2013 AMD World Championship

2013 AMD World Championship FreeStyle winner is RONDINE by Don Cronin and Michael O’Shea of Medaza Cycles.

Of the 66 bikes competing in the Freestyle class, the 2013 World Championship title was taken by Medaza Cycles’ Rondine. Don Cronin and Michael O’Shea, the two Irish men responsible for the build created a one-off frame to carry the single-cylinder, 1971 Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone 500 engine. They were also responsible for hand-forming the aluminium bodywork and the heavily modified V-Rod swingarm, which is used as a girder style front fork, on the bike which previously took top honours at the 2013 Irish Motorcycle and Scooter show in Dublin.

While innovation has always been a hallmark of the World Championship of Custom Bike Building, the 10th anniversary of the show reached a new level. Held for the first time in Europe, at the Big Bike Europe Expo in Essen, Germany, the Championship showcased motorcycles, scooters, trikes and sidecar outfits. Among the power units being employed by the 105 competitors were not only American V-twins, but also Italian singles and V-twins, Japanese multis and singles, a diesel, an engine from a Honda generator and even a 1920’s boat engine. With entries from 23 countries there were a total of 122 machines in five classes.

The post 2013 AMD World Championship FreeStyle Winner Update appeared first on Biker Pros.

The Steampunk-inspired scooter uses an industrial chain for the backbone

Events: Shown at AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building
Company:  RK Concepts
Photos: AMD World Championship
More Steampunk bikes: Click here

Rafik Kaissi, of www.rkconcepts.com, creates custom motorcycles in his shop in Austin, Texas from scratch by using materials he finds in area junkyards.

The Steampunk Custom Scooter called RK Chain

Rafik uses piston rods as connecting rods and chains as a frame for the custom RK Chain bike he has created. One of the unique Steampunk-inspired aspect of the bike is that the rider actually wears the gas tank. This is because the chain would have hidden the actual tank if he had created one for it.

The resulting look of his bikes is a conflation of futurist cyber punk and post-modern steampunk industrial art, reflecting radical changes in social order as seen by a marginalized loner in a dystopian future. Imagine Star Wars shot as film noir, or if Jules Verne had written the screenplay for Blade Runner. A Kaissi bike could be a prop in such a movie. They are imaginative anachronisms created by feigning a transposition of bygone technology into the future.

A conflation of futurist cyber punk and post-modern steampunk industrial art

The front suspension is a half leaf spring, and it is clamped with 3 U bolts, and this allows for longer front forks by sliding the leaf spring out equally on both sides of the front fork. Rafik built, designed and fabricated the pipes, front end, headlight and leaf spring seat.
Mikuni carburator with custom intake. Vintage fire extinguisher fabricated into a back pack handles fueling duties, ISR hand controls with custom hand grips and hand grenade front end brake fluid reservoir.

Steampunk Custom Scooter from Rafik Kaissi

Rafik Kaissi, who immigrated to the United States from civil-war-torn Lebanon, now creates working motorcycles from junked bikes, as works of art. Kaissi began building bikes in the garage of his one-bedroom apartment in Austin in 2007.

The post Rafik Kaissi’s Steampunk Custom Scooter appeared first on Biker Pros.

Steampunk Triumph Custom Motorcycle

Events: Shown at 2013 Chicago & Indy Ultimate Builder
Company: Analog Motorcycles
Source: Bike EXIF
Photos: Biker Pros
More Steampunk bikes: Click here

We met Tony Prust in Chicago at the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show in the winter of 2013 and were blown away by the iron he rolled into the show. The level of craftsmanship really stood out with the finish in clear-coated raw metal with brass highlights, which delivered a satisfying texture that you don’t see in painted bike. The following is an article from Bike EXIF. -Jeff

This Triumph T120 Bonneville is the personal ride of Tony Prust; it’s a more ‘traditional’ look than many Analog motorcycles, with a side order of steampunk too.

A Triumph T120 Bonneville – Steampunk Motorcycle

“El Matador” was a labor of love for Prust for two years. The frame came from a 1968 Triumph, and is now fitted with a bolt-on hardtail from Dave Byrd. The 650 motor is a 1972 spec, and was rebuilt by Ed Zender of the Triumph specialists Morrie’s Place. It’s now powdercoated in wrinkle black.

The Steampunk Triumph is finished in clear-coated raw metal with brass highlights

Maund velocity stacks feed the engine, and the pipes are from Lowbrow Customs. The belt drive primary comes from Bob Newby Racing; the open cover was designed by Prust and Zander.

Up front, Prust has fitted the forks from a late 60s BSA. They’re hooked up to a twin leading shoe hub laced to 19″ rim, while the conical hub at the back is laced to a 16” Harley-Davidson rim. The tires are grippy dual-sport Kenda K761s, contrasting with the traditional nature of the rest of the build.

Prust gave the T120 a full rewire, and installed a Joe Hunt Magneto. (A neat touch is the vintage-style cloth wrapping on the wiring.) Hand-made parts include the front and rear lights and the solid brass rear fender, which was fabricated by 7 Metal West. The oil plumbing is solid brass too, along with the tank badges and handgrips. The immaculate clear coat (with gold leaf and pinstriping) was applied by Brando Custom Paint.

Tony Prust of Analog Motorcycles – The Steampunk Triumph

It’s a little bit gothic and a little bit steampunk, and a showcase for Prust’s old-school fabrication skills. One of the classiest T120s we’ve seen for a long time.

Check out Bike EXIF Archives for previous Analog builds, and the Analog Facebook page for news. Images by bikerpros.com.

The Steampunk Motorcycle Builder: Analog Motorcycles

Analog Motorcycles Analog motorcycles started officially in the summer of 2009, however the idea has been there for years. Tony Prust, founder of Analog Mototrcycles, has been riding and customizing motorcycles for over 15 years.

The attention to detail Tony has developed throughout this hobby, combined with his profession as a trim carpenter, is starting to result in incredibly beautiful motorcycles. His goal has always been to put together bikes that both look good and perform well.

Currently Analog is capable of small accessory installs to full custom bike builds, powder coating to fabricating and everything in between. They can find a specific bike to build or can tailor it to fit the look the client wants. No matter how old or new, they can restore or customize it.

Tony Prust of Analog Motorcycles Builds 2-Wheel Dreams

Steampunk Revisited

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Therefore, steampunk works are often set in an alternate history of the 19th century’s British Victorian era or American “Wild West”, in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. Steampunk perhaps most recognizably features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era’s perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or the modern authors Philip Pullman, Scott Westerfeld, and China Miéville. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of such technology as lighter-than-air airships, analog computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace’s Analytical Engine.

Steampunk may also, though not necessarily, incorporate additional elements from the genres of fantasy, horror, historical fiction, alternate history, or other branches of speculative fiction, making it often a hybrid genre. The term steampunk’s first known appearance was in 1987, though it now retroactively refers to many works of fiction created even as far back as the 1950s or 1960s.

Steampunk also refers to any of the artistic styles, clothing fashions, or subcultures, that have developed from the aesthetics of steampunk fiction, Victorian-era fiction, and films from the mid-20th century. Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical “steampunk” style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk.

The post Analog Motorcycles’ Steampunk Motorcycle: A Custom Triumph T120 Bonneville appeared first on Biker Pros.

A Steampunk inspired motorcycle is an exciting artistic endeavor. They are a combination of vintage, retro and rolling art.

Copper Mike’s Steampunk

Very few custom motorcycles have had a lasting impression like the custom Steampunk motorcycle from Copper Mike. His Steampunk features many antique copper industrial gauges, hand-built brass fittings and an old fire extinguisher. The metal has been hand-hammered and a delight to see.

Click here for the article.

Tony Prust’s El Matador

This Triumph T120 Bonneville is the personal ride of Tony Prust; it’s a more ‘traditional’ look than many of his sleds coming from Analog motorcycles. “El Matador” was a two year labor of love for Prust and is built with Steampunk influences.

Click here for Tony Prust’s El Matador article.

Rafik Kaissi’s Steampunk Custom Scooter

Rafik Kaissi, of www.rkconcepts.com  built this Steampunk-inspired motorcycle. The resulting look of  this is bike is a conflation of futurist cyber punk and post-modern steampunk industrial art.

Click here for the article about the Steampunk motorcycle.

A Selection of Steampunk Custom Motorcycles

Custom Steampunk motorcycle goes mainsteam. The custom Steampunk sleds always draw a crowd at our Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Shows. They often incorporate a significant amount of brass, copper and the use of gears and cogs and has a high-tech, yet vintage look. Some of these custom Steampunk bikes have gained prominent followings in and out of the Steampunk movement.

More Steampunk Explaination

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Therefore, steampunk works are often set in an alternate history of the 19th century’s British Victorian era or American “Wild West”, in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.

Steampunk also refers to any of the artistic styles, clothing fashions, or subcultures, that have developed from the aesthetics of steampunk fiction, Victorian-era fiction, and films from the mid-20th century.[2] Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical “steampunk” style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk.

In general, the category includes any recent science fiction that takes place in a recognizable historical period (sometimes an alternate history version of an actual historical period) in which the Industrial Revolution has already begun, but electricity is not yet widespread.[citation needed] It places an emphasis on steam- or spring-propelled gadgets. The most common historical steampunk settings are the Victorian and Edwardian eras, though some in this “Victorian steampunk” category can go as early as the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Steampunk Gains Momentum

In 2013, IBM predicted, based on an analysis of more than a half million public posts on message boards, blogs, social media sites and news sources, “that ‘steampunk,’ a sub-genre inspired by the clothing, technology and social mores of Victorian society, will be a major trend to bubble up and take hold of the retail industry.

The post Steampunk Custom Motorcycles appeared first on Biker Pros.

Big Bike Update From Germany

Big Bike Europe is a first ever show that is designed to give Europe high mileage and large displacement motorcycle. It offers the visitors a unique number of privileges and information about the field. It focuses on the different business opportunities for its exhibitors and assists them to expand their market and establish themselves in the field.

Big Bike Europe is a three day event that is taking place in Essen in Germany. The expo is a platform for the international vendors and suppliers to directly access the market. It showcases the performance, custom, tuning parts and accessories designed by various vendors for this event. It is a large displacement motorcycle market of Europe.
- Bob Kay

PainTTless, Andreas Bergeforth’s winner of the 2012 AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building is on display at Big Bike Europe! A hand crafted one-of-a-kind tour de force that oozes stunning design and engineering craftsmanship from every angle, Andreas used a restored and modified 1000cc Harley-Davidson Ironhead Sportster engine in a one-off, hand-built custom swingarm frame.

Filling up gradually ….. AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building

S&S takes the crew overseas to Germany for the Big Bike Europe Performance, Custom & Tuning Show.

Neal Blabber Registers with Builders

Builders stage on Thursday to get into the World Championship

BIG BIKE EUROPE and the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building are announcing that the highest placed domestic US based competitor in the FreeStyle Class at Milwaukee will also be awarded automatic qualification to compete at the 2013 10th annual World Championship at BIG BIKE EUROPE in May next year as a member of ‘TEAM USA’.

Commenting on the new direction the AMD World Championship program is taking, AMD publisher and founder Robin Bradley said:

“Sturgis has served us well down the years and we’d especially like to thank Harley-Davidson for their support in helping us to be able to stage the World Championship at the rally.However, the news about the AMD affiliate custom bike competition at the Harley-Davidson Museum sees our relationship with Harley taking a new and exciting direction. I have always maintained that if there were just one, and one only, better place for AMD to be able to be showcasing custom motorcycle design and engineering excellence in the United States than at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, then Milwaukee, the mother-lode of our industry, would be it.”

The post Bob Kay Talks Big Bike Europe appeared first on Biker Pros.

AMD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FROM ESSEN

Bob Kay sent the photograph of the kick off at the World Championship. Communication is slow so check back for more details.

About the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building

The Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building® program encompasses some 32 events in total, in 20 different countries: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.

Total public attendances at events involved in the program regularly top 1 million motorcycle enthusiasts a year, in markets worth some 20 million motorcyclists and nearly 1 billion consumers in general.

The World Championship of Custom Bike Building® is supported for the long-term benefit of the custom motorcycle industry by a consortium of Official Partners. World Championship Partnership is only available to selected potential sponsors. The Program’s organizers issue invitations to be associated with the World Championship to custom motorcycle manufacturers, motorcycle parts, accessory and service component manufacturers, distributors and brand owners based on their perceived suitability for association with the aims and values of the program.

The current Partner line-up can be found here.

The World Championship of Custom Bike Building® exists to showcase and promote international custom motorcycle design and engineering quality, craftsmanship and innovation; and to promote the evolution of custom motorcycling in ways that will help secure the unique enjoyment of custom motorcycles for future generations of riders.

The World Championship is a free-public-admission four-day event that opens on the first Sunday of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, culminating in an awards ceremony at 3:00 pm MST on the Wednesday of the Rally. The whole event, including the awards ceremony, is broadcast on the internet here at www.amdchampionship.com

The results of all European and World Championships since the program’s inception appear in the event website registry, along with details of the motorcycle builders, photo gallery, and technical specifications.

Class Definitions

Freestyle
One-off, ground-up built custom bikes, on all or any chassis platforms or drivetrains.

Modified Harley-Davidson
Stock Evo or later frame and stock Evo or later (including Screamin’ Eagle / JIMS) engine cases. The stock frame/Harley platform geometry must be maintained; the only modifications allowed are weld smoothing and other moldings and sheet metal additions, tab and or bracket relocation or removal and arising smoothings/moldings (such as exhaust bracket relocation for example). Swingarm/rear-end changes, of any kind, including replacement swingarms, are permitted; fat or skinny rear end conversions are permitted; as is frame or rear-end lowering or raising – provided the basic stock frame geometry is unchanged. Case internals can be replaced, along with cylinders, heads and internals. Turbo chargers, super chargers, NOS kits etc are permitted. Frames and cases can be from two different Harley-Davidsons.

Production Manufacturer
Stock or customised versions of EU homologated / street legal volume-produced models. Certificate of Conformity (CoC) must be provided for display with bike. Any further questions to the organisers.

Retro Modified
Any modified bike, with any drive train on any chassis configuration manufactured prior to 1984. Must be based on a pre-1984 engine, and styled to have the appearance of a motorcycle manufactured prior to 1984. Use of some contemporary parts/design elements is permitted.

Street Performance
A class designed to showcase customs of all or any kind, of any platform or drivetrain, air-cooled or liquid-cooled (or even alternative energy) bikes, where the primary intention of the customizer is to improve performance and/or showcase his/her performance engineering and techniques. Open to ‘streetable’ performance work, drag strip, circuit racing, off-road racing or ‘Bonneville’ race projects and bikes. Open to ‘metric’, Whitworth/AF, and SAE measure bikes. Open to all kinds of performance engineering and enhancement techniques, including super charging, turbo charging, NOS etc.

The post Bob Kay Checks In from AMD World Championship appeared first on Biker Pros.

Biker Pros, the nation’s largest producer of custom bike shows, today announced that they have agreed to produce the Hollister AMD Qualifier Custom Bike Show in Hollister, CA on Saturday, July 6, 2013 for Worldwide Dynamics.

Biker Pros is the North American Bureau for American Motorcycle Dealer (AMD) and produces affiliate shows across the United States. The winner of the FreeStyle class in Hollister receives an automatic bid to the AMD Invitational Custom Bike Show at the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Celebration. The winner then has the opportunity to attend the AMD World Championship in Germany by winning the FreeStyle class and becoming the TEAM USA representative.

Hollister AMD Qualifier Custom Bike Show

The AMD affiliation draws world-class custom motorcycles from the Mid-West and West Coast. Styling influences from Arlen Ness to Cole Foster and everything in between will be on-display at the center of the rally running down the middle of San Benito Street.
The word Hollister has been synonymous with California motorcycle rallies for decades. It secured its place in pop culture from the 1954 film The Wild One with Marlon Brando, which is based on the 1947 rally. The 2013 Hollister Rally Revival reboot includes 30 bands, ACE Café, Manufacturers row, demo rides and so much more.

“The entire Biker Pros team is excited to be part of the revival at the Hollister rally and is looking forward to showcase the incredible talent in California,” said Bob Kay, Biker Pros Partner. “Many of the outstanding custom bikes that are coming to the show have required hundreds upon hundreds of hours to construct.”

The show presents six classes including FreeStyle, MOD Harley, Radical Bagger, Performance Customs, MOD Street and Retro MOD. A total of $7,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the class winners. Professional and amateur custom builders of choppers, cruisers, bobbers, baggers and race bikes are invited to enter their bikes into the competition and judge each other’s work. Go to bikerpros.com for more information.

The post Biker Pros is Producing the Hollister AMD Qualifier Custom Bike Show appeared first on Biker Pros.

Biker Pros Produces Bike Time Extreme Custom Bike Show

Biker Pros, the nation’s largest producer of custom bike shows, has announced it will be producing The Muskegon Bike Time Extreme Custom Bike Show on Saturday, July 20, 2013 sponsored by Hot Rod Harley-Davidson and Budweiser.

The show will take place on the grounds of Hot Rod Harley-Davidson in downtown Muskegon, MI.

The winner of the MOD Harley class in Muskegon receives an automatic bid to the AMD Invitational Custom Bike Show at the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee. The winner of the Milwaukee show wins a free trip to Germany to represent Team USA at the AMD World Championships. Click here to enter the show.

Bike Time Extreme Custom Bike Show Cash Awards

The custom bike show hosts 4 classes:

• FreeStyle Wins – $1,500
• MOD Harley Wins – $1,000
• RADICAL Bagger Wins – $750
• Retro MOD Wins – $750

Bike Time Custom Bike Show Details

Location: Muskegon, MI – MAP
Date: Saturday, July 20th
Load-in: Early Saturday Morning
Muskegon Bike Time Event Website: muskegonbiketime.com

The annual Muskegon Bike Time Rally rolls into town and on July 20, 2013. The custom bike kicks off Saturday morning and wraps up before the evening concerts. The rally welcomes thousands of Harley-Davidson riders and Custom Bike Builders — Click here for the Muskegon Bike Time Rally details. Click here to enter the custom bike show.

The post Bike Time Extreme Custom Bike Show Kicks Off appeared first on Biker Pros.

Pinstriping @ Smoke Out 14

Jillian Rossi is providing pin striping seminars at the Monstercraftsman booth during the Smoke Out 14 Rally on Friday and Saturday, June 21 and 22, 2013.

If you want to know how a professional pinstriper creates the look that we are all interested in, then make sure you attend the Smoke Out Rally.

Jillian will showcase the basic strokes and demonstrate them in complete detail. She will show you the techniques to produce steady straight lines along with rotating the brush in curves and much more.

“We are excited to bring Jillian to the Rock and introduce her to the Smoke Out Rally,” explained Greg “Edge” Scheuer, the Smoke Out Rally Grand Poobah. “Our Chopper Jockeys really are going to enjoy seeing how to stripe up a tank.”

The Smoke Out is a celebration of everything Chopper. Entertainment at the rally includes mini bike racers, a painted lady contest, bands, the Horse Backstreet Chopper Magazine’s Chop Off and plenty more.

“I have a natural ability to communicate and educate,” said Jillian. “I’ll be sharing my tips and techniques that will keep people riveted whether they are interested in pinstriping for themselves or not.”

Jillian comes by her ability honestly. Her father, Rich Rossi, is a painter and a metal fabricator, and both have the gift for working with their hands. Jillian strives for quality and line consistency. She challenges herself to deliver a precise design.

The post Monstercraftsman Adds Jillian Rossi to their Smoke Out 14 Line Up appeared first on Biker Pros.

Hollister Rally Revival

July 5th – Hollister Custom Bike Show

The Hollister Rally is back own for 2013 and on July 5th Biker Pros is producing the Custom Bike Show. The winner of the FreeStyle class in Hollister receives an automatic bid to the AMD Invitational Custom Bike Show at the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Celebration. The winner then has the opportunity to attend the AMD World Championship in Germany by winning the FreeStyle class in Milwaukee and becoming the TEAM USA representative. Enter your Custom Bike.

Hollister Rally Revival Activities

• 30 Bands on 4 Stages
• Manufacturers Demo Rides
• Loads of great street food
• ACE Cafe
• 2 Giant Beer Gardens
• The Jack Daniels Experience
• Thunder Roads Magazine
• Miss Hollister Bikini Contest
• Poker Runs

The 1947 Hollister Rally

The Wild One Put Hollister in Pop Culture

The Wild One is a 1953 American outlaw biker film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. It is famed for Marlon Brando’s iconic portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler.

The Wild One was based on a short story, The Cyclists’ Raid by Frank Rooney, in the January 1951 issue of Harper’s Magazine. The story was later published in book form as part of The Best American Short Stories 1952.

The story took a cue from an actual biker street party on the Fourth of July weekend in 1947 in Hollister, California that was elaborately trumped up in the July 21, 1947 issue of Life Magazine, and dubbed the Hollister riot, with staged photographs of wild motorcycle outlaw revelers. The Hollister event is rebooted for 2013. In the film, the setting is the fictional Wrightsville, California

The post Biker Pros Produces Hollister’s Custom Bike Show appeared first on Biker Pros.