From Behind The Lens
May, 2006
The Men, From the Boys, from the Builders
There is a cultural phenomenon in this country now that has taken the bike mechanic out of his dingy shop with long hours and turned him into a pop icon. The bike mechanic has now become the bike builder and they are absolutely everywhere.
Mechanics used to keep stock bikes running, then they became fabricators who chopped and remade stock into custom, now aftermarket availability allows nearly anyone to assemble a custom bike to his or her taste.
But in the mind of this observer, there is still a huge difference between these builders. I see on a daily basis bikes that push the envelope of design and ingenuity. I see show bikes that will never run and I see runners that never show. I see production bikes that have huge flavor and style and I see home-builds right out of the Drag Specialties catalog.
Old school, new school, it is all a matter of taste, but the true line that I draw to separate the men from the boys from the builders is not based on style, but on fabrication. If I know you are fabricating on your bikes, then you have my respect.
Recently, I have been seeing the term “Master builder” bantered around quite a bit. In fact, the owner of a company, which recently went out of business, had his business cards printed up with his title beneath his name and it read, “Master Builder”. I hadn’t thought much about it until I saw that, but the term really got me thinking, and upset me quite a bit that he would put it on his card. Whether it was true or not I am not willing to discuss here, but the inappropriateness of seemed apparent to me.
It was then that I asked my good friend, Jason Chaplin, from Title Town Cycles what he thought of someone calling themselves a “Master Builder” and his reply was, “In my mind a ‘master builder’ is an artist and fabricator whose bikes are absolutely unique in design, stance, and construction. They can build a bike from ground up, designing and making each part without relying on any pieces off the shelf. To do this, he or she must be an ace welder and metal former, and have mastered the other arts necessary to make a bike literally from scratch. Their one-off must have design, engineering, and personality which set that creation apart from all the other bikes. I know that I would never call myself a master builder; to earn that right one must be called that by the entire industry, a group of their peers.”
Once this master builder thing was planted in my mind, I started to randomly ask builders what they thought of the term. Dave Perewitz was in Daytona with me this past spring and I sat and had a beer and asked Dave what he thought of the term “Master Builder”.
Dave is producing his own show that is titled “Master Builder with Dave Perewitz” (you can get more information at www.masterbuildertv.com) In my eyes, Dave has earned the right to call himself a master builder. Dave got his first bike in ’67 before most of these other guys were born. He has been on the Discovery Channel Great Biker Build-off series, he has done Speed Channel Gibson & Aerosmith Bikes he has a Travel Channel program in the works. In 2001 he was inducted into Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in 2003 he was named "Best Custom Fabricated Bike Builder" by Easyriders Magazine/V-Twin Magazine. In 2003 he was inducted into National Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame (Anamosa, IA) and in 2005 he received "Life Time Achievement Award" by Easyriders Magazine/V-Twin Magazine. He doesn’t have a problem calling himself a Master Builder, he has earned it.
Dave says, “A builder cannot call himself a master builder until the industry has acknowledged him as such. That term gets thrown around way too much in this industry. Everyone was a biker, then everyone was a builder, then everyone is a master builder. You can’t just print a card with that on it… you have to earn that. I know my design, my fabrication, my engines, my paint. It’s the tee shirt selling that I have a hard time with!”
So, friends, be proud of what you build. Build it well, assembled or fabricated, as long as it pleases you but do not disrespect the industry godfathers. A master builder is few and far between and until someone who is acknowledged in the industry calls you it, you are still just a guy who is good at doing what you love. And in this world, that can easily be enough for anyone to be happy.
And that is how I see it, from behind the lens.
Story ideas, comments and feedback always welcome at bigshotphoto@aol.com.
