Getting there, it’s been said, is half the fun.
Presumably, whoever said this doesn’t drive home through the Sorrento Valley merge every day. But being on the road is a staple of Southern California culture, and some drivers have decided that getting there can be much more than just half the fun. It can be one hundred percent adrenaline-filled excitement, when you’re hitting the highways and byways in vehicles that are a high-octane blend of personality and power, style, and sophistication.

Driven by a desire to distinguish themselves from everyone else on the road, some Southern Californians have concluded that it’s not just about getting where they’re going anymore, but how they’re getting there. Whether on two wheels or four, on workdays or weekends, they’re finding exciting alternatives to more ordinary forms of transportation. They’re re-discovering the pure pleasure of getting from here to there in and on vehicles that are so eye-catching they’re literally stopping traffic.

Whether you want to live like a high-roller behind the wheel of a premium performance vehicle, or cruise the county’s back roads aboard a high-end hot rod, here are a few new ways you can get your kicks on Route 56, or anywhere else in Southern California.

For motorcyclists, one of Southern California’s most appealing distinctions is the diversity of its landscape. Beautiful beaches, quiet backcountry mountain towns, and the desolate desert floor are separated by just a few miles, and connected by roads that tempt riders to find new ways to reach their favorite destinations, and discover new ones.

Fueled by exposure on the Discovery Channel’s American Chopper and Biker Build Off, there’s a growing interest in custom-built choppers. The classic American hot rod is enjoying a renaissance, and the brand that’s blazing the trail is American IronHorse motorcycles.

With wild paint schemes in bold colors over stretched gas tanks, raised handlebars reaching out to long forked tubes and billet wheels, and low profile saddles over a fat back tire, American IronHorse motorcycles put their riders at the center of attention. This is a class of bike so distinctly designed, it’s simply impossible not to notice.

Predictably, IronHorse is creating quite a buzz on the street. “You stop at a traffic light, and people roll down their windows and talk to you,” says Tim McElheney, Assistant General Manager of San Diego IronHorse. “I’ve had seven conversations while stuck in traffic. It’s amazing!” The attention these bikes generate for their buyers is certainly part of the appeal. They turned heads at the beach this summer. People were doing double takes at traffic lights. Girls were sneaking shots with camera phones. “People want something that not everyone else has. You walk out of a place where there’s seven Harley Fat Boys. Which one’s yours?” McElheney asks rhetorically. “People are tired of that. They’re moving toward custom-production motorcycles. With an IronHorse, you know which one is yours.”

You’ll never confuse an IronHorse with a more conventional street bike or cruiser. This is part of the reason buyers are embracing the brand, which was established in 1995, but came to San Diego just this spring. There’s a uniqueness to each of the models in the product line, with a multitude of customizing options that give the owner an endless array of options to reflect their own personality. The Texas Chopper is the model of choice, outselling the others six to one.

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