Jim Dohms Art at Choppertown

CHECKOUT JIM’S ART on display at Choppertown LIVE CHECKOUT JIM’S ART on display at Choppertown LIVE

I began my journey into motorcycle photography in 2010 on the Florida West Coast where I was living at the time. Since then I have met many riders and collectors who have allowed me to photograph their bikes, and in some cases, their motorcycle collections. There are many different groups, each passionate about their machines. Daily riders, show bikes, vintage bikes, even racing bikes. Then there are sub-groups within each group like race bikes, where I have photographed board track racers, vintage race bikes, motocross and flat track. In 2012, I traveled to Maggie Valley, North Carolina, to photograph the collection of bikes that the late Dale Walksler curated at his Wheels Through Time; a world-class museum which showcases over 300 vintage Americanmade motorcycles and automobiles. I photographed hill climbers, board track racers, flat track bikes raced on Daytona Beach, Harleys and Indians starting from the early 1900s, and other bikes manufactured by companies long

gone. There were plenty of subjects to photograph and I published a book in 2014 entitled “Classic American Motorcycles Wheels Through Time.” In 2015, I left Florida for the mountains and now live just ten minutes from the museum.

Since my move, I’ve had the opportunity to create portraits of riders with their bikes with mountains in the background and various road runs featuring vintage motorcycles. There’s nothing like pulling alongside a 1942 Harley Knucklehead riding through the Blue Ridge Mountains to grab a shot. I had the opportunity to meet motorcycle artist Scott Jacobs in 2012. Scott’s ability to create paintings of motorcycles with fine detail is unrivaled. In 2013, he asked me to photograph three 110th Anniversary Harley-Davidson motorcycles for a painting he wanted to create to commemorate the occasion. I arranged with the former Jim’s HarleyDavidson dealership in St. Petersburg to allow me the use of the bikes for the photo shoot. From the image I submitted, Scott created “110 Years of Great Motorcycles” which was unveiled at the 110th Anniversary Motorcycle Rally in Milwaukee. I’ve been photographing the Sons of Speed Races founded by Billy Lane since the first race during Bike Week in 2017. Twelve racers in a single class of early Harley twin engine bikes has grown to include 50 racers in three classes. I hope to have the group shot taken at the last race in March 2020 on display at the Cherokee Blue Ridge Run coming up on September 10. Also on display will be the photos in this article and may more. Hope to see you there.