Culp S1000RR Blows Away the Boardwalk

In the more than 20 years that the Daytona, Fla., Boardwalk Custom Bike Show has been going on, it has gained the reputation as being a gathering place for top flight builders. 2011 was no different, drawing competitors from across the U.S. as well as Montreal and Ontario, Canada, and several European nations. The Boardwalk show also attracts international press to see the latest, greatest and most interesting...from antiques to radical customs. The show has a special charm, and is always held seaside along the historic Daytona Beach Boardwalk, near the beach where automobile and motorcycle racing history was made in the 1920s and 30s. It seems somehow fitting that daring and imaginative men (and women) would be drawn to this spot.

The bikes entered in the Boardwalk Show, which is sponsored by Full Throttle magazine, come with a reputation of always interesting and meticulously executed. One of the competitors told us the judges at Boardwalk expect the best and always look for technical expertise. The bikes run the gamut, and no matter whether they are your cup of tea or not, they are unfailingly well-executed with amazing attention to detail.

It was into this that Shreveport, La., builder Steve Culp brought his 1969 Suzuki T500 cafe racer, his antique 1966 T200 Suzuki and his newly-minted 2010 S1000RR Street Fighter.

Within moments after arriving, the S1000RR was surrounded by photographers and curious onlookers.

Boardwalk judges took special notice, too, giving Steve a one-two sweep in the hotly-contested Custom Metric division (S1000RR-1st, Cafe Racer-2nd), and a first in the Antiques class for his pretty little T200.

But perhaps even better than the adulation of the pretty 'trophy girl' and the additional awards was the attention from Germany, in the form of a photo shoot for Custombike magazine. Custombike is a European publication constantly looking for the new and unique, both in the US and across the pond. Within moments of spotting Culp's Street Fighter, the editor and his photographer were making plans with Steve for a full-blown photo shoot for both the magazine and a soon-to-be-printed book on BMWs.

Photograph of the photograher taking a photograph. Not at all clever, but I was out of ideas and I was getting hungry.



German photog's crack thoughtfully blacked out for your increased viewing pleasure.



Magazine editor Heinrich said Steve's BMW was 'sick' and that his readers wouldn't believe it without photographic evidence, which Steve was happy to provide.

 All in all, a good day in Daytona as Bike Week 2011 winds down. The fun times are not over, though, not by a long shot. Stay tuned for more!