2014 LA Calendar Motorcycle Show Concourse d’ Elegance Report

The 2014 edition of the LA Calendar Motorcycle Show continued its now 23-year tradition as the premier outdoor streetbike event in America with producer photographer Jim Gianatsis moving the show this year to the beautiful green lawns of the Malibu Golf Course among the twisty canyon roads in the Santa Monica Mountains alongside the Pacific Ocean. 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 Imagine Vehicles International / ImagineVehicles.com 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 spokesmodel, 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. 

Other selected builders, vendors and exhibitors, together with four hours of live music with the Calendar Girl Music Show featuring the Japanese girl band Nylon Pink, singer songwriters Katie Cole and NBC TV’s The Voice finalist Lily Elise added to the day’s entertainment. And not to forget, the Calendar Show always kicks off the world premier of next year’s new 2015 FastDates.com Motorcycle PinUp Calendars photographed and produced by Jim Gianatsis, featuring the world’s top road race and custom motorcycles with the beautiful Calendar Kittens featured in the calendars in attendance at the show.

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. Just the weekend before they were featured at the SBK World Superbike USA round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca where they worked on the starting grid and victory podium as the official SBK umbrella girls for the race and World TV broadcast. During their first ever trip to America the two beautiful Czech super models also got to shoot with Jim Gianatsis at Laguna Seca with all the top factory race bikes for the next Fast Dates World Superbike Calendar, and the following week in Los Angeles with the top class winning bikes from the Calendar Show. 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.

Show attendees were also treated to great food from the Baby’s Badass Burgers and The Grilled Cheese food trucks, Mike’s Italian Ice. The Malibu Golf Course’s own Malibu & Vine Restaurant offered a full beer, wine and soft drink bar. Plus there was ample seating on the grass field to enjoy the live music, and dining tables with umbrella shade. Riding or driving to the show brought you on the beautiful motorcycle road of Mulholand Highway, and spectator bike and car parking was free. In all a great day of excitement for motorcycle fans for the low $20 admission.

Additional Calendar Show information and photos are online at: www.FastDates.com/bikeshow.htm

CALENDAR BIKE BUILDING CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Best of Show: Imagine Vehicles International, Calin Senciac and Terry Ward, 1979 Honda CBX
AFT Customs Visionary Award: Image Vehicles International (ImagineVehicles.com) , 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.

By Troy Siahaan