Editor's Note: Here at Street Chopper we get the scoop on tons of cool custom choppers with a little info about the bike/owner. Jay Shew was so stoked on his custom that he gave us more than enough info about the love of his life. Who can tell a story better about a beloved possession rather than the owner himself? Enjoy!
My name is Jay Shew and I live in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I've ridden bikes-almost exclusively Harleys-for nearly 40 years. My first bike was a foot-clutch, hand-shift '52 Panhead I bought back in 1973. I've owned and build many bikes since then. I joined the Jockey Journal just a few months after they formed the site and that is where I discovered Trent Schara and his company Atomic Custom. After several years of seeing Trent's builds and getting to know him from the website I knew I wanted him to build my next bike.
I had this bike in mind for years and knew exactly what I wanted and also knew my elementary school knowledge of bike building would simply not get the job done to my expectations. So I called Trent and he agreed that he would like to build the bike. I happen to believe that bike building is an art. And Trent is like Rembrandt with a wrench for a paintbrush. I thought it was best to leave the "painting" to the artist so I pretty much stayed out of Trent's way during the build. He would call from time to time to give me an update or e-mail a picture. But every time he did the bike took on a totally different look. Trent would have the bike looking a certain way, stand back and look at it, not like what he saw and re-do it all over again. Early on in the build Trent would call and ask my opinion about some idea he had about the bike. My reply was always, "just build the bike as you see it Trent." Trent called about the paint as well. He said he had a cool paint job in his mind he'd wanted to do for sometime. I trusted him totally and didn't even ask the color! I was blown away when I saw the paint and the awesome detail. I knew the bike was going to be good if Trent signed his name to it.
I'm so glad I let him run with it. The bike is simply amazing and the detail in the bike is really unbelievable. I could not have been more pleased with the final outcome. I may own the bike but it is Trent at Atomic who gets all the props. The bike he built for me far exceeded my expectations and looks even better than I could have imagined. I still get a smile every time I uncover it to take a ride. It starts on the second kick and rides beautifully. He set this bike up perfectly. Thanks Trent! It is a one of a kind piece of motorcycle art. I have nicknamed the bike the "Skeezer Pleezer" from an old '80s rap song. I entered the bike in three shows over the summer. It won "best in show" or "best in class" at every one, and I felt Trent's abilities should be showcased a little anyway. Besides, this baby draws a crowd everywhere it goes. It's simplistic construction and late '60s styling are never outdated and always appreciated by those in the know.