The last handful of years have seen the "master builder" label tacked on to quite a few constructors, some deserving, some not. "Master" anything is quite a heady title if there ever was one, and living up to it seems a daunting task. One truly deserving of such a celebrated moniker would have to be of a consummate skill level, as well as possessing talent and knowledge combined with a perspective only time could foster. That in itself probably narrows our current crop of "master builders" down to about 30 or so, most of whom have already seen their mugs spread across the pages of this magazine, including Mr. Don Hotop.
Don doesn't fit the mold of what we have come to know as the modern bike builder. He doesn't have a website, a fan club, or a clothing line, and if you were to wander by Don's Speed and Custom in Fort Madison, IA, it'd likely be Don who changed your oil. Why no TV crew, attached bar stocked with the requisite hotties, or pony-tailed business manager booking him on the next Biker Builder Bonanza? Because that's how Don likes it. He builds not to impress or to attain some sort of rock star-like fame, but for the pure pleasure gained from turning raw steel into an actual ridable motorcycle.
Although Don has been turning wrenches for more than 30 years, a good portion of the notoriety he has seen has stemmed from a series of bikes built for Drag Specialties' Fat Books. One of the standouts is the vintage-styled and Sporty-powered sidecar rig used in a prominent line of Drag marketing and featured in the April '05 issue of HOT BIKE. He's also responsible for 30 or so items within the catalog itself and, on top of that, does his duty as Drag's covert R&D department. These are just the latest in a long list of accomplishments that, oddly enough, began with a game of Eight Ball in the early '70s
Like any true craftsman, Hotop began his climb to master status long ago. Born and raised in Fort Madison, IA, Don spent his early years doing maintenance in a Chevron chemical plant and searching for interesting things to do with his free time. That all changed three-plus decades ago, when the aforementioned game of Eight Ball resulted in a very ratty '45 Harley coming into his possession. The bike promptly grenaded, and its subsequent resurrection became the catalyst for Don's V-Twin passion. A few years later, he had moved on to a custom Sportster, and by 1974 Don's Speed and Custom was born. Innovative ground-up customs soon followed, the first of which was based on a '64 pan with a shovel top end bolted into a rigid frame and covered in popular (for the period) psychedelic paint. By the late '70s Hotop had graduated to journeyman status and had begun to draw local notoriety as a cutting-edge bike builder.
Not afraid to ride or race his creations, Hotop balanced wrenching with countless miles on a series of his motorcycles and never missed a Sturgis event (he still hasn't). Any given weekend would have Don blazing across a number of Midwestern states and leaving a trail of dust and admirers. One such day would forever alter the course of Don's Custom Cycle. With his lanky 6-foot, 4-inch frame draped over a heavily breathed-on rigid Springer, Don barreled back into his hometown. Seemingly from out of nowhere, a BMW blew past him, and the ensuing race into Fort Madison resulted in multiple lead changes, an untold number of asphalt-ground metal parts, and a partnership that still exists to this day. The Beemer pilot turned out to be Sig Wieler, an equally enthusiastic rider and highly accomplished machinist. Neither is saying who won, but nearly 30 years later the two continue to work together, building bikes and developing new products.
As the '70s came to a close, Hotop could be found building customs that would be considered innovative even by today's standards. One of the many highlights of that era was a 120-inch Harmon shovel that sported an 8.5-inch-wide radial out back and a Pro-Street-style chassis layout. Seen today, that would be a slick bike, yet he did it in 1979, creating every piece in-house and even going so far as to round off the corners of the Pirelli car tire adorning the rear of the bike. This was business as usual for Hotop and just an example of the inventive bikes that continued to roll out of his humble workshop. Unlike many builders, he was rarely bound by a particular custom format, and it was not unusual to see a chopper, Pro Street, and bobber under construction at the same time