Jesse James working on custom chopper for Airstream

click above to see more images of Radial Hell

If somebody told us that a custom chopper was being built for Airstream, we would have assumed that the Orange County Chopper boys were behind it. Not so, it seems. According to the press release pasted after the jump, Jesse James of West Coast Choppers fame and his crew are hammering, riveting and welding together thin sheets of aluminum to construct a custom motorcycle and sidecar combo that will debut at the 2008 Legend of the Motorcycle show on May 3rd. This is the second time that James has released a new bike at the show, the first being back in '06 with his Radial Hell bike (shown above) that is powered by a Rotec 7-cylinder radial engine normally reserved for powering aircraft. We're always up for a new take on motorcycle design, and the idea of strapping the Monster bike to an old Airstream trailer has us wondering just what Jesse's bike will look like.

[Source: Legend of the Motorcycle]

As reported recently in Forbes* magazine, "James and his welders machined, riveted and hammered 18-gauge steel and razor-thin aluminum into a space-age-looking vehicle, applying some of the same construction methods Airstream uses in its shiny luxury trailers." The result is "One of the most elaborate masterpieces James' shop has ever produced."

This is not the first time the West Coast Choppers founder, "Monster Garage" host, and Baja 1000 competitor has chosen to unveil a bike at Legend of the Motorcycle. At the inaugural Concours in 2006, James debuted his Radial Hell aero bike powered by a 7-cylinder Rotec radial aircraft engine. The response from attendees was awe.

Other legendary custom builders displaying bikes at this year's Legend of the Motorcycle include Japanese minimalist master Shinya Kimura, Choppers Inc. founder Billy Lane, and Brooklyn's Paul Cox. Last year Cox and partner Keino, in addition to displaying two bikes by late friend, business partner and legend Indian Larry, debuted When Push Comes to Shove - a bike the pair built for client Brad Pitt - whose intricate and painstakingly detailed metal engraving was something typically only seen on handmade European shotguns. All three builders plan to unveil something new at the May event as well.

The third annual Legend of the Motorcycle, including the Bonhams & Butterfields auction of motorcycles from the Mike Corbin Collection, takes place the first weekend in May, Saturday the 3rd, on the lawns of the ocean-side Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California, just south of San Francisco. Tickets can be purchased, and additional information can be found, on the official website: http://LegendoftheMotorcycle.com