PRESENTING BUILDERS

Meet John Benedict of Roosterz Rod Shop out of St.Pete FLA. Don’t let the name fool you, ‘Roosters Rod Shop’, isn’t just about really cool cars, if the description was to read accurate, it would be something like ‘Roosterz, Rod, Motorcycles and just about anything on wheels with or without a motor Shop’! John has been working on or fixing things most of his life. In fact, its kind of a family tradition John and his brother both grew up in a garage with their father wrenching on about anything they could get their hands on. As the boys grew older that passion only seemed to grow stronger and stronger. John has been working in the custom automotive/bike industry for almost ten yrs, and he recently decided it was time to take things into his own hands and do his own thing creating Roosterz Rod Shop. Though the Iron head you see in these pics is considered his first official ‘shop built’ bike. John has a long-standing reputation for building outstanding motorcycles, as well as cars. His easy-going style and attitude translates perfectly into the machines he builds. That same easy-going attitude makes him pretty popular with fellow gear heads, riders and builders alike. Many of the builds he does whether at his shop or other friend’s shops in the area, become a team project. To him and the people he calls friends, it’s a great excuse to get like-minded people together to create really great custom motorcycles and hot rods. It may be a ‘business’, but to him its a passion he shares with friends and family all built around his love of everything on wheels. We’re glad that he’s a part of the Chopporama family, and we’re looking forward to seeing him and you there!

Today we wanna highlight another great dude bringing a couple of nice builds to Chopporama, Jeff Lovelady of GraySpeed Cycles!

After 12 yrs of working for the city, he quit his 9-5 and went to MMI. Jeff would come home to his wife and kids on the weekends then do the MMI thing during the week. After he graduated MMI, the next item on his list was to open up his shop. He did it big by purchasing a former church in the Grand Central District on 1st Ave in St.Pete and converted it into a beautiful space so nice that it would make the designers on HGTV jealous.

Jeff’s first chopper build-out of the shop was a beautiful ’59 pre-unit Triumph he named ‘Snowblind’. The bike was photographed and published for issue #77 of Dice Magazine. Jeff explained that he couldn’t have achieved any of his goals without the love and support of his family and that Snowblind wouldn’t have happened without the support and help of his friends. Jeff is a great example of a family man and a businessman who followed his dreams to success. We’re excited that he accepted our invitation, and we’re looking forward to seeing the bikes he’ll bring to the table at Chopporama.

Several years ago, when Drew Cemer of Freakshow Fabrication told his father that he wanted to work in a motorcycle shop, he was told in a discouraging manner that he needed to know someone to work in a bike shop. With that in mind, Drew went to a local bike shop and 12 minutes later he had a job!

Thankfully, Drew seems to be a lot like many other bike builders. … Tell them they can’t do something, and they get it done! A few years later he was working with another bike shop whose owner decided to pack up and head to California. Drew’s options were either to move with him or stay and do his own thing. His own thing turned out to be ‘Freakshow Fabrication’ and he’s been busy doing his thing for nearly 10 years.

Whether he’s repairing and restoring an old chopper and bringing it back to its glory days or if he’s doing a total ground-up custom build, his work is timeless. He has a great eye for capturing the spirit of those glorious choppers of the past. In fact, there will be more than a few builds at Chopporama that Drew hasn’t had a hand in. He’s known throughout the community to be a guy you can turn to for a random part, advice or help. If he doesn’t have the part you need, he knows someone who has it, etc. Luckily for us, he’s bringing a few bikes to Chopporama and we’re stoked! He’s a great addition to an impressive list of builders that will be at the show.

We are an American owned company that specializes in custom motorcycle components for early to late model Harley Davidson focusing on early powerplants and chassis platforms such as flathead, knucklehead, panhead, shovelhead, and ironhead motorcycles. Every component is hand made per order in shop, no out sourcing. With a 15 year background in automotive and motorcycle coach work and fabrication we have the passion and expertise to satisfy your vintage and neo classic style requirements.

We might as well call today ‘FnA Friday’ because today we’re introducing you to invited builder Eric Allard of FnA.Custom Cycles.

Based out of Lakeland Florida, Eric has a reputation for being relatively quiet and unassuming. He’ll give you the shirt off his back, but prefers to keep to himself and let his builds do the talking for him.
Prior to getting his first street bike in 2006, Eric was into dirtbikes and four-wheelers. Once he acquired that first bike, a ’77 Shovelhead, his view of the two-wheeled world changed forever. He worked on friend bikes, and builds of his own for a couple of years until he came to the decision in 2009 to open ‘FnA Custom Cycles’. His work can be best described as ‘stylishly unique’. Whether taking a classic BMW and creating a steampunk style monster that you could see in a ‘Mad Max’ movie or taking a Kawasaki 750 H2 powerplant and turning into one of a kind digger style chopper, he has a flair for the unexpected.
Eric also has the mind of a scientist that never sleeps. He is constantly coming up with ideas and designs to help improve upon the reliability of those Harley and Triumph Motors of yesteryear. He’s developed a seal kit that people can’t get enough of, and he’s also come up with a couple of unique magneto systems for Shovelheads etc. that will keep you running down the rode with more dependability than ever.

We’re excited that Eric along with many other talented builders accepted our invitation to join us at Chopporama. It will be a great event highlighting some of the industry’s most creative, and artistic builders. It’ll be fun for all ages thrill ride, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Brian Buttera of Butteras Metal Werx has spent most of his life doing metal work and fabrication and spent most of his life like most red blooded men, loving motorcycles. All the way back in 2017, (and I say that tongue in cheek) Brian was motivated to build his first custom bike by his friend and accomplished bike builder Ryan Gore of Paper Street Customs. The bike, a red shovelhead was taken to The Rats Hole Bike Show in Sturgis where it won ‘Best in Show’. From Sturgis, the bike went to Swiss Moto Zurich where it won 1st Place Radical Class and Best in Show. His next stop was in Abu Dhabi where his bike won Best in Show at the Custom Show Emirates where he won Best In Show.

You’d think that would be enough for the average builder. First bike, and it takes the world by storm. Nope, Brian recently took his second build to Los Angeles for The Golden Bolt Competition. Unlike many of today’s shows, this competition wasn’t only based on cosmetics, but also on performance and reliability and the bikes were put through the paces throughout the L.A. traffic etc. The grand prize winner would go home with $30,000. Brian took top honors and headed back home to Lakeland with a second great show stopping motorcycle and a pocket full of cash,
We’re excited that Brian accepted our offer to be a part of Chopporama! He may be a ‘new kid on the block’ but his work is timeless and in a class by itself. All of the builders have something unique to bring to the table. We’re looking forward to seeing everybody come together for the sake of ‘the all mighty chopper.