In spite of his self-imposed underground status, Hotop still fields a surprising amount of requests for his flavor of custom motorcycle. "The guy who comes here for a bike has done some work just to find me, and that seems to weed out the folks who aren't too serious," rationalizes Don, who now handcrafts a half-dozen customs each year. A peek into Don's Speed & Custom today reveals a couple of long bikes under construction, a bobber on the lift, and a 145ci Pro Street in the works. There are even plans for a little bobber for Mrs. Hotop before this year's Sturgis run. In the far corner sits one of Don's personal rides, which for the last 13 years has been a nicely redone bagger. Naturally, he's added a few of his own touches, including high-compression heads, cam, revised chassis with 6 inches of stretch in the tank, and a six-speed tranny. "I've built a lot of bikes," muses Hotop. "I used to put a mark on the wall above my bench for every motor I built, but I ran out of wall a while back." Another rare bit of recognition for his efforts came in 2002, with an induction into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Even without these occasional brushes with notoriety, Don continues to define the modern interpretation of master bike builder.
Although Hotop's stealthy manner and years of indifference to media infamy may have become part of his trademark style, the market is once again calling, and, perhaps tempered with a bit of moderation, he'll allow it. The bike builds for Drag Specialties are certainly a sign he's ready to bear public access to his very private world, and as of late there are even rumors of a small website in the works. It's still not likely you'll see a line of leather Hotop wear, or an episode of Don TV, but that's OK with Don-he'd rather focus his energy on building and riding bikes, anyway. Like any bona fide master craftsman, Don Hotop continues to produce masterpieces true to his chosen craft (and apparently play a mean game of pool). For that, we salute him, as well as all of the other craftsmen who build not for the glory, but for the pure joy of turning raw steel into ridable motorcycles.