American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 220 November 2017 | Page 33
™
FREESTYLE
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Tim Dixon, Gas Axe Chop Shop
Matt Olsen, Carl’s Cycle Supply
Wayne Burgess, Deathtrap Cycles
Austin Andrella, Austin Martin Originals
Jack DeAgazio, Suicide Jacks Customs
PERFORMANCE CUSTOM
1st Pat Patterson, Led Sled Custom
2nd Peter Grakauskas, Chi-Jer’s
Vintage Bike Works
RETRO CUSTOM
1st Austin Andrella, Austin Martin Originals
2nd Jon Shipley, Hoosier Daddy Choppers
STREET CUSTOM
1st Dusty Pine, Dog’s Chop Shop
2nd Dale Crawford, Speed Foundry of Texas
BEST CAFE RACER - Peter Grakauskas
BEST TRACKER - Matt Olsen
PEOPLE’S CHOICE - Mark Atkinson
lifestyle is largely unproven. Such channels are of
critical importance to the future viability of the wider
powersports industry, not just the custom motorcycle
market.
Manufacturers such as Polaris, BMW, Yamaha and
Honda are doing a great job of evolving the technology
that future generations of motorcycle consumers will
want to be able to take for granted, but in order for
the parts, accessory, performance, gear and apparel
sectors to be able to “get with the program”, first of
all someone, somewhere needs to start creating that
program.
A program of dialog and understanding of shared aims
that will help the undoubted energy, enthusiasm,
creativity, craftsmanship and engineering genius of
emerging custom business owners to build a market
in the way that the established generation of vendors
has been able to do.
Kudos to the MIC and AIMExpo, and to the emerging
cohort of future leaders that ‘Custom Culture’ is able
to speak to, for striving to be a part of the solution and
not ignoring the problems.
As America and the rest of the developed world heads
towards a future in which urbanization and all the
associated transport and infrastructure issues that
brings with it will dominate and drive consumer
transport and leisure Dollar spend choices in the
future, ‘Custom Culture’ needs to be embraced as a
showcase through which future generations of
consumers can be inspired and motivated to make the
two-wheel experience one that they want to make
their own.
Tim Dixon of Gas Axe Chop Shop, Tennessee, will be
travelling to ‘INTERMOT Customized’ in 2018 with his
customized 1959 Panhead ‘Pennie Lane’
Gas Axe Chop Shop wins
FreeStyle Class AMD World
Championship prize
The final day of AIMExpo saw the results
announced for the Championship of the
Americas – the AMD World Championship
of Custom Bike Building United States
affiliate custom design and engineering
competition that offers the FreeStyle Class
winner an expenses paid trip to compete
at the ‘INTERMOT Customized’ staged
‘AMD’ at Cologne, Germany, in October
2018.
The win this year was taken by Tim Dixon
of Gas Axe Chop Shop in Tennessee.
Voted for by the competitors themselves,
Dixon took the win with a 1959 Panhead
engined, hand- crafted chopper called
‘Pennie Lane’. Custom designed, using a
Model A front axle/reverse shock set-up
with a Model A front spring for the rear
swingarm, all the work was done in-house
by Dixon with most of it on manual
machines with silicone bronze welding.
The engine has an Andrews cam and the
magnesium front wheel is from a 1960s
dragster; all the brass/copper pieces were
handmade.
The People's Choice prize went to the
BMW Alpha built by Salt Lake City
machinist Mark Atkinson, inspired by a
concept created by Turkish designer
Mehmet Doruk Erdem.
The Street Custom Class win went to Dusty
Pine/Dawg’s Chop Shop with the hardtail
framed 1200cc 1993 Sportster that gave
him the K&N Filters sponsored Modified
Harley Class win at the Cleveland round of
the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom
Bike Show series that is staged each
winter at the Progressive International
Motorcycle Shows (IMS).
Pat Patterson of Led Sled fame took the
Performance Custom class win (goose neck
rigid framed 1200cc Sportster), with
Shelby Griffin and Austin Andrella (Austin
Martin Originals) scooping the ever-
popular Retro Custom class win with a
hard tailed 1972 Yamaha XS650.
Second place, FreeStyle class -
Matt Olsen, Carl’s Cycle Supply
Third place, FreeStyle class -
Wayne Burgess, Deathtrap Cycles
www.AMDchampionship.com
The People's Choice went to the
BMW Alpha built by Salt Lake City
machinist Mark Atkinson, and inspired
by a concept created by Turkish
designer Mehmet Doruk Erdem.
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - NOVEMBER 2017
33