[Image]I'm not a big fan of Jesse James (the infamous owner and bike designer/manufacturer of the renown West Coast Choppers and host of Discovery Channel's "Monster Garage") nor his TV show, but my brother certainly is and since we were staying in Long Beach a mere half mile from West Coast Choppers headquarters I couldn't pass up an opportunity to bring back some photos from the home of this cult favorite bike shop.

I'm not into motorcycles - at least not as a means of transportation - but I do appreciate the engineering and artistry of the modern chopper. West Coast's showroom provided plenty of both. Only about 15' wide and 40' long, this tiny window on West Coast provides an up close look at a fair array of beautiful bikes. Second only to the great choppers were the entertaining signs that were scattered around the store some whimsical, some brutally ominous and foreboding. My favorite was a piece of cardboard propped on the seat of a bike with the words "Don't sit on me As***le." At first it was such a shock it was very funny, but as I pictured a steel frame lifting, tattoo laden bike fabricator etching his last words of warning on a hastily appropriated piece of cardboard, I became somewhat cautious of my proximity to that motorcycle.
© Douglas Ingram