Modified motorcycles have become curious inventions of vivid imagination in recent years. Artful metal fabrication has reached unprecedented heights, drawing on surreal dreams, childhood toys, comic book heroes and villains, and our dirtiest, darkest nightmares. None of this was more evident, or appropriate, than at San Diego’s own out of this world fantasy fest, Comic Con.

In the weird world of nerds and gamers, happiness is a warm custom motorcycle in big-screen 3D. Superbad bikes were all over the mega sci-fi/horror event, whether warping around downtown San Diego in a Star Trek Starship Enterprise-inspired trike or beholding crazy video theme machines for gamer favorites, Gears of War and Dead Rising.

Hero machines past and present have headlined Comic Con, such at the Bat Bike from Batman: The Dark Knight, Captain America’s 1942 WLA Liberator, Ghost Rider’s smoking V-Max-based ride, as well as otherworldly two-wheeled creations for Men In Black III, Tron, some kind of sidecar rig for something called The Adventures of Tintin, a sinful ride for Priest, the Green Hornet V-Rod, and, of course, where would be without the rebel Sons of Anarchy? It’s all enough to make a sci-fi geek’s latex Klingon head explode.

Other bikes best not left to the hands of mere mortals could be seen stationed about town. These machines are suited for super villains, futuristic state troopers, super heroes, anti heroes, and the odd, speed loving werewolf or blood thirsty vampire.

Aside from eyeballing the crime fighting and intergalactic extreme machines on display, giving humanity hope for the future, a hard charging motorcycle is a great way to get around a dense Earth city. Riding around San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, congested with thousands of event goers, was a breeze aboard the Road Glide Custom we temporarily purloined. While civilians in overcompensating trucks, big-ass SUVs and clumsy automobiles had to park as much as 20 or 30 blocks from the action and pay $25 and up for the privilege, sitting the Harley down on its kickstand was never inconvenient, and even better, it was free.

At the north end of the Gaslamp Quarter, very near to where the zombie hordes began their march on the San Diego Convention Center, the House of Blues hosted a pleasant Rockabilly & Ribs party for the hungry and undead motorcyclist who somehow made it through the teeming throngs of costumed characters crusading about, as well as bikini-clad natives on their way to chic hotel pools, or church, and obviously needing the chivalry of a motorcycle hero.