The J&P Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show rolled into Cleveland, OH and for the 3rd year in a row, snow greeted the custom bike builders as they unloaded their sled into the show.
Cleveland, founded in 1796, is located in northeastern Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie and just 60 miles West of the Pennsylvania border. It’s home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Ultimate Builder FreeStyle Class
Jesse Bassett at The Gasbox began the custom Indian sled build with an eBay-found 1940 741 Indian frame. A Norton Commando 4-speed transmission was chosen to replace the OEM Indian 3-speed. New engine plates were made and the scout primary was cut in half, offset and mated with a 1920’s Indian outer primary. All aluminum was polished, all steel was nickel plated, and all cast iron was plated. The entire frame and fork were nickel plated then painted Indian red.
- Jesse Bassett, The GasBox – 741 Indian, 1940 Military Scout
- Jesse Bassett, The GasBox – The Grape Escape, ’75 Shovelead
- Justin Kenley – 2012 Softail
Ultimate Builder MOD Harley Class
Three years ago Bob McAreavey rolled his orange and black Softail into Cleveland’s IX Center and took the MOD Harley win. In 2013 he came back with a Roadking and took the win again. 2 shows and 2 wins.
- Bob McAreavey – 2009 Roadking
- Little John Kuklisin, Klock Werks – Softglide, 2010 Roadglide
- David Cook, Sledgehammer Bobbers – Sledge, ’11 Dyna
Ultimate Builder Performance Custom Class
Chris Carr won the 1992, 1999, and 2001-2005 AMA Grand National Dirt Track (Flat Track) championships, the 2000 Formula USA Dirt Track Championship and the AMA 600cc Dirt Track championship seven times (1988–1993, and 1995). And now he is a 2013 Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show winner of Cleveland in the Performance Custom class.
- Chris Carr, Kenny Tolbert – Beaulah, ’08 XR750
- Perry Paugh, Dougherty MC – S/C & Pro ET Race Bike, ’95 ZX11 Ninja
Ultimate Builder RETRO MOD Class
Jesse Srpan of Raw Iron Choppers built this ’50 Panhead with a wishbone frame, 61ci mill and blue metal flake paint. The frame was raked to 44 degrees.
- Rick Srpan, Raw Iron Choppers – 1950 Panhead EL
- Jerry Horvath – 1976 Kawasaki KZ400
- T. McEnally, Ace Classic Cycles – ’74 Triumph Trackmaster
Ultimate Builder MOD Street Class
GIO from Blacksmith Motoring drove in from Chicago with his latest turbo build, El Vendetta, and took the win in MOD Street at Ultimate Builder in the Great white North. The 2008 Yamaha Retroliner features a Blacksmith 120ci stroker with forged pistons, lighten crank with HIPO heads & intake. The bike rolls with a 26” front wheel, air ride and 6 piston Hawg Halters brakes.
- GIO, Blacksmith Motoring – El Vendetta, 2008 Yamaha Roadliner
- Andrew Ella – First Attempt, ’77 XS650
Additional Awards
Jerry from JHL Choppers won the Show Dog Award sponsored by Rocking K Custom Leather for his promotion at the show. Jesse Bassett of The GasBox won the People’s Choice Award with his 1940 Military Scout. The Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show is produced by www.bikerpros.com. At each round of the competition Biker Pros photographs each bike and makes them available in their Flickr gallery at www.flickr.com/photos/bikerpros.
We are awarding $100,000 in cash and prizes over our 13 event series. The big money winners to date are:
- GIO – $7,500
- Kyle Shorey – $5,000
- Bruce Bolden – $3,000
