Parts & Labor Motorcycle Expo

Shoppin’ and Choppin’ at The Biggest Little Motorcycle Trade Show in California

After 15 years of steady growth and fine tuning, what started as little more than a blowout sale in Biltwell’s parking lot every January has morphed into the biggest little motorcycle trade show in SoCal. Last month’s edition of the Biltwell Parts and Labor Motorcycle Expo—our annual stampede for bargain shoppers and two-wheeled obsessives—went down as always at San Diego’s Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Twenty-five-hundred eager spectators descended upon this prime slab of Pacific Coast real estate to ogle motorcycles and talk shop with fellow builders, riders, boutique fashionistas, and hop-up brands from coast to coast. To keep pace with demand and give folks who work on Saturday an opportunity to join the fun, this year’s P&L Expo was a two-day affair. Nearly 80 vendors joined Biltwell in the merch hustle, and over 50 custom motorcycles were on display.

The Mike and Grant Show

After booth set-up Friday evening, we rolled out a free taco cart and open bar for vendors, family and staff while P&L MC Mike Deutsch quizzed Grant Peterson and Mike Davis about Born-Free, the motorcycle show and two-wheeled cultural touchstone both men founded in 2009. It was a privilege to hear these friends and successful entrepreneurs share their secret sauce with the Parts and Labor crowd, as their world-class event has inspired a new generation of motorcycle enthusiasts to do their own thing, this humble scribe included. Culture dies in a vacuum, so events like Born-Free and Parts and Labor are essential to give like-minded individuals a place to call home. Thanks for your valuable time and words of wisdom, gentlemen.

Vendor aisles were teeming with bargain shoppers and chopperazzi all weekend.

Home for the Holidays

Speaking of places, no story about the Parts and Labor Motorcycle Expo would be complete without sharing the story Otto likes to tell when people ask why we moved our parking lot sale to what might be the most expensive piece of real estate in America. If you’ve been to San Diego in January, you already know the answer: Great weather. Unfortunately, all that sunshine and salt air is addictive, so the waiting list of promoters looking for a venue in January is long… years long. When Covid came to town, one long-term fairground tenant shuttered his event to comply with public health regulations of the day. The 50-thousand square-foot building that poor sap relinquished for no fault of his own was perfect for what we had in mind: a combination trade expo, bike show, and two-wheeled hootenanny to help local enthusiasts and industry friends from the snowbelt shake off the cobwebs that kill the vibe from Thanksgiving to January second.

Having an indoor venue is essential for merch security, crowd safety, and comfort—everything vendors and guests care about. Unfortunately, securing such a venue in Southern California is like finding a haystack in a needle factory—damn near impossible. During their Q&A on Friday night, Born-Free founders addressed this very subject. According to Mike Davis, the park-like venue in central Orange County that’s hosted every Born-Free since 2011 added jet fuel to their event’s allure and success. Our man Otto is no rookie in the swap meet game, and he also practices what Mike and Grant preach. When I asked Otto what makes Parts and Labor Expo special, he hit the bull’s eye. “Where would you rather rid e a motorcycle in January—Kentucky or San Diego?” Sold. Where do I sign up for next year?

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Previous People’s Champ runner-up Jacob Conard and his lady made the drive from Texas to show off his sick salmon-colored chopper.

Not every motorcycle at this year’s Parts and Labor Expo was a chopper or a vintage crust bucket. Plenty of modern bikes dotted the parking lot, and this Bagger Racing League contender turned lots of heads.

Legendary motorcycle painter Harpoon’s stunning knucklehead.

One of our favorites, and perhaps the meanest-looking motorcycle ever: Cutrate Oliver’s wicked shovel.

“Hot Dog” Pete Finlan’s hand-painted genius caught everyone’s eye.