Continued....

Carnies, musemums, and choppers....oh! My Gibsonton, FL has many an unusual character but one that stands out even among the bearded lady and the lobster boy would have to be Alan Bernard of Santiago Chopper Specialties. No, he does not have a claw shaped hands or a tail... well I hope not. What he does have is an aura of cool, the sort of thing that everyone senses from the likes of James Dean or Elvis. Alan is the fourtrhe generation of motorcycle builders and originally hails from France. He set foot on the shores of America via Daytona, FL in 1994 and has been resident of Gibsonton for 13 years.

Music has been a huge influence in Alan's life and it has poured out into his creations. Along with music, Alan pulls ideas from all around him; movies, cars...ect. Alot of Alans ideas come from his subconcious, in his dreams. He can't stop thinking mortorcycle even in his sleep. When he wakes he quickly jots them down, and refines them, then builds them in his medium of art... rolling steel. Santiago has numerous awards from some of the top honors from the likes of Sturgis, Easy Rider, and Daytona Bike Fests, but that is not why Alan does what he loves . Choppers are his passionand it shows in the end products.

All Santiago Choppers are built completely from the ground up. One of the major differences in Santiagochoppers is they are designed to meet tougher European TUV standards. "My choppers are one of a kind and cannot be duplicated", says Bernard. I never build the same custom twice and I am committed to bring my customers the highest quality chopper in the market today." Santiago Chopper offers custom choppers that range in price and are less expensive then you'd think. However, Bernard wants you to know that "if you dream it, he can build it!" That is exactly where he gets his inspiration for custom choppers. Typically it will come to him in a dream and then he will build it.

Over the past few years, he has built bikes for those who lost legs, and use of an arm. In every case, the attention to detail is stunning. There is thought and care built into each bike. But despite that care, despite the artistry and the fact that each and every bike is a one-of-a-kind statement, Bernard isn't building garage queens. "If I build a bike, I want you to use the bike," he said. "I want you to ride it. It's not a piece of furniture - a motorcycle has a spirit. You should jump on it a ride." The company is marketing their line of affordable customs on the standpoint that you can get an eye-catching custom for less than what you'd pay for many stock bikes , and yet still get the same size engine.