Throw Down in Milwaukee

“The heart of rock ’n roll and 2-wheel hot rods” is centered at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, and every Labor Day the dedicated come to celebrate on the museum’s hallowed ground. The weekend spectacular included not one, but two custom bike shows, with the Harley-Davidson Museum Invitational Pro Custom Bike Show featuring 3 debut bikes and 5 winning bikes that had taken 1st place in previous national bike shows. 

 

 

 

 

The first award of the afternoon was the Future Custom Builder Award, and it went to Adrijan Ozajic of Colorado for his electric Razor. The People’s Choice Award was presented to Tom Hedrick for his 1987 Heritage Softail, which showcased a Lord of the Rings motif.  Milwaukee Mike, representing Cycle Source Magazine, awarded the Editor’s Choice Award to Mike Rabideau of Majik Mike Designs for his radical trike.

 

 

The MOD Harley class had significant diversity with the class winner showcasing a lot of talent with his 2005 Harley-Davidson Softail old school design.  The black and green color combination made the bike pop. The big-wheel and springer front-end cut a dramatic profile. 

Joel Gurath pumped up his H-D Twin Cam 95″ mil with 10.5:1 Forged Pistons, SE Heads, SE Cams, SE Push Rods, Compression Releases, 45 Mikuni Carb and SE Clutch Kit. The bike looked and sat right. He modified the rear fender, fender struts/brackets, license plate mount, headlight mount, seat pan and handlebars.

 

 

1. Joel Gurath, Backbone Built Bikes – 2005 Softail

 

 

 

2. Tom Hedrick, Reimans Harley Davidson – 1987 Heritage Softail

 

 

 

“Our annual Custom Bike Show Weekend puts customization at center stage,” said Bill Davidson, Vice President of the Harley-Davidson Museum. “All weekend, visitors saw some of the most amazing motorcycles, which can only be described as rolling sculptures. It was an honor to have top professional bike builders from around the country participate in the invitational show and continue to make Custom Bike Show Weekend one of the best events in Milwaukee and at the Harley-Davidson Museum.”

 

 

 

Jon Shipley of Hoosier Daddy Choppers rolled in “Free Willy”, a freshly built boardtrack-style motorcycle. The bike was built to showcase the 120R crate motor that was awarded to him last year for winning the MOD Harley class at the 110th Anniversary Pro Show. The bike got its name because Willy G awarded it to Jon.

The bike features paint by Brad Boles, frame by Rigid MMW, Hoosier Daddy Choppers’ copper oil tank and porthole gas tank. The bike combines brass and copper finishes with artic white paint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Kay, Custom Bike Show MC and Biker Pros’ Partner, thanked the sponsors, including Nino 925, Weber, Motor Clothes, Harley-Davidson P&A, Old Smokey Moonshine and the Harley-Davidson Museum, for participating and supporting the Pro Show.  

 

 

 

 

Tim and Mike McNamer of Ballistic Cycles bill themselves as the leader in Custom Bagger innovations, and from what we have seen, they are using leading-edge design and the latest technologies to create exceptionally stunning bikes.  Their latest build not only hit it out of the park, it shredded the ball. 

The chassis started with a stock FL. They added a 4” stretch to their single down tube and put 3” in the backbone. Tim and Mike added a 2” custom drop seat and 3” in the swingarm. 

The Bagger features a 10 psi Aerocharger turbo system utilizing a liquid cooled intercooler with dial heat exchangers, a compete hand-formed feather-light aluminum body, 30” hubless wheel with integrated braking and air ride billet front fork assembly with custom billet hand controls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dennis Crabtree first encountered his 1941 Harley-Davidson WL more than 35 years ago. He worked in a motorcycle shop and would hustle parts from show to show. In 2010, he got a call from the shop owner and purchased an entire trailer full of parts and pieces. Over the next 2 years, Crabtree went to work and built his hill climb racer. The tank and fender paint (Spinel Red & Silver) are Ford interior colors on 1948 and 1953 models. 

The engine on the bike he calls “Baby Stroker” is a Flathead, 52ci stroker built by American Cycle Fab. It features modified M51 Linkert Carb, pistons & flywheels, Truett & Osborn Cams and heads ported & flowed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Harley-Davidson Museum Invitational Pro Custom Bike Show is one of the most unique event experiences for the builder. The museum campus is nestled in between downtown and Walker’s Point. This is a great location, close to hotels, bars, restaurants, the river and the lake.

 

 

The show is set in Chrome, the Museum’s seasonal climate controlled tent that’s open 180 days out of the year. It’s lit by 3 stunning chandeliers and features floor to ceiling glass windows.

 

Each builder received a Harley-Davidson Museum annual membership and a behind-the-scenes museum tour.  A summer picnic and pig roast also was provided for each competitor. Each winning builder received an H-D Stage 1 Kit, Ole Smokey Swag Bag, Museum Trophy and a Weber Tailgate grill. The Museum Show Champion and MOD Harley winner also took home a Nino 925 Rockstar Skull ring. The People’s Choice winner was awarded a leather jacket.

 

 

 

The Harley-Davidson Museum Invitational Pro Custom Bike Show had strong participation from Suburban Harley-Davidson and Hal’s Harley-Davidson. Suburban brought two of their race bikes, with one bike being a backup to Benny Carlson, currently in 2nd place in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson series. 

 

Hal’s brought in their Fat Tracker, which is a touring bike tribute to Hal’s racing heritage. (It’s basically a touring bike converted into a dirt track racer.) If you are thinking that winters are too long in Wisconsin, we are thinking you are correct. 

 

 

Overall the weekend was a success with so much to do at the museum specifically, and in the city and at the local dealerships in general. And the most impressive aspect of the weekend event was something that you had to really look for to notice, the dedicated museum staff that made the event run. They put in hours and hours of time and effort to ensure that Harley-Davidson enthusiasts had a good time and enjoyed their weekend at the Museum.