The David Mann Chopper Fest in Ventura, California always has a good turn out of quality chops, bobs, restos and whatever else you wanna call custom motorcycles. This year was no different and there was no shortage of old pans, knucks and flatheads. I shot a couple hundred photos so I'm gonna break it up into digestable chunks. Today's feature is all about the knuckleheads...

This bike was a nagged-out test mule kicking around Biltwell HQ for several years. It was loaned to out-of-towners on a regular basis. While it served its purpose, its ugly "Classic" tank and riser combo was hard to look at. After taking all that abuse with nary a complaint, the old girl finally earned some love. Mike D's Sex Panther was high and tight, so he was looking for a simple project, something more suited for daily commuting than his rigid XL. Enter the Legal Eagle, or "The Legal Beagle" as spectators of Mike's unorthodox refurb sometimes called it.

In our final installment of this month's four-part feature from Yokohama, we focus on the motorcycle seats at Mooneyes. CC members' appreciation for upholstery, hand tooling and saddle making is well known, and there was plenty to love in Yokohama last week. Here's some of the best.

Starry-eyed Americans fortunate enough to attend Mooneyes' Hot Rod Custom Show in Yokohama every December are generally effusive regarding the bikes on display at this world-class event, and for good reason. For two decades, Mooneyes has been the greatest bike show on earth. Cool as the customs at this motorized fashion fest may be, it's the hand-built street machines that flood into Yokohama's parking lot that steal the show in my book.

You've probably seen Imperial House Shawn's paint work whether you are aware of it or not. The prolific and talented painter has been laying lines and spewing candy on helmets, signs, panels and tanks for years. When it came time to build his own bike, he pulled out all the stops and the end result is just as slick and creative as one would expect.

If you've seen Cole Foster's appropriately named Blue Bike before, you're not alone. After he built this thoroughly modern, '50s inspired machine more than a decade ago, chopper journalists everywhere practically tripped over the skull-shaped headlights on their office floors to announce the return of "the bobber." A tidal wave of similar stripped-down machines followed, and a cleaner custom motorcycle aesthetic was born. 

The Brooklyn Inviational has quickly risen to east coast motorcycle mecca status, and for a good reason. Our friend Harvard Matt was kind enough to nab some pics, both inside the show and on the curb outside.

The year isn't even over yet, but as the holidays creep up it sure feels like it. Before you know it, we'll be in 2013 and moving on to more projects and hopefully lots of riding. The neatest thing about doing this site damn sure isn't moderating the forums - what's enjoyable is getting out and meeting all of the wildly-talented folks who choose to spend their time making and riding custom motorcycles. I personally bullshit my way through about 50 over so articles every year and the following five are my favorites from 2012, each for different reasons.

Lots of interesting iron has rolled through the doors at Old Gold Garage in Ventura, CA over the years. From hot rod cars to crusty knuckleheads, Dan Collins' style always shines through. In the case of this Sporty, less is more; no wild frame built from scratch or insane examples of intricate fabrication to show off, just a few simple mods to clean things up and make it a little cooler.

For a well-known custom painter you might think Josh Scott from Old School Helmets would have a more outlandish paint scheme on his personal bike. No stranger to complex paint jobs, this time around Josh just stuck with the basics. The low-key paint, classic Firestones and slammed stance all contribute to a perfect compact stance.