I flew into Detroit to meet with builders in Michigan a day before the kick-off of the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show in Novi, a suburb of Detroit. Biker Pros produces a custom bike show at all 12 Progressive International Motorcycle Shows across the country.
The custom bike show is designed for builders of choppers, bobbers, cruisers, custom bikes, touring sleds, and sportbikes to showcase their barroom swagger. These metal artists build bikes that are glistening eye-candy and find a functional groove like a rock & roll revival.
The first stop on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was Kustom’s Inc. My partner, Bob Kay, and I picked up a micro Sonic Chevrolet and flogged it up to Grand Ledge to meet with Gary Maurer and Julie Guilford at their shop. They are both metal masters and service customers locally and around the country. Kustom’s Inc. is a hot rod, racecar, and motorcycle fabrication company. They are the builder’s builder and are often subcontracted out to create custom components for other builders.
It was brisk in Detroit as I darted from the rental into the shop where I stumbled over a chunk of thick wall mild steel tubing bent at an odd angle. Everywhere I looked the shop was awash with metal in process. Every inch of the shop seems to have a staged project taking its turn for completion. Current projects include a Radical Bagger’s frame update, Pro One Bobber with batwing fairing and a Rislone Racing Trike. In addition, there are sundry hot rods, muscle cars, and dragsters waiting for attention.
Gary is also the mover/shaker behind Evil Engineering. He and his partners build bulletproof open primaries. My feeble mind whirled with the various projects, components, shop capabilities and tooling.
After a couple of hours, it was all a blur. On overload we loaded up and headed for Rislone. They make chemical additives for automotive applications and are a primary sponsor for Kustom’s Inc. Before we arrived there, we emergency braked and ducked in at Baker Drivetrain. We rolled up to the facilities as Bert was having a smoke out front… He pissed and moaned about being forced to smoke outside the shop, then decided to give us a tour instead of running his errands. If you know Bert you know how political incorrect he is. He greeted us as ole panty sniffers and proceeded to show us around the plant.
The Baker team is a tight knit group of enthusiasts who keep the transmission gears shifting. He’s a secretive bastard with some rooms closed off to the public. He shut a particular steel door, looked at us askance and admitted to developing new products for the upcoming V-Twin Expo, in Cinci. I can’t tell you what they are, he wouldn’t tell us, “But I can tell you this,” Bert said staring me down as if I could see through walls. “You are going to like what you see.”
When we rolled up to Rislone / Bar Leaks offices, we were only a couple hours late. Bob Mermuys runs the family business and believes in living through better chemistry. They make fuel and oil additives through Rislone and leak stopping products through Bar Leaks. They sell all over the world and plan a marketing push into China. It’s great to see a company looking to export American technology into China instead of the other way around.
Next up, on our hit parade was the psychedelic one, Ron Finch of Finch’s Custom Styled Cycles. As we hit place to place, Maurer blithered a running commentary on the code of bikers and bike builders. It’s a lot like Bandit’s Code of the West. He also has a name for everyone. One of his best buddies is Butt Crack and another friend was named The Angry Inch. I’ve just been endowed with the name “The Corporate Guy” which I’m sure will be shorten to the “Suit” soon. I don’t get it. I don’t own a suit. Bandit calls me, “Prince Najar.” Where the hell did that come from.
Hitting Finch’s compound is a feast for the metallic eyes. His studio is located in central Michigan and is like a big club house that contains everything a boy needs to while away the hours… a paint booth, steel repository, tools, collectables, motorcycles, loud classic rock and custom art. The grounds are full of metal sculptures with a sparkling 12-foot holiday motorcycle, the centerpiece of the collection.
Ron Finch has been referred to as “The Legend” not only as a builder of custom motorcycles, but also as an artist. He started Finch’s Custom Styled Cycles in 1965 in a small building in Pontiac, MI. His custom bikes have been shown in museums, art galleries and bike shows throughout the US, Germany, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Finch’s work proclaims the freedom and individualism that is associated with the motorcycle lifestyle. He’s not a Legend, he’s a goddamn “God,” but don’t mention it.
One bike that caught my attention is called “Double Cross” due to the crossover design that is carried through the frame, exhaust, handlebars, and accessories. The gas tank and the oil bag are concealed in the rear fender. This makes the polished S&S EVO motor pop. Dual Weber downdraft carburetors are mounted vertically and secured on either side of the engine.
A Finch sculpture is not what you consider a classic casting. It’s more like the psychedelic ’60s meets the stoner biker. Ron brings metal to life by sculpting found metal to create creatures, eyeballs, and plants. He swears he’s never experimented with drugs.
Running two-and-a-half-hours late, we missed lunch. We descended on proffered stale shop Xmas cookies and wilting vegetables like locust. Within minutes we licked our plates clean, downed warm beer, smiled once more and cut a dusty trail.
We wished the Finch’s adue and Happy New Year as we peeled out to our last three stops, first to Fab Kevin’s, then Voodoo Choppers, and Chop Docs.
Like all of the builders we met with previously, Fab Kevin down-sized his businesses while adjusting to the new economy. Fab Kevin has an efficient small shop in a strip mall. The damn thing is packed from deck to rafters with product. He has just enough room to roll a couple of bikes onto lifts.
Fab Kevin is a savant when it comes to custom steel parts for your bike build, such as seat kits, seat spring bungs, seat hinges, fender struts, point covers, tail lights and brackets, oil tanks, jockey shifters, forward control adapters, tank mounts, motor mounts, etc. He showed us new bungs designed for extremely tight-to-the-wheel fenders. They are recessed and mount flush under the fender to ensure that the bolt-head doesn’t catch on the tire.
Fab Kevin utilizes hammers, a builder’s insight and state-of-the-art CNC Plasma and Laser cutting equipment to ensure accurate parts and fabrications. Speaking of hammer, the bike belonging to the owner of The Horse Back Street Chopper Magazine aka “Hammer” was on the lift and getting fixed. And Fab Kevin recently helped Bandit with a precision made Mudflap girl shift linkage for his FXR.
After a couple of calls we headed out the door and around the corner for a surprise visit to Voodoo Choppers. Eric Georges is as tall as an NBA forward and has a bone-crushing handshake. Eric latest build is a stretched out midnight-black bobber called De Lux. Eric is known for his work on Discovery when he built the wheelie dragster on the Ultimate Car Build-Off and of course his handcrafted motorcycles. He was wrapping-up De Lux as we interrupted his shop activities. It is built with handcrafted controls, frame, exhaust, bars and hand-built oil and gas tanks. I was beginning to sense the aura of a true creative nirvana surrounding the once smog-filled Detroit skies. What was the deal?
The Voodoo Choppers’ shop was packed full of bikes. Some were in the for mods and others for repair. One build caught my eye. It was rapidly becoming a stretched out chopper wrapped around a four-cylinder ’80s vintage mil, long and lean with a fat lump in the middle… perfect.
Too soon, it was time to make our way to the last builder’s location, Chop Docs Choppers out in Waterford, Michigan. I got my hand crushed once more and said my good byes as we loaded up under threatening gray winter skies.
We rolled up to Ron Harris’ shop a mere 5 hours behind schedule. As we walked in, Ron was bent over a set of bags, buffing them to a fine luster. He was readying his customer’s bike for entry into the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show in Detroit the following day.
If he was pissed by our late arrival, he didn’t show it, as beers were handed out and the insults came fast and furious. Ron’s posse is fiveX-plus dudes, so when he hits Rock Star status he will be in good hands.
The Chop Docs team did well at the Ultimate Builder… Shoobdville, a 1997 Fat Boy Bagger, took first in MOD Harley and Sweet Lou, a 1977 H-D FXH and Ron’s personal ride, took 3rd in Retro Mod. Unfortunately, it got beat by an urban 1977 Honda GL 1000 Goldwing. Cheer him up at… http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chop-Docs-Choppers/103193386394992.
The first bike I spotted when I stumbled inside was an Ironhead Sportster, recently converted to a hardtail. Ron’s challenge was to refurbish this $500 garage find and have it running and sparkling for $1,500. Cycle Source Magazine is covering the build in an upcoming edition and we will see the completed bike in person in Daytona during 2012 Bike Week.
Chop Docs Choppers is a full service business. Up front, his wife cuts hair. In back, Ron paints and fabricates bikes. Glancing around the shop at the assorted mullets and long hairs, she apparently doesn’t get much support from the biker community.
We want to thank Gary and Jules for being tour guides for the day. American ingenuity, innovation and collaboration is alive and well in Detroit. It is not easy to thrive in the motorcycle industry today, and it must be even harder in Michigan, but these guys are doing it and having fun as well. We also want to thank all of the Michigan builders who came out to support the 2012 Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show.
FreeStyle Class
1 Steve Broyles, Stevenson’s Cycles – GL Special, 2008 Stevenson’s Cycle Bobber
2 Eric Gorges, Voodoo Choppers – De Lux, 2011 Voodoo Choppers’ Bobber
3 Rob Gallo, Detroit Choppers – Detroit Black Out, 2011 H-D Road Glide
Mod Harley Class
1 Kirk Schubert, Chop Docs Choppers, Shoobdville, 1997 Fat Boy Bagger
2 Jody Jendon, Reflections Custom Cycle, 2007 Street Glide
3DJ Hunter, Biker Bobs H-D, PDS, 2010 H-D FLHX
Performance Custom Class
1 Jack McCoy, M43 Powersports – Inferno, 2008 Suzuki B-King
2 Mark Hunt, Bummer – Crazy Horse, 1974 H-D Ironhead
3 Giovanni, Blacksmith Motoring Co. – El Vaquero, 1977 Honda GL 1000 Goldwing
Retro Mod
1 Steve Hollon, Gogatha Choppers – General Grunge, 1987 Sportster
2 Giovanni, Blacksmith Motoring Co. – El Vaquero, 1977 Honda GL 1000 Goldwing
3 Ron Harris, Chop Docs Choppers, Sweet Lou, 1977 H-D FXH
People’s choice
-Jeff Najar
Baker Drivetrain
Kustoms Inc. 
S&S Cycle
