Official Release:
Many internationally known custom builders headed to Sturgis to compete in the 2011 World Championship of Custom Bike Building but it was a relatively unknown customizer that took the top honors yesterday.
After working on his bike for 3-1/2 years Ken Tabata, of Tavax Engineering, Yao City, Osaka, Japan, appeared in Sturgis and now he is preparing to leave as the 2011 World Champion of Custom Bike Building. He describes his winning bike, TAVAX2011V, as being designed to look like a Cheetah about to pounce, all dynamic movement and power.
TAVAX2011V effortlessly combines sculpted aluminum bodywork with one-off hand-made pieces that form the suspension and replace the stock engine and transmission covers. At the rear of the bike the swingarm pivots from behind the rear cylinder, arcing over the transmission, and carrying a linkage system operated single shock, a design similar to that found on many modern sports bikes.
At the front of the machine the suspension begins at the axle as a leading link fork, which then changes via a pair of links to finish as a Springer fork.
To demonstrate the performance potential of his bike Ken has forgone tall and wide wheels, favoring instead a pair of Marchesini 17in sport bike rims carrying floating rotors and Lockheed brake calipers.
Taking a less complex styling route, Larry Houghton, of Lamb Engineering, secured second place with Son of a Gun. Based around and eBay find 1951 BSA single cylinder engine and Talon motocross wheels, Larry built the rest of the bike himself often collecting material from the scrap bins of friends in the engineering trade. His careful recycling of material meant that he was able to build a World Class custom motorcycle for less than $9,000, including the gold candy of silver metalflake paint.
When it comes to building bikes Satya Kraus' motto is always for the bike to have everything it needs and nothing it doesn't. It's an ideal he has ably demonstrated on Bolide, the bike with which he placed third in the World Championship of Custom Bike Building.
He achieved his aim by putting a 93ci S&S Shovelhead motor in a one-off frame carrying a mono-shocked swingarm, telescopic forks and 17in Alpina spoked wheels shod with Metzeler sport bike tires.
Sport bike influences are also readily evident in the styling of the winning bike in the Performance Custom class. Jim Giuffra and the girls of AFT Customs rebuilt a 1970 Honda CB750 as cafe racer inspired custom complete with RaceTech suspension, Beringer brakes and numerous one-off pieces. The influence that cafe racers are having on the current custom scene can also be seen in the design of the top placed Production Manufacturer class bike. Best known for its line of Chops and Bobbers, Darwin Motorcycles has built what it describes as an American muscle bike. Powered by a 132ci S&S X-Wedge V-twin, the RLX carries a full range of top spec components including Ohlins suspension, Beringer brakes and BST carbon fiber wheels.
A first in 2011 for the World Championship was the entry of a sidecar outfit and it was this outfit, Abnormal Cycles' Union, that took the honors in the Modified Harley class. The Model 'U' powered outfit features a stock frame fitted with a custom sidecar body and a leaf spring Indian style front end, which includes a pair of handlebars created to also look like a leaf spring.
World Championship Freestyle Class Results
| Business Name | Bike Name | City | Country | Builder Name |
|---|
| 1st | Tavax Engineering | Tavax 2011V | Yao City, Osaka | Japan | Ken Tabata |
| 2nd | Lamb Engineering | Son of a Gun | Salisbury, Wiltshire | United Kingdom | Larry Houghton |
| 3rd | Kraus Motor Co | Bolide | Cazadero, CA | USA | Satya Kraus |
| 4th | V-Twin Mechanic | SpaceSter | La Fontaine, Pavie | France | Bernard "Buck" Massart |
| 5th | RK Concepts | RK S | Round Rock, TX | USA | Rafik Kaissi |
| 6th | Garage65 | Stargate | Viareggio | Italy | Marco Cinquini |
| 7th | SE Service | Slugger | Skogas | Sweden | Stellan Egeland |
| 8th | Fitil Metal Works / Moscow H-D | Skywalker's Caddy | Moscow | Russian Federation | Alexander Fetisov |
| 9th | John Reed | Gold Yamaha | Morgan Hill, CA | USA | John Reed |
| 10th | Roquechop Design | Minautore | Brownsburg-Chatham, Quebec | Canada | Philip Roquebrune |
Modified Harley-Davidson Championship sponsored by Harley-Davidson- Results
| Business Name | Bike Name | City | Country | Builder Name |
|---|
| 1st | AbnormalCycles | Union | Bernareggio | Italy | Samuele Reali |
| 2nd | Iacona Custom Cycles | Challenger | Brooklyn, NY | USA | Steven Iacona |
| 3rd | Shaw Harley-Davidson | Nascafe Racer | Holmes Hill nr Lewes, East Sussex | United Kingdom | Shaw Speed & Custom |
Production Manufacturer Championship Results
| Business Name | Bike Name | City | Country | Builder Name |
|---|
| 1st | Darwin Motorcycles | RLX | Oklahoma City, OK | USA | Dar, Tim, Bryan, Justin |
| 2nd | Kiwi Indian Motorcycle Co | Kiwi Chieftain 1950's | Riverside, CA | USA | Mike Kiwi Tomas |
| 3rd | Zero Engineering | Type 6 | Las Vegas, NV | USA | Zero Engineering |
Performance Custom Championship Results
| Business Name | Bike Name | City | Country | Builder Name |
|---|
| 1st | AFT Customs | Sentoh | Jackson, CA | USA | Jim Giuffra / AFT Customs Girls |
| 2nd | Fuller Hot Rods | Rodan | Atlanta, GA | USA | Bryan Fuller and crew |
| 3rd | RK Concepts | RK Spring Frame | Round Rock, TX | USA | Rafik Kaissi |