Builder Feature: Becky 'Axel' Goebel and her Born Free Build

JULY 5

A gathering of vintage motorcycles, most of which are choppers, Born Free show takes place on some of the hottest days of the year on the grassy lawn of Oak Canyon Park, nestled in the Santa Ana Mountains of Orange County. Becky ‘Axel’ Goebel was one of the 28 invited builders for their 2022 show, and the first invited female builder to exhibit at Born Free Show in their 13 years of hosting. She spoke with us about her lifelong journey into motorcycling, what she loves about riding, and her process of building her ‘48 Panhead chopper.

Becky: I grew up with lots of open space as a kid in the flat lands of Canada, so I always had random farm toys to ride around. Nothing too nice- just old tractors, neighbors’ dirt bikes, golf carts, etc. I always had an itch to drive or ride anything. When I was 19, I got a scooter to save on parking at my university, but wanted something bigger within a year. So around age 20, I got myself an 80s Suzuki GS 450. I bought it for $1000, and it was a total piece of shit. By the time I got rid of it, I had to push start it every time I wanted to ride it. But it got me through the winters & summers to school and to work and back at 4am from the bars I worked at. Over time, I bought better and better motorcycles. I learned what I liked, what I thought was cool, and what suited the environments I lived in.

Becky: I was invited to build a bike for Born Free Show. They invite around 25 people every year to build a bike just for the show. This is the 13th year of Born Free, and although they had invited women to build for it before, none had completed the task of building and showing their bike. When I was invited I knew it was a massive feat for me - especially because I am pretty new at building complete bikes. But I was really stoked on the thought of being the first woman to get it done and to show that it’s possible.

I am primarily interested in choppers and the chopper community. I have ridden hard-tailed bikes for a lot of years, but I never had an old motor in one. I’ve always wanted a Panhead, so this was a good chance for me to build the bike of my dreams.

The motor is a 1948 Harley Davidson Panhead with a 1947 HD Transmission and a 1954 HD Frame. The paint is done by Michael at Flying Weasel, and the seat is done by Butts Seats.

I just love how motorcycles are so expressive.

You can be whoever you want to be on your bike. Motorcycles are an art form and a way of showing your personality in a physical form - a form that’s fast and loud!! They truly are Freedom Machines.

Becky: My favorite thing about this build are the parts I got to be the most hands-on with. I made the bird deflector, the headlight mount, and the kicker pedal out of the original pistons that came in my motor when I bought it.

I also really love the frame. Although it is not perfect, it is an original 1954 Harley Davidson frame that I had sandblasted, then totally re-moulded, primed, painted and cleared myself.

I also was lucky enough to have my hands on every part of the internal motor and transmission. It was my first time learning a total motor rebuild, and I spent most of the time observing and taking notes. But thanks to Cody at Hawg Supply in Los Angeles, I have a much better idea of how a Harley Davidson motor works and runs now.

I don’t have my own shop, or even most tools to build a bike to this extent, so I had to rent a space at a motorcycle shop. I had to get my own lift, my own tool box, my own tools… I had to buy the motor and all the parts, and it was a lot. Thankfully, I had a lot of brands help me out and send me things, but there was always a struggle. Even just knowing WHAT I needed was a struggle. Everything took me a long time to figure out. There was a lot of hours of YouTube, a lot of “stupid” questions I had to ask, and I really had to put myself out there. I had to show people how much I didnt know, I had to ask for a lot, and I had a deadline that I didnt stop thinking about for 8 months straight. Then, to go along with all that, I had a fair share of male haters who thought I shouldn’t really be an invited builder. All mostly jealous and using fake accounts on the internet to try and get at me. The whole process was a lot of challenges; but at the end, when I finished, had my bike at the show and got up on the stage and heard the support and cheers of so many women, it was all worth it.

The Litas: Do you have any advice for others who want to start building and riding their own motorcycles?

Becky: Just do it. I never really had much money or knowledge. It’s all just been a lot of trying and flipping - buy something, sell it for something better. Learn about it, figure it out, sell it, buy another, etc. It’s a long process to learn, but it only happens though doing. Just gotta get out there, break down, figure out how to get back up, and then do that 10,000 more times. I also still have a long ways to go, but once you’re on a roll, it’s a lot easier and a lot more fun. Hope to see more women out there building soon!