Ultimate Builder Bike Show

The premiere Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show of 2011 took part this weekend in conjunction with the first International Motorcycle Show (IMS) of the season in San Mateo, California. Stiff competition, from the AMD World Championship Performance Class winner to the Radical Class winner from the Las Vegas Artistry in Ironcompetition, showed up to battle it out in four categories for the thousands of dollars in prize money up for grabs to the winners of each class. An automatic bid to the 2012 AMD World Championships in Sturgis awarded to class winners only heightened the stakes. 

Roger Vaughn not only won the $2000 top prize for his custom Road King in the Modified Harley class, he also captured the most votes in the “People’s Choice” award. But it was Dalton Walker of Split Image Kustoms (SIK) who took top honors in the Free Style class and pocketed the $3000 booty that went along with it, edging out AFT Customs award-winning Honda bobber, Sentoh. 

Walker kept it old school cool for his 2011 Split Image Kustoms original. And original is a good adjective for this build because the amount of handmade parts definitely tilted the odds in his favor against stiff competition. SIK’s scoot starts with a one-off frame in which he mounted a slick 1946 Shovel-Knuckle hybrid with standard Shovel cases mated to a 1946 Knucklehead top end. The system is powered by a Burkhardt magneto and requires a good kick to fire up. Its front end is ultra-clean with its custom Springer fork and a five-spoke wheel free of a fender or front brake. The bars are kept tidy by utilizing an internal throttle. It’s got a ridged Frisco tank sitting prominently on the raised backbone. The rigid rear is just as tidy thanks to a mechanical rear brake and a variation of the king and queen saddle mounted directly to the rear fender with the support of a sissy bar. The custom pipe coming out of the front cylinder head runs parallel to the lower frame rail before joining the other pipe, which shoots straight back from the rear jug. Sparkling green and gold metal flake by Kalkoncepts – Air Syndicate complete its retro-transformation and earned it laurels as the best of San Mateo’s Free Style class. 

As mentioned, winner of the Modified Harley Class is Roger Vaughn for his blinged-out bagger called “King of Kings.” What started as 2001 Harley-Davidson Road King has been transformed into a full-dresser which barely resembles the stock bike. There’s not much on this bagger which hasn’t been modified, from its handlebars and wheels to its controls and cases. The spokes of its custom wheels have been cut out in the shape of crowns to keep in the “King of 

A peek inside the Tour Pak of the 'King of Kings' bike reveals a mural honoring men of color in addition to a Panasonic video screen hooked up to PS2 and Wii gaming systems.

Kings” theme, its foot and hand controls are finished in gold and its bodywork is decked out in gold inlay. If it isn’t either polished or chromed, it’s got diamond-beveled edges. But don’t think the “King” is all show and no go because the engine has its own list of performance mods which result in a powerful 124 cubic-inch Harley V-Twin. Besides its premium audio system, a Tour Pak top case has been added to the rear which houses a small digital Panasonic video screen hooked up to a Sony PS2 and Nintendo Wii. The lid of the Tour Pak has been painted in tribute to some of Vaughn’s heroes, starting with a picture of a smiling President Obama and a new interpretation of Mount Rushmore where the presidents’ busts have been replaced by influential men of color – Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and W.E.B DuBois. “King of Kings” was the big winner of the weekend, capturing its class and the People’s Choice award. 

AFT Customs came up just short in the Free Style class but took home the top prize in the SSB Performance Custom Class. Asumati is a custom street-tracker based around a heavily engraved Honda VT750ST engine pumped up by AFT Customs Engine Performance Package which includes high performance pistons, cams, intake and exhaust. It’s got the front end from a Yamaha R1 to go along with its supermoto handlebars to give it a race-inspired front which is matched by performance-minded Race Tech rear shocks. As in most AFT Custom builds, Asumati was a communal project. Not only do the lovely AFT Customs girls lend their talent to its fabrication and construction, but other custom builders from the NorCal community contributed to the build as well. The custom taillights are the creation of Bryan Schimke at TPJ Customs, the hand-fabricated risers come from Satya Kraus over at Kraus Motor Co. and Duane Ballard built the custom radiator hidden under Asumati’s seat. AFT Customs was commissioned by the Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwok Indians to create a motorcycle for them and Asumati was built in honor of the tribe’s heritage. 

(L) AFT Customs Asumati won the SSB Performance Class at the San Mateo Ultimate Builder competition. (M) 'King of Kings' was the crowd pleaser and was selected as the People's Choice at the San Mateo IMS. (R) Kirk Taylor of Custom Design Studios made a Johnny Chop tribute bike in honor of his fallen friend and fellow custom bike builder.

Another popular NorCal custom builder, Kirk Taylor of Custom Design Studios, took the Retro Mod class with his Johnny Chop Tribute bike. The build pays tribute to Taylor’s departed friend and fellow custom builder, Johnny Chop. Its frame and handlebars are prototypes Johnny was trying to get Santee to produce. Stripped clean and spoked down, “Sacred” has a front end anchored by a beefy fork and a tall spoked front hoop. Hand controls bend down to the rider at the end of a set of Mini Apes. The raised neck and high tank sit on the thin tube of the backbone. The bobber has a rigid pinched tail section with a sweet little sissy bar balancing out the front-to-back aesthetics. One of its strongest features, though, is its polished and engraved 80 cubic-inch F.U. Shovelhead with split rockers. The talented Tay Herrera provided the sick engraving while the paint was done by Taylor himself. 

Motorcycle USA is giving this custom Honda Fury away to one lucky winner who votes in the People's Choice award during the Ultimate Custom Builder Bike Shows at the IMS. Any takers?

The first Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show also allowed  people to get their first look at the custom 2011 Honda Fury Motorcycle USA is offering up as a prize as sponsor of the show. Attendees of the San Mateo IMS who cast their votes in the People’s Choice award are already ahead of the game because they were automatically entered to win. 

Fret not, though, there’s 11 more choices to get in on this Honda Fury sweepstakes. All you have to do is attend the IMS closest to you, check out the motorcycles in the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show, and vote for your favorite. That’s it. Quick and painless. After you drop your vote into the kiosk, your name will automatically be entered. 

With its Cobra PowrFlo Air Intake and Speedster Swept Pipes, this Fury sounds burly and sits low thanks to Low and Mean’s rear spring lowering kit. The next chance to enter will be in Dallas, Texas, on December 2-4, where bike builders from around Big D and throughout the south will meet for Round 2 of the Ultimate Custom Bike Builder Show. 

Posted in: Custom Bikes