Motorcycles come in various shapes and colors

September 9th, 2013

Article originally written on The Reporter.

Norristown resident Joe Paravoti is likely to get double-take stares at his bike, “Uncle Buck,” at Bike Night.

It won first place in the “Hillbilly Toothpick” class at this year’s East Coast Sturgis Rally in Maryland, and is a unique, Frankenstein-like amalgamation of handmade and recycled wood parts, and parts from numerous manufacturers spanning the ‘70s to today.

“Lansdale will be the first time I show it here. I hope people like it as much as I do,” he said.

Uncle Buck’s genesis can be traced back to September 2009, beginning with a 1974 Honda cl360 scrambler parts bike. It made its public debut at 2011 Delmarva Bike Week.

The story how Paravoti came to acquire the bike is like something out of a reality TV show.

“I got to talking with Alan, the builder. I really liked the bike and thought it would be a great addition to the different bikes the (Blue Comet Motorcycle) club has as crowd-pleasers. I made Alan an offer and he accepted. I didn’t have a trailer to bring it home with me and Alan said he wanted to do one more engraving on it, so we agreed that he would call me when he was done and he would bring it to me,” he said.

But this was not easily accomplished.

“He lost my number and I never got his. I waited all year looking forward to going back, and hoping he would be there and still have the bike. This time I took a trailer and cash. Well, as it turns out he was trying to get me through messages on the internet, but I wasn’t seeing them. He had other offers during the year higher than mine, but would not let it go till him and I had a chance to hook up again at the (East Coast Sturgis) rally this year. We had a handshake deal and he honored it,” said Paravoti.

Speaking of motorcycle reality TV, Steve Kehler of Tricked Out Custom Cycles at 240 York Road, Warminster, has had his shop’s creativity showcased on MTV, ESPN 2’s “Metric Revolution,” Speed Channel’s “Super Bikes!” and others. However according to Kehler, that national media exposure takes more time away from running the business than it’s worth.

“The more ‘reality’ it looks, the more fake it is,” he said. “I decided forget trying to be a celebrity and concentrate on bikes.”

From wheel rims that light up to elaborate custom airbrush paint jobs, Tricked Out has a portfolio of eye-popping work. Check out the handiwork of Kehler and his six employees at www.trickedoutcycles.com and on the Tricked Out Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Tricked-Out-Custom-Cycles, which features custom bikes made for Tyson Beckford, the rapper Xzibit, and former Philadelphia Eagle Akeem Jordan.

Kehler started Tricked Out in the early ‘90s, and when stunt riding became popular the business exploded. But when the economy took a turn for the worst several years ago, the focus shifted away from artistic customizing, and more on basic motorcycle repairs and maintenance.

Kehler said that he hasn’t been to Lansdale Bike Night in several years, but might work it into his wife’s birthday celebration this weekend.