Under The RadarTry juggling running a motorcycle shop, building customs, spending time with family, and having some type of life, all the while having less time than most people to do it. Sounds like one hell of a balancing act, huh? The crew of Lefty Brothers Cycles (LBC) in Raeford, North Carolina, knows a thing or two about life in the fast lane.
The LBC lane is not about fast cars and fast women, it is combining completely different facets of themselves into one life. But the crew also knows all to well the importance of enjoying each day to its fullest potential and making time for your passion. The business that has become LBC has been in the works for many years. It began mostly as a hobby for Enrique "Izzy" Izquierdo, who built bikes and parts for himself and friends for years until he was able to open the shop in 2005. The name LBC came in part from Izzy's last name, which means left in Spanish, and from Izzy's brother who was involved in the shop in the beginning until he went his own way. "I kept the brothers part because the guys involved in my business I consider as brothers," Izzy said. "I have gone to war with them."
Nearly 80 percent of the Ultima...
Nearly 80 percent of the Ultima El Bruto engine was hand engraved by Otto Carter to add some intense detail to the Devo bike.
The LBC crew is as passionate about building customs that ride as good as they look as they are in finding the time to build them. Time is something we all wish we had a little more of, but LBC manages to juggle all their responsibilities while having fewer months out of the year than most folk. Izzy is active duty Army and Special Forces and has already served two tours of duty in Iraq. "As for being active military, it hasn't really stopped me from doing what I really enjoy doing on my off time," Izzy said. And it just so happens that all of Izzy's crew is also active military soldiers. Due to tough deployment schedules, Izzy operates LBC out of an onsite shop at his home. Even so, between being active military, owning a bike shop, and balancing the duties of home life, where does he find the time to build some bitchin' rides?
Take the intensely detailed "Devo" bike shown here. After receiving an invitation to participate in the Texas Chop Off, Izzy had two months after returning from a tour of duty to build the candy red custom. "Before it all began, we all looked at each other and said it can't be worse than what we just came from, so to build a bike in eight weeks was going to be a good time," Izzy said. From all the hand-fabbed sheetmetal to the seatwork to more than half of the engine being hand engraved, Devo is one of the most creative bikes to roll out of the shop according to LBC.
After many sleepless nights...
After many sleepless nights over the two months LBC had to build the Devo bike, all their hard work paid off when the bike took First place at the 2007 Texas Chop Off.
In contrast to building Devo for a show, Izzy built the "Veritas" bike more for himself, and it was created in a way the LBC crew thought a bobber should look. From its leaf Springer frontend to its one-off fuel tank and handmade rear fender, the Veritas was treated to a camouflage paintjob with complementing graphics to accentuate the military theme. Long, low-riding bikes are also a common style of LBC's customs. Take the "Resurrection" bike: A low, bar-hopper set off by candy metal flakes, rolled into hot-rod flat black and complete with glossy black pinstripes, or the orange "Luv and Hate" bike with its hardcore chopper looks. Changing things up a bit, LBC stepped into the radical side with its long bikes, from the paint jobs to the fab work and homemade ape hangers, like the shop's black flamed "Havoc" and orange flamed "El Loco" bikes.
With more bikes in the works, including a special construction for one of Izzy's close military friend's who was wounded during his tour of duty, Izzy and his crew know they will be pretty active but are willing to keep that balance to enjoy all the facets of their lives. "Some guys like to hunt, fish, and so on, we like to build radical custom motorcycles," Izzy said. "I'm just lucky to have a strong crew who really believes in and enjoys what we are doing at LBC."
 |  Most of the sheetmetal and...  Most of the sheetmetal and tins, including the 8-ball tank on the Veritas bike were handmade by LBC. |  Izzy, owner of LBC, built...  Izzy, owner of LBC, built the Veritas bike more for himself until a customer made an offer too good to refuse. |
 On his down time, Izzy likes...  On his down time, Izzy likes to build radical customs and the Resurrection bike is no exception. |  Rising from hand-shaped sheetmetal...  Rising from hand-shaped sheetmetal and many hateful sleepless nights, the Luv and Hate bike emerged as a bitchin' ride and great bar hopper. |  In 2006, Izzy built the Jim...  In 2006, Izzy built the Jim Beam chopper, which later went on to raise over $250,000 for the Shriner's. |