TEMECULA: Temecula shop turns heads with 'Idol' bike

Owners hope the custom chopper joins concert tour

By NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer | Tuesday, May 20, 2008 9:08 PM PDT ∞

TEMECULA ---- Though the seventh season of the top-rated show in America will end Wednesday night, the journey of the newest American Idol will likely just begin.

And hopefully, part of that ride will take place on a custom Idol-inspired chopper created by Ultra Motorcycle Co. of Temecula.

Company President Kraig Kavanagh and his crew began crafting the blue and chrome motorcycle nine months ago.

The gas tank is custom-made into the shape of a guitar, which lights up along its neck when the machine is fired up.

The faces of past Idol winners, including Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks, are painted on the motorcycle.

The show's judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson as well as host Ryan Seacrest grace the back of the metallic beast.

Once the winning "David" is selected Wednesday night, his face will be added to the bike.

This season's "American Idol" is ending with either David Archuleta, 17, or David Cook, 25, being awarded a major recording contract and the winning title.

Nearly 25 million viewers tuned in last Wednesday to see the field of contestants whittled down to the final two, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The show's main sponsor is Ford Motor Co., which makes getting any other type of vehicle on the show nearly impossible.

However, Kavanagh said the Idol Tour is allowed to take props on the road and that's where he hopes the motorcycle can join the singers. Because the tour will be making one of its first stops in Southern California, Kavanagh said there should be strong opportunities to unite the bike with the entertainers, thanks in part to the company's past successes.

American Idols Live Tour 2008, which features the TV show's top 10 contests, begins July 1 and will have more than 50 shows. On July 2, the tour will be at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Those working at the shop admit they, too, have been tuning into the show.

Jose Plascencia, marketing manager at Ultra, said that, with the construction of the bike, he has been paying more attention to "American Idol" this season than in past years. While he doesn't necessarily have a prediction on who will win, he does have a guess on how the next American Idol would welcome the motorcycle.

"If the rocker guy (Cook) wins, it will be right up his alley with the guitar. He'd jump right on," said Plascencia. "And if the little guy (Archuleta) gets it, he might cry. He gets excited pretty easy."

The Idol bike is both "show and go," said Kavanagh.

Under the glitzy paint is a 120 horsepower, 113-cubic-inch S&S Cycle engine, he said. The six-speed motorcycle can reach speeds of approximately 140 mph.

"It's a true American motorcycle," he said. "The design, parts and assembly is all done here. Besides using American components, we have work represented on this bike that has been done by local Southern California shops."

Ultra was founded in 1995 by Kavanagh and his partner, Jeff Silvers, in Riverside. While the company, which makes limited-production, custom motorcycles, had been operating in Mira Loma in past years, the company relocated to Temecula in December.

The company has produced other themed motorcycles such as one shaped like the rear fin of a '57 Chevy, a bike for the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas and an Anna Nicole Smith motorcycle, which was featured in April's issue of Playboy. The shop is working on a motorcycle for Wilson Creek Winery that features a gas tank in the shape of a bottle of the winemaker's famous Almond Champagne.

"We enjoy coming up with the concepts, but really, we just want to blow people's minds," Kavanagh said. "This is rideable art. All it takes is imagination."

Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.