2014 Ultimate Builder: Detroit Edition

Harley Maids Help the Awards Ceremony

Harley Maids Help the Awards Ceremony

Snow, ice and -10 degrees… Ahh Detroit in the wintertime. The roads were so bad a 20 minute ride from the airport took one and a half hours. The weather was so crazy, it included thunder snow.  So you would think that the Progressive International Motorcycle Show would be a ghost town… Nope. It was packed and the enthusiasts really liked the outstanding diversity of the custom bikes in the show.

All participating builders took home a J&P t-shirt and helmet bag. People’s Choice winner in Detroit was “Bone Dragger” from Keith Lafer of Classic and Exotic, who won a Bell Custom 500 helmet. The top 15 winners won a HelmetLok and a Metal Rescue product. Shannon Best won the SHO DOG award and receives a Rocking K Leather custom chain wallet and Evan Edwards of Plymouth Cycle and Speed takes home a Garage Leathers’ solo bag.

Ultimate Builder: FreeStyle Class

Ron Harris of Chop Docs rolled in Ol’ 48 in and everyone new this was the bike to beat. It is a 2013 board tracker that features a 95” Pan/Twincam with 2 front cylinder heads and a pan top end. The bike is white with clear-coat copper accents. It’s all hand crafted with an old-school Hurst pistol grip jockey shift.

1st FreeStyle

1st FreeStyle

  1. Ron Harris, Chop Doc Choppers – ‘Ol 48, 2013 Board Tracker
  2. Warren Perkins, Conspiracy Cycle Works – Mentally Impaled, 2008 Bobber
  3. Keith Lafer, Classic and Exotic – Bone Dragger, 2012 Chopper

Ultimate Builder: MOD Harley Class

The Hoosier Daddy Chopper’s Firehouse Racer is “the” machine in the MOD Harley class as it was the bike to beat at the show. It features a Harley-Davidson 96 CI Twincam engine with hand-fabricated exhaust tipped with 1920′s fire hose brass nozzles, S&S Carb and Ultima 2in belt drive. Illumination comes from a 1910 Jose Lucas Carbide headlight and an After Hours Choppers tail light. The leather seat is from Anvil Customs.

MOD Harley Winner

MOD Harley Winner

  1. Jon Shipley, Hoosier Daddy Chopper – Firehouse Racer, ’13 Board tracker
  2. Jim Robertson, Native Custom Baggers – 2006 Road Glide
  3. Jody Jenson, Reflections – Gold Pride, 2006 Softail

Ultimate Builder: Retro MOD

Wendell Turner of Turners Cycle Shop brought in Hung Low, a 1981 custom Sportster and took the point in the Retro MOD class. The bike features a 1,000 cc Ironhead overhead-valve engine with cast iron heads and a hand-built drop seat 6in stretch hardtail. Paint by Chop Docs Choppers.

1st Retro MOD

1st Retro MOD

  1. Wendell Turner, Turners Cycle Shop – Hung Low, ’81 Sportster
  2. Gary Maurer, Kustoms Inc. – Tri Finch It, 1972 Triumph
  3. Chop Docs Choppers – Horizontal Harry, ’68 XLCH

Ultimate Builder: Performance Custom

Shannon Best’s Ronin is a family project with his son and daughter adding their elbow grease to make their 1987 Yamaha FZR 1000 really stand out. It took 1st place in the Performance Custom class. The bike has been lowered and stretched 6” and handmade and polished parts. The 1000cc mil includes a short exhaust and port and polished heads.

1st Performance Custom

1st Performance Custom

  1. Shannon Best – Ronin, 1987 Yamaha FZR 1000
  2. Matt Sproull – 2007 Honda CBR 1000R
  3. Mike Gee, Dave Bowman Inc – 1985 Yamaha TRI-Z 250

Ultimate Builder: MOD Street

Dave Bowman took 1st place in MOD Street with his slick 1975 Honda CB-400F. The Café Racer features a custom seat cowl, aluminum Excel wheel, and retro paint from Steve Stroud. The engine has been pumped using a Yoshimura big bore kit to 480cc.

1st Place MOD Street

1st Place MOD Street

  1. Tony Cho, Dave Bowman – 1975 Honda CB-400F
  2. Golgotha Performance Cycle – Vision, 1984 Virago
  3. Ralph Spencer, Shoemaker Vintage Moto – Manx Titan, ’71 Suzuki T500

Show Photos

Chop Docs takes FreeStyle Win

Chop Docs takes FreeStyle Win

Warren Perkins

Warren Perkins’s Custom Sled

Warren Perkins 2nd in FreeStyle

Warren Perkins 2nd in FreeStyle

People's Choice Winer

People’s Choice Winer

free-3-Keith Lafer

Shannon wins SHO DOG

Shannon wins SHO DOG

Evan wins SHO DOG

Evan wins SHO DOG

Gogatha 2nd in MOD Street

Gogatha 2nd in MOD Street

Ralph Spenser 3rd in MOD Street

Ralph Spenser 3rd in MOD Street

Tech Suspension takes 3rd in Performance Custom

Tech Suspension takes 3rd in Performance Custom

Bell Helmet awarded to People's Choice winner

Bell Helmet awarded to People’s Choice winner

Wendell Turner takes 1st in Retro MOD

Wendell Turner takes 1st in Retro MOD

Gary Maurer takes 2nd in Retro MOD

Gary Maurer takes 2nd in Retro MOD

Matt Sproull

Matt Sproull’s Custom Sled

J&P Talks Customization

Steve of J&P Talks Customization

Jody Jenson

Jody Jenson’s Custom Sled

Tech Suspension takes 1st in MOD Street

Tech Suspension takes 1st in MOD Street

Harley Maids Help the Awards Ceremony

Harley Maids Help the Awards Ceremony

Metal Rescue talks Customization

Metal Rescue talks Customization

Jon Shipley takes 1st

Jon Shipley takes 1st

Gary Maurer

Gary Maurer’s Custom Sled

Jim Robertson takes 2nd in MOD Harley

Jim Robertson takes 2nd in MOD Harley

Jody Jenson takes 2nd in MOD Harley

Jody Jenson takes 2nd in MOD Harley

Gogatha

Gogatha’s Custom Sled

Jody takes 2nd in MOD Harley

Jody takes 2nd in MOD Harley

Jim Robertson

Jim Robertson’s Custom Sled

Produced by Biker Pros

Custom Shows Produced by Biker Pros

Produced by Biker Pros

Biker Pros, a communications and publicity company, produces Custom Bike Shows across North America. Clients like Advanstar, Harley-Davidson and American Motorcycle Dealer have engaged Biker Pros for multiple years to assist them in meeting their communication objectives.

Latest Industry News

VIC Baggers Win Sturgis @ J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder

Kick off of the 2014 – 2015 J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show Season By Jeff Najar, Biker Pros & Photography Credit – Vanessa A. Schaeffer & Jeff Najar At Biker Pros we put on custom bike shows across the country with the objective to support the industry and keep customizing alive and well […]

J&P Cycles Giveaway Motorbike

Biker Pros is proud to announce the start of the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Giveaway Bike for the 2014 – 2015 season. In February Paul Wideman of Bare Knuckle Choppers took his Jane Doe Knucklehead to Chicago for the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Championship, and came home with top honors.

2014 Sturgis Results

Sturgis Kicks Off the Season Biker Pros will be posting results of the the 2014-2015 J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show season off the results menu. The first event kicks off in Sturgis 2014.

J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Championship Winners

The J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show brought out the big guns of the Midwest including Bare Knuckle Choppers, Big Tony’s Chopp Shop, DD Custom Cycles, Chop Docs Choppers and American Biker. When the dust settled the last builder standing was Paul Widman of Bare Knuckle Choppers. He walked to the stage and took […]