By Sierra Hartman
Leather jackets, full body tattoos, and heavy beards. It would almost sound like the Folsom Street Fair if not for the overwhelming aroma of burning rubber. Every year in October a handful of enterprising gear heads start building choppers from whatever bits and pieces they can kludge together for under $1,000. Once the official website posts the go-ahead, they have one month to build their hearts out. Last Sunday the buzzer rang and the Dirtbags gathered for a 100-mile ride and a party in the industrial district of Bayview.
This is not like the chopper build-offs of Discovery Channel fame. These are just bikers who want to have fun on their own terms, on their own budget, without the niceties of polished chrome and muffled exhaust. As the organizers proclaim, “Dirtbag is about doing things your own way — without anyone’s approval, without anyone’s permission. Build the bike you want, live the life you choose. If we can do it, so can you.”
P.S. If you want the immersive experience, put on some Mötley Crüe at full blast before you scroll through the pictures. If your ears aren’t ringing afterward, you’re not doing it right.
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