Prolific artist David Mann has long been known as the Norman Rockwell of biker culture. Enriching the center spreads of Easyrider magazine for three decades, his work was inspired by and often inspired the classic American biker. The age-old question comes to mind;: "Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?" In this case life imitates, or was at least inspired by, art.

We photographed this wonderful machine at the Sixth Annual David Mann Chopperfest in Ventura, CA. While its owner Orlando was a man of few words, his bike spoke volumes to everyone who saw it. It's surely not the first Mann tribute bike, but it may be one of the finest. Of course, there are differences between the painting and the machine—powerplants being but one—but we think The Mann himself would be proud, and the trophy Orlando took home from the Chopperfest proves it.

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