bike at age seven and had already created a crude motorcycle exhaust system before his sophomore year of high school, according to the West Coast Choppers Web site.
James left high school to play college football at the University of California at Riverside until a severe knee injury stunted his career. He then trained to become a professional bodyguard for prominent bands such as Danzig, Slayer and SoundGarden.
He finally came into his own when he made a career out of his true passion of building and crafting custom motorcycles. He began working under the direction and influence of famed bike builder Boyd Coddington.
West Coast Choppers was created in the early '90s, starting out with no partners or loans to fall back on, according to the Web site. James built the company from the ground up in his friend's garage, and his facility grew to more than 250,000 square-feet in industrial Long Beach, with a continually increasing need for talented and capable employees to match the demand for a custom built chopper.
Only a select few privileged and lucky individuals own a true West Coast Chopper. In the last ten years, a total of 200 bikes were custom-made by James and his specialized staff.
The flourishing business quickly became known as a celebrity motorcycle manufacturing company. James has built bikes for of Shaquille O'Neal, Tyson Beckford, and Kid Rock. These motorcycles would sell anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000.
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