California soul on the road

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Californians pride themselves on being ahead of the curve -- both figuratively and literally. So, when it comes to the road, well, we own it.

It shouldn’t be news then that some of the most innovative motorcycle riding, designing and styling came out of the Golden State, what might be surprising though is that some of those significant contributions -- from riding styles to technological innovations as well as aesthetics, came out of post-World War II African American culture.

‘Black Chrome,’ a new exhibition at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park, delves into the little-documented world of black motorcycle enthusiasts, highlighting their imprint on the wider riding culture. Although much of the activity was headquartered in Los Angeles and Oakland, the influences traveled far and wide. The show spotlights the region’s black motorcycle clubs and drag bike racers, such as Rickey Gadson, as well as bike design innovators such as Ben Hardy, who developed the iconic bikes for the 1969’s ‘Easy Rider’ and the color-line-crossing Homer L. Garrott, who became the state’s first black motorcycle officer to ride in the California Highway Patrol.

Co-sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California, the exhibit mixes interviews and period photographs with the real thing: the customized or rehabbed bikes on display. It’s a tribute not just to the open road, but a road opened through equal parts invention and persistence.

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‘Chopped Up’ 2005 Harley Davidson FSXT Softail. ‘Chopped Up’ was designed and built at The Candy Shop, a Los Angeles motorcycle shop with the slogan, ‘We Make Grown Men Teeth Hurt.’
(Photo: Frank Jackson / fotographz.com)

‘African Wildflower’ 2006 special construction. Custom built and then recustomized by another builder.
(Photo: Frank Jackson / fotographz.com)

‘Black Chrome’ opened Sept. 25 at the California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park. For more information, call (213) 744-7432.

-- Lynell George

Top photo: ‘East Bay Dragons at Miss Helen’s Bar-B-Que,’ September 1966
Courtesy of The Black Biker magazine