In 2003 Sugar Bear took a trip out to Las Vegas to attend the Artistry in Iron show. It was a good feeling for him to be invited to the show for the first time, and he went back three years in a row. For Bear this was a great way to get more people to see his work and keep the business coming to his shop. By 2006 the shop was going strong and there was a long list of customers waiting for Sugar Bear frontends and full bike builds. The builds take up a lot of time and there isn't much room for profits but this is where Sugar Bear loves to get creative. To help out with the workload, it even became a family thing. Sugar Bear's son Turk (or Little Bear) started at the shop in September 2006 to see the Sugar Bear Choppers legacy carried out.
In October 2007 Street Chopper was lucky to have both father and son on the cover once more with a story talking about Sugar Bear's shop, his background, and legacy. As far as the bike features went, the story covered one of my favorite bikes, his 1948 rigid Panhead named "Gorjus." I can't tell you how much I love this bike! The second chopper featured was owned by a lady by the name of Miss Glodean White, wife of R&B singer Barry White. The most significant thing about this bike is Glodean is the first female rider with a complete Sugar Bear bike, not just one of his frontends. Both choppers were so nice to see and photograph and to get a glimpse of past and present bike styles incorporated in these rides.
Standing with the banners...
Standing with the banners that hung at the H-D museum.
On November 13, 2008, Sugar Bear was invited to speak at the Harley-Davidson Museum where he was voted Man of the Year in motorcycling. He talked about his first introduction to the motorcycle movement in the '60s to opening his own shop in South Central Los Angeles in 1971. Bear also recounted his story and memories of Benny and everything he remembered over the past 38-plus years in the business as well as what he looks forward to in the next 40 years (at least we want him to).
Sugar Bear told us it was like he was now rediscovered all over again. These days business is going well for the King of Springs. "I need more time in the day to get all this work out the door but I'll find it," Sugar Bear said. He did have to move shops just about two miles up the street to a bigger place with still with no sign out front. "That is best, I don't need it," Sugar Bear said. The shop is more then double the space from 2,000 square-feet to over 5,000 square-feet. This allows him to have all his bikes and photos on display. As Sugar Bear called it, "It's my museum giving tribute to my past and all of my friends that got me where I am today so much history hangs on these walls."
Wrapping up a customer's ...
Wrapping up a customer's build.
What is next for Sugar Bear? We were told he is working on a book that tells his story and those of many others who are part of the history of the industry, and it will also feature never-seen-before photos. He also has a radio spot on the Open Road Radio Show on XM satellite radio Thursday, Extreme Channel 5:00 p.m. EST. And, of course, Sugar Bear is always manufacturing parts like handlebars called "Bear Bars" along with the signature Springer frontends from 2 inches over to 18 over, all the way up to what you need.
Sugar Bear and his choppers and infamous Springer frontends have stood the test of time. Sugar Bear is a true chopper-culture icon. His influence through the evolution of the custom motorcycle industry has left a mark and long-lasting impression on riders and chopper enthusiasts alike for decades past and for many years to come. As an individual and devoted bike builder who has been there since the birth of choppers, it is with great pleasure to have Sugar Bear's contributions help shape chopper history and his legacy to continue and flourish.