Story and Photographs by Jack McIntyre

There’s just something about standing next to a piece of custom motorcycle history that gets the blood moving. You can look at a thousand pictures, watch the old television footage, and remember when these bikes first rolled across the screen, but when one of those legendary machines is suddenly sitting ten feet in front of you, it’s a whole different deal. That’s exactly what happened when this incredible Martin Brothers chopper surfaced just outside Philadelphia.

The second I heard about it, there was no question, I had to get over there, see it with my own eyes, and put a camera on it.

For those of us who lived and breathed motorcycles during the glory days of custom bike television, Biker Build-Off was required viewing.

Created and narrated by Thom Beers and aired on the Discovery Channel, the series threw some of the best builders in the country into battle against one another.

Two builders. Two completely different attitudes and styles. Build the bike, ride the damn thing, put it in front of the people, and let them decide who built the winner.

It wasn't about ordering a bunch of shiny parts out of a catalog, it was about imagination, fabrication, horsepower, paint, personality, and building something nobody else would have dreamed up.

And man, we need television like that again. There was a time when you couldn't wait for the next Biker Build-Off to hit the screen because you knew somebody was going to roll out something completely insane. Jesse James, Billy Lane, Indian Larry, the Martin Brothers and so many other talented builders helped turn that era into one hell of a chapter in custom motorcycle history.

These weren't motorcycles designed by committees.

They were rolling calling cards for the men building them. You could damn near look at a bike from across the parking lot and know whose hands had been on it. Hint, hint, Thom Beers, there are plenty of us still waiting for that phone call announcing Biker Build-Off is coming back.

That brings me back to this Martin Brothers machine. Seeing it in person, all these years later, reminds you just how radical these bikes really were. The stance, the fabrication, the long, aggressive lines and that paint all come together into something that doesn't quietly sit in a parking lot, it owns the damn parking lot.

Walk around it once and you notice the overall shape. Walk around it again and you start catching the little details. Then you grab the camera and realize there isn't a bad angle on the thing.

This wasn't some carefully planned studio shoot with lights, backdrops and an entire day to work. I found the bike outdoors, had an opportunity to photograph it, and went to work quickly.

Sometimes that's the best way to shoot a chopper anyway. No bullshit. No overthinking it.

Just the motorcycle, available light, a camera and enough time to capture what made the machine special. I worked my way around it from every angle I could because bikes like this deserve to be documented—not just for those of us who remember the Biker Build-Off years, but for the younger generation of riders and builders who might be seeing this machine for the first time.

Take your time going through the gallery below and study the details. Then check out the old-school Biker Build-Off video and watch the story behind this Martin Brothers creation. Yeah, the video quality might show its age, but who cares? The motorcycle sure as hell doesn't.

This is what the golden era of custom motorcycles looked like.

And thankfully, this one is still here to remind us.