RKB Kustom 2013 “Artistry In Iron” Champion
On Saturday October 5, 2013, at the Las Vegas Cashman Center, Mindi Cherry announced Rick Bray as the 2013 champion. He was voted the winner by his peers. Bray is from NORCAL and his company RKB Kustom, took home the gold.
The bike’s name, Pala Duro, means Hard Shovel in Spanish and that’s good because the bike is running a Harley-Davidson 80 inch Shovelhead. It’s low and slender and has just the right stance. Rick is an off-road race car builder by trade and his fabrication work shines through. All of his brass components from the gas cap to the fasteners are from scrap metal that he turned on a lathe.
Rick Bray’s Winning Motorcycle
It’s a gorgeous Shovelhead that Rick bought 5 years ago from his brother when he ran out of money to finish it. Rick took all these years to finish it, hand making most of the parts in his garage and trading the others with friends.
The bike has a finned theme from the Kirk Taylor built engine and rocker boxes to the frenched in gas tank panels to the beehive oil tank. After the bike was built in raw metal, it was torn down and sent out for paint. Rick has worked with his painter, Kool Hand Luke, for so long that he just drops off his parts for paint and it comes back right every time.
Rick Bray’s Winning Motorcycle
Pala Duro won the 2012 NORCAL edition of the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show.
