After months of promotion, we’ve made it to the home stretch and Born-Free 13 is finally here. The adrenaline is at an all-time high for the Invited Builders to complete their builds and get their bikes running. Each of the Invited Builders have been evolving their role in the industry for years, in the hopes that one day their hard work would pay off. Starting on June 25, you will be able to see first-hand what their hard work and determination looks like. To wet our collective whistles, here’s a look back to Born-Free 12 thanks to the ever-talented Cameron Allsop.

To capture the true essence of Born-Free you have to walk the whole show. You can't just walk by the main stage, the featured builders corral, and the vendor’s booths. The grime, dirt, and absolute freedom can be found in the never-ending rows of motorcycles and their riders: the real stars of Born-Free.

Each of these riders has a story to tell about making the long journey to Southern California. For some, it's another great ride with friends and for others, a first time experience of a lifetime. Take a minute to look at the license plates and you’ll come to realize that every state and beyond is represented. These riders did everything right - they asked for the time off, planned their route, began their journey, and most importantly, made it to their destination!

To support these sometimes herculean efforts, we have hosted the Ride To Born-Free contest for nine years now. We’ll reward three lucky travelers with over $2000.00 of goodies. The rules of entry are easy: Share your journey on Instagram and add the @bornfreeshow, @chopcult, #chopcult, #bornfreeshow and #ridetobf13 tags to enter. You must ride your bike over 100 miles, no trailer queens allowed. We’ll announce the lucky winners on June 24th after the Biltwell People’s Champ is announced at Cook’s Corner via Instagram. The winner must come to our booth on Saturday no later than 11:30 am, so we can meet the folks who donated. The main reason for hosting this contest is to meet the people behind the brands that give their all each and every day.I want to thank the following for joining the #ridetobf13 contest:

Harley-Davidson - @harleydavidson

Born-Free - @bornfreeshow

Loser Machine - @losermachine

Biltwell Inc. - @biltwell

Duane Ballard Custom Leather - @duaneballard

Lowbrow Customs - @lowbrowcustoms

Twin Power - @twinpowerusa

Dixxon - @dixxonflannelco

Throttle Addiction - @throttle_addiction

Sweatshop Ind. - @sweatshopind

Tobacco Motorwear - @tobaccomotorwearco

Cheap Thrils Good Times - @cheapthrillsgoodtimes

Old Bike Barn / @oldbikebarn

Whiteknuckler Brand / @whiteknucklerbrand

High Side Coffee - @highsidecoffee

Motul USA - @motulusa

Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys - @russbrownmotorcycleattorneys

Rolling Heavy Magazine - @rollingheavymagazine

Cycle Source Magazine - @cyclesourcemagazine

Choppers Magazine - @choppersmagazine

Chopper Kings - @chopperkings

S&S Cycle - @sscycle

Shinko Tires - @shinkotires

Motostuka - @motostuka

Make sure to head over to Cook’s Corner for the crowning of the Biltwell People’s Champ competition on June 24th. Big thanks to the crew at Biltwell for taking over the PC competition and continuing to give the garage builders the chance to shine. Online voting begins on June 20th, so keep an eye on their website to cast your vote. The lucky winner takes home a HUGE check and becomes the final Invited Builder at Born-Free 13. “Cook’s Corner is a legendary biker bar that stands as a proud symbol of forgotten freedom in a sea of ever-encroaching cookie-cutter houses and the inevitable “progress” of Orange County, California. It’s the perfect spot to host a party the night before Born-Free since there are thousands of riders in the area eager for the weekend’s festivities to start. The morning of the party at Cook’s Corner all of the builders in our Final Five will meet in Lake Elsinore and ride approximately 50 miles to Cook’s Corner. The party at Cook’s Corner Bar starts at about 3 pm.  Around 9 pm, we will announce the Champ! We’ll all clap and hoot, the trophy and check will be handed over, and we’ll call it a night. Once it starts going down, it happens fast, so make sure to be around the upper bar area by 9 or so. It’s standing room only and the suspense is pretty intense. All voting will be done online on our website beginning on June 20th. But regardless of how many votes a builder receives, they must ride their bike to Cook’s in the time allotted or they will not be eligible to be the Champ! So, all the bikes will not just be “Show” bikes but “Go” bikes as well!”- Biltwell Inc.

Photos by Geoff Kowalchuk - Here are the final six builders:

Aaron Crow - @acrowclmt - Clairemont, Ca -1967 HD Shovelhead

Greg Gagnon - @hkgreg - Ottawa, On - 1964 HD Panhead

Axel Mercier- @axel_mercier - Wilmington, NC - HD Panhead

James Booth - @kickstartkustoms - Victoria, BC - 1975 HD Shovelhead

Clay Krick - @white_trash_white_rice - Harrisburg Pa - 76 Honda CB750

Jonny Juarez (did not meet final deadline and wont be eligible for voting) - @skidrowjonny - Healdsburg, Ca - 1969 HD Ironhead

We'll see you on June 25th & 26th at the Oak Caynon Ranch from 10 am until 5 pm. General admission is $20.00 per person and kids under 12 are free. Active/retired miltary (with ID.) will recieve free walk-in admission. Be sure to visit our booth to grab some ChopCult gear. We'll also be handing out free goodies from our fantasic supporters while supplies last. We are located by the lake with the sponsors and Invited Builders. Safe travels, we'll see you next week!

Lisa

Born-Free: Website / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube

Biltwell People's Champ: Website / Instagram / Voting & Videos