Our trip to the TPJ Customs bike shop was delayed a bit while the wicked weather witch raged here in NorCal. From hailstorms to wretched winds, we’ve seen it all in the last week. By the time we limped on over to Lodi, TPJ Customs owner, Bryan Schimke, had blown the covers off his new build and it didn’t take any bribery to get him to share the details for this sexy new sled. Of course, the Jack we had stashed in the saddlebags didn’t hurt any when it came to getting him to sit down with us for a few minutes and talk about his plans for the riding season.
Bryan’s been busy working on a new build for the 10th Annual Motorcycles as Art Exhibit: Eternal Combustion-30 in the Wind that will be presented at the Buffalo Chip during Sturgis Rally Week 2010. The exhibit will focus on the explosion of interest and passion for the custom motorcycle seen over the last 30 years and is scheduled for August 7-13. The bike will be shown at the exhibit, and then sold.
Schimke told us, “I hope it's done by May so I can ride it a bit before shipping it off for the Eternal Combustion Exhibit. The bike is a project I have had in my head. I've been saving parts for a while, and a few customer projects got parts and ideas from this bike, but this is exactly the way I want it. It's a mix between an old rigid jockey shift with 107″ S&S, but with a Hyabusa front end and Performance stopping. The frame is made in-house as well as all the metal work. Getting the invite kicked me in the ass to get it done for its debut for Michael’s show.”
If the showpiece isn’t sold, however, Bryan has another plan up his sleeve. After Sturgis, he’s talking about taking a side-trip on his way back home via the salt flats. He’ll change out the handlebars, throw on a chain guard, and give his project bike a run down the course at the BUB Speed Trials. Think he’ll get to do it? Or will some deserving customer scoop up this custom ride before it gets to strut its stuff on the salts? We’re betting Bryan will be a bit bummed if he misses another chance to tear up the flats. Guess that’s just one of the pitfalls of loving your work. Stay tuned.
TPJ Customs is a complete fabrication shop located in Northern California. We like to build parts that are tough enough to stand up to everyday abuse but are unique and custom so they also look great on show bikes.
All parts are fabricated in the TPJ shop with high quality steel or aluminum. We can build a custom bike from the ground up or compliment your stock bike with some unique custom parts to make it your own.
Call us at (209) 339-7043 or send us an email at tpjcustoms@aol.com
