Performance Machine presents the 17 Annual 2008 LA Calendar Motorcycle Show Weekend with the Calendar Bike Building Championship & 2-Day Calendar Girl Music Festival
July 12-13th 2008, Queen Mary Event Park, Long Beach, CA - The 17th annual Los Angeles Calendar Motorcycle Show Weekend presented by Performance Machine, America's premier custom, cruiser, performance and sportbike weekend returned to the Queen Mary Event Park in Long Beach on July 12-13th, 2008. Over 10,000 street motorcycle and music fans were in attendance for the world's most exciting 2-day motorcycle event weekend in the beautiful Queen Mary Event Park on the grass alongside the Pacific Ocean with it's cool ocean breezes to fend off the inland California summer's scorching heat. This remains the world's premier motorcycle show weekend featuring all major motorcycle and parts manufacturers, selected product and apparel venders.
The weekend features many of the world's top Pro and Amateur street bike builders in attendance to compete in the Performance Machine Calendar Show Bike Building Championship with a bulging purse of $86,000 in cash and awards. There are 10 individual classes for American V-Twin and Metric Street Custom, Performance, Classic, Bobber, Chopper and Sportbike motorcycles The coveted Performance Machine Best of Show Trophy is awarded for the top overall bike at the Show and includes a $3,000 cash prize, an additional $7,000 in product awards bringing the total awards to $10,000 overall, plus the winning bike and builder receives an editorial bike feature in Iron Works magazine and the Iron & Lace Calendar photographed by Show producer Jim Gianatsis.
Taking home the coveted Best of Show award for the first time ever at a major Show was an incredible metric custom from builder Jim Giuffra/ AFTcustoms.com. Named "Er Head" for it's air-cooled Yamaha XVS engine fed by a Mikuni HSR carb, the bike features a specially modified Yamaha/Redneck Engineering/ AFT Customs oil-in frame with RMD billet girder front forks, and a single shock rear suspension. Assisting Jim with the construction of the top bike was his assistant Ron Abel, and AFT Model Agency girls Kylie and Elaina.
2008 Performance Machine Best of Show winner Jim Giuffra (center in yellow shirt) from AFT Customs, Martell, CA, collects his trophy, a check for $3,000 cash and some $10,000 more in awards. Together with Jim (on the left) are Ted Sands from Performance Machine, Show hostess Kari Kimmel, the AFT Model Agency girls in pink shirts, and the FastDates.com Calendar Kittens in white/red. | 
Kenji Nagai / Ken's Factory, flew in from Japan with his beautful bike "Velvet Hand" www.Kens-Factory.com featuring a 125 ci Patrick Racing Engine w/ Magnacharger. www.Kens-Factory.com. In USA contact Jonathan Kluvery 310-749-2026. | 
Todd Silicato picked up a really big $5,000 Award Certificate from Ted Sands, Kari Kimmel and the Calendar kittens for the Best PM Equipped Bike at the Show. |
Best of Show came from the premier Iron Works magazine sponsored Radical Pro Builder class, which again this year was extremely competitive, with 1st Place trophy gong to Japanese builder Kenji Nagai from Ken's Factory (Kens-Factory.com ) who flew in just for the Calendar Bike Building Championship with his blown V-Twin powered polished aluminum custom from Nagoya City, Japan. Taking 1st and 2nd runner-up spots among many many incredible all-new machines premiering at the Show were Todd Silicato, and last year's Best of Show winner Greg Westbury of Westbury Hardcore.
Performance Machine also offers is own trophy for the Best Performance Machine Equipped Bike with a $5,000 product award from Performance Machine products going to Todd Silicato from Todd's Custom Cycles for one of his bikes. Other favorite classes include the Iron Works magazine sponsored Radical Pro Builder which went to Japanese builder , the Mikuni American HR Carburetor sponsored American V-Twin Performance, and the Fast Dates Calendar sponsored Sportbike Class.
Spectators got to meet top celebrity custom bike builders including last year's best of Show winner Greg Westbury, 2004 Best of Show winner Shinya Kimura, plus Ron Simms, Todd Silicato and many more. They also attend free Calendar Bike Builder Seminars with the top Calendar builders to learn what it really takes to build some of the world's most innovative and beautiful custom bikes as featured in the Iron & Lace and Fast Dates Calendars.