This is an interesting one. We met Paul Morris at the Long Beach Ultimate Builder Competition December 7th to the 9th. Our own Ray C. Wheeler competed against Paul in the Performance category. “Ray’s bike had it hands down,” Paul said. But Ray’s bike wasn’t completed so we had to take him out of the winning spot. It’s the code of the west. The winning bike needs to be complete and running.
Here’s some info on the J&P sponsored Ultimate Builder series produced by Biker Pros Bob Kay and Jeff Najar:
Featuring the world’s leading customized bikes and offering the largest prize purse of any builder competition on earth, the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show Presented by J&P Cycles offers you direct access to the foremost custom competition on the planet. Check out jaw-dropping designs, unbelievably exact engineering and painstakingly precise paint-jobs in this premier head-to-head motorcycle matchup. You’ll even have the opportunity to meet the artists, get their autographs, take pictures, and then voice your opinion to help decide the winner!
Think you’ve got what it takes to compete with the best builders around? Simply enter your bike into one of four competition classes – Freestyle, Modified Harley, Performance Custom, Retro Mod or Modified Street, by submitting your form here:
Paul took first in the Performance Custom Class, and at the time the Ultimate Builder team worked with world class photographer Jack McIntyre who set up a full-blown studio in the Long Beach Convention center and took complete feature photography on each entry bike. Plus, Paul was willing to tell us the story behind his hot shoe drag bike:
For the bike story I thought I would give you some background on me and how the bike came about, the build sheet, and some thanks to a few key players who have helped get it all together.
Background:
I started riding Harleys on the street in the early ‘90s. First Harley was a Heritage with lots of chrome and flash but no go. I picked up an FXR, which I kept for many years, slowly getting faster as the years went by. By 2000, we swapped it out for a 96-incher with Edelbrock Heads and cam and got 112 HP with it and won our first Horsepower shootout (one of eight I have won), and took it to the track and in 2001 finally got in the S&S 11- Second Club at Famoso Raceway.
We swapped the motor out for one of the first 124-inchers in 2002, and in 2003, got in the 10 Second Club. During this time I was street racing (and winning) this bike against imports and H-D’s, sometimes for $, which I don’t recommend, even though it was in a remote area. Kept modifying the bike and started taking it to local National races (and getting beat against pro level bikes), but in late ‘03 blew the motor up in Vegas at the track (over rev’d I think). Re-built it to a 131-inch (even though S&S said you can’t bore those cases out), and with a bigger cam, intake, and other tricks, got in the 9 Second Club (which there are three of us in the USA according to S&S). This club is for daily driven street H-Ds with no bar that can run 9s in the 1/4.
Around this time, I realized I needed two bikes. My street bike was getting way too radical for anything but short trips around town, and yet it still wasn’t fast enough to beat pro level competitors, dedicated race bikes and teams.
Finally found a deal on a frame and roller, and made the swap around ‘08. Was going to put the Evo 131-inch from the FXR in the race chassis, but I knew it wasn’t quite fast enough and it was maxed out–we needed another motor. Sold the original 131-incher to another racer, and we found a 4-cam motor from a racer friend for a great price and ran it for a couple seasons but we never really could get it fast enough, or get the big power out of that mill. Finally, during a dyno testing session after we just put a new intake and head configuration on it, it blew up on the dyno.
Although we have won many races at the local level, I decided after all these years, if I am ever going to be a National winner I needed a pro builder to build us a top level racing motor from scratch-Enter Steve Allsteadt of SA Racing. I am a small team (just me and my crew chief Mike, and sometimes guys come and go to help us out) with a shoestring budget, so I was wheeling and dealing, making trades, etc., to get top parts for this new motor. Steve was great during the process and understood our financial issues. It took a long time, but finally we now have our new motor. It is still 131-inch (our race class is 5.5 pounds per cubic inch, so the bigger motor you run, the more you need to weigh), but it is a totally different motor than my old 131-inch EVO.
We faced just about every set-back you can, trying to dial this bad-boy, including: shift light not working, electrical issues, tuning issues, shifting issues, chassis adjustments, clutch issues, and on and on, but the motor has never missed a beat and is a Rock Star. We are in the process of re-ringing it with some fresh springs, etc., but it is good to go for 2013.
Our goal for 2013 (which this bike is certainly capable of) is high 8-second 1/4 mile times at 150 mph plus, consistently. The Street Pro Class which this bike is built for is NHRA and AHDRA legal (I am a member and have licenses from both organizations) and should be running most West Coast races, depending on sponsorship and budget.
We are actively seeking sponsors and marketing partners for the 2013 season.
It should be a great year!!!
Thanks to all who helped make it happen (and special thanks to Bikernet!!!):
Crew Chief Mike
SA Racing (Steve Allsteadt)
Diamond Bar Choppers-Bob
Spyke Starters
JBV Racing
Rick Neal Racing
Jesel Valvetrain
S&S Cycle
Star Racing
World Wide Bearings
Works Performance-Tom
Barnett
Racepak Data Aquisition
Fabtech
Pingle
Owner: Paul Morris
Name: G2 Gangster-Street Legal Street Pro Bike
Builder: Completely hand fabricated with many 1 off parts
Records: Multi H-D race winner
8 X Horsepower Shootout Winner
3X Best of Show
Engine
Size: 131-inch 4 Cam
Builder: SA RACING Steve Alsteadt
Horsepower: 225 + (naturally aspirated)
Cases: Delkron
Flywheels: S&S Prostock
Rods: S&S Prostock aluminum
Cylinders: Axtell
Pistons: J&E
Heads: SA RACING billet
Cams: SA RACING-custom grind
Valvetrain: Jesel
Valves: Xceldyne titanium
Intake: SA RACING hand made
Carbs: SA RACING Prostock Dual D’s W/Novi stacks and Fuel pumps
Exhaust: Custom fabricated
Ignition: MSD
Data Acquisition: Racepak V300
Oil Pump: Proflow 3 stage modified by SA RACING
Primary case: Delkron FXR
Primary cover: Barnett Billet
Transmission: R&D 5-Speed
Clutch: Barnett Scorpion with multistage lock up
Bearings: World Wide Bearings Ceramic
[photo 1222]
CHASSIS
G2 Motorsports Gangster
Forks: Buell XB 2-inch under
Front Wheel: Buell XB
Rear wheel: BST Carbon Fiber
Fenders: Kosman Carbon Fiber
Front tire: Avon
Rear tire: Shinko DOT drag radial
ACCESSORIES
Dead Man switch: Pingle
Clutch 2-Step switch: Zippers
Shifting: Pingle air shifter
Headlight: H-D
Taillight: CCI
Fuel tank: HD modified Sportster
Oil tank: H-D FLH
Seat: Handmade
Hand controls/levers: Joker Machine/Pingle
