Celebrity Builds

Four of the best custom motorcycle builders in the country. One year-long national tour across the United States. One winner.

Hard Rock Casino selected four elite builders — Roland Sands, Jesse Rooke, Johnny "Chop" Vasko, and Doug Keim — and commissioned each to build a custom motorcycle representing the Hard Rock brand. The bikes toured the country together for nearly a year, displayed at Hard Rock venues coast to coast.

At the gala finale at Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida, one builder was named the best. That builder was Doug Keim. That bike was the Hard Rock Casino Tour Bike — hand-crafted at Creative Cycles in Umatilla, Florida.

Grammy Award-winning artist and producer Pharrell Williams commissioned two separate custom motorcycles from Creative Cycles — each a completely different vision, each built to the same uncompromising standard.

The Cosmic Racer HD Softail came first — a speed-inspired, space-age design that set the tone for the relationship. The Americana HD Softail followed — military-themed, olive drab matte paint, digital camouflage seat stitching, and massive 60-spoke chrome wheels. Two bikes. Two directions. One builder.

Funk Master Flex — DJ, hip-hop legend, and lifelong motorcycle enthusiast — brought his Harley-Davidson Street Glide to Creative Cycles for a custom build worthy of his reputation.

Doug Keim approached the Funk Master Flex Street Glide the same way he approaches every build: with a clear vision and zero shortcuts. The result is a motorcycle that reflects both the owner's personality and the builder's craft — bold, distinctive, and executed to a standard that holds up under any level of scrutiny.

Build-off competitions are the ultimate proving ground for a custom motorcycle builder. You're not just building a bike — you're building a statement. A declaration of skill, taste, and craftsmanship under pressure. The Rising was Doug Keim's entry in a nationally shown televised build-off event, and it won the People's Choice Award.

The Rising is a one-off, hand-crafted Creative Cycles original — no kit parts, no bolt-on solutions, no shortcuts. The frame, the stance, the proportions — all calculated by hand in the Creative Cycles shop in Umatilla, Florida. The teal and chrome finish was the result of hours of consultation and refinement until the color told exactly the right story.

When The Rising rolled onto the show floor, it did what every great Creative Cycles build does — it stopped people in their tracks. The People's Choice Award isn't handed out by a panel of judges. It's earned by the crowd. That verdict is the one that matters most.

Artistry in Iron in Las Vegas was the most exclusive custom motorcycle competition in the world. Invitation only — no open registration, no applying. Each year, a maximum of 20 invitations were sent to builders worldwide. Many years, they didn't even fill all 20 spots.

Doug Keim received one — for the second time. Agnes was his answer in 2007.

Agnes is a one-off, hand-crafted Creative Cycles original — not a Harley-Davidson, not a kit bike. Every component, every panel, every proportion was designed and built by Doug Keim from the ground up. Agnes is a study in restraint — every element earns its place, nothing is there for its own sake. The second Artistry in Iron build that further cemented Creative Cycles' reputation on the national stage.

There are builders who receive an Artistry in Iron invitation once and call it a career highlight. Doug Keim received two — and Darkness Within was the first, in 2003.

Darkness Within is a one-off, hand-crafted Creative Cycles original — not a Harley-Davidson, not a kit bike. Every component was designed and built by Doug Keim from the ground up. Conceived as a study in contrast — light against dark, raw against refined — the deep layered paint is broken by carefully placed highlights that reward close inspection.

In a room full of exceptional custom motorcycles built by fewer than 20 of the best builders in the world, Darkness Within made people stop walking. That is the only measure that matters.

In 2002, Weld Racing — already a dominant force in the automotive and motorsports wheel world — was ready to enter the motorcycle market. They had the wheels. They had the brand. What they needed was the right builder to introduce them to the motorcycle world in a way that would make an immediate and lasting statement.

They called Doug Keim.

The brief was clear: something super clean, something timeless — a flagship for Weld's new "Evo" brand motorcycle wheels and the anchor of an entirely new series called the Master Bike Builders Series. The ICON is built on a DKCC ICON rolling chassis with DKCC fuel tank, rear fender, and Checkmate Exhaust Pipes. Ignition coils hidden under the fuel tank, spark plug wires routed through a hollow engine mount, heavy-gauge steel fabricated front end, and DKCC billet parts throughout — topped with a stunning blue paint scheme featuring multiple blue flames and the Weld "Evo" logo.

After the ICON debuted at Daytona Beach Bike Week in 2003, three more builders — Kendall Johnson, Eddie Trotta, and Vince Doll — added bikes to the Weld collection. But the ICON came first. And it set the bar.