The weather was rainy outside but that didn’t stop the crowds from storming the International Motorcycle Show in San Mateo, California to check out the latest motorcycles from the biggest manufacturers.
As they entered the Expo Hall enthusiasts were treated to the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show with an array of custom bikes extending from one end of the Northern California hall to the other. Some of the Bay area’s top custom bike builders brought their latest renditions of rolling art to be judged in round 2 of the Ultimate Builder show.
The builders were excited with the cash and prizes put up by the sponsors, which included $3,000 for 1st place in the Freestyle and Modified Harley-Davidson classes and $1,000 for Performance Custom class from the Progressive® International Motorcycle Shows®. Yamaha provided HD video cameras with motorcycle mounts and Harley kicked in a gear bag and race tuner.
Even Though the rewards were great, many of the builders still alluded to the fact that it was really about the prestige of competing in a world class event. Once again the anxiety was high when the awards ceremony began at 3:30 PM on Sunday afternoon.
Freestyle Class
The winner in the Freestyle class was Jim Giuffra of AFT Customs with his 1700 cc Yamaha powered board tracker that features a RMD Billet girder front end, Red Neck frame, Beringer radial brakes, HHI Sproter rear brake and RMD Billet 23″ wheels front and rear.
Modified Harley Class
The Modified Harley class was won by Chuck Toeniskoeter with his House of Thunder built Teardrop Custom Springer. It featured a custom rear fender and slammed front fender. Wiring, brake reservoir and controls were all hidden. The bike was breathed on with all Harley products and the effect was a sano ride.
Performance Custom Class
Rounding out the competition was Kevin Cherry’s ride that was awarded the top spot in the Performance Custom class. Cherry’s 2005 Kawasaki ZZR 1200is a big-bore bike built by Greggs Customs and features a single-sided swing arm, Fat Daddy wheels by Ride Wright, tailgunner exhaust and hand guns for passenger pegs. Paint by Roberto at Blue Cat with chrome by Sport Chrome.
The San Mateo results are as follows:
Performance Customs
1. Kevin Cherry
2. Jim Giuffra
3. Ray Wheeler
4. Jovan Samonte
5. Robert Sissons
Modified Harley-Davidson
1. Chuck Toeniskoeter
2. Paul Binford
Freestyle
1. Jim Giuffra
2. Mike Ludovico
3. Frederick Fortune
4. Gino Ilacqua
5. Mike Vivona
We interviewed a number of Ultimate Builders. Check them out in http://www.bikernetstudio.com.
The Ultimate Builder is an affiliate competition to the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building. Professional and amateur custom builders of choppers, cruisers and sportbikes are invited to enter their bikes into the competition and judge each other’s work.
The Ultimate Builder is sponsored by Bikernet.com, Harley-Davidson, Star Motorcycle, AMD World Championship and Biker Pros.
