Johnston motorcycle builder heads to Capital City Bikefest | Ray Price, Inc.

You are here

Johnston motorcycle builder heads to Capital City Bikefest

Capital City Bikefest | 19-Sep-2016

Johnston motorcycle builder heads to Capital City Bikefest

Abbie Bennett | Raleigh

Jason Beaver of Clayton knows his way around a motorcycle: the roar of the engine, the kick of the throttle, the thrill of what a well-built bike can do on the open road.

“I’ve been around them since I was a kid,” he said. “I got my first one at 16.”

Since then, Beaver, now 30, figures he’s custom built about 100 bikes from the ground up, and he’s done so with an artistry that’s won international recognition. This Saturday and Sunday, Beaver will join other custom builders at Capital City Bikefest in downtown Raleigh, where he will put some of his motorcycles on display.

Beaver’s custom bikes run the color spectrum: They’re orange, black, blue, red, pink, gold – just about every color and shade imaginable. They’re matte or glossy; some even sparkle. A few have stripes; others have skulls, flames, lightning bolts, wings, even animal prints.

Beaver owns Crazy Beavers Customs, a Selma business that grew from Beaver, his brother, Josh, 26, and their dad working on bikes in their garage. They liked custom bikes but couldn’t afford them, so they decided to build their own. No one at the shop has formal training.

“We just learned along the way,” Beaver said, his hands covered in grease, paint and other marks of his trade. “It was hard, but we’ve got it now, I think. We learn more with each project.”

“It was a lot of trial and error,” Josh said, laughing, his shorts covered in dust from sanding bike parts.

About two years ago, Beaver decided he’d outgrown the home garage and started looking for commercial space. He found it at 3890 Buffalo Road in Selma, where he’s got an office, a garage packed with bikes and equipment, a sanding area and paint room.

Beaver, his brother and fellow enthusiast Neal Mitchell work on bikes separately and as a team. Some of the jobs are small, custom paint, for example. Others create a bike from gathered parts.

“I had a guy who went all over and kept getting turned down,” Beaver said of a past customer. “He eventually got to me, and I told him I’d give it a shot. I’ll try anything once.”

For Beaver, it’s really more art than mechanics, though he’s versed in that too. “I always loved art and design,” he said. “So I do a lot of the paint and airbrush work.”

From contrasting color schemes to intricate design work, Beaver said he has a plan for each bike before he and his teammates start building on its bones.

But visitors to his shop won’t find a written plan or design anywhere.

“It’s all up here,” Beaver said, laughing and pointing to his head. “I just tell the guys my vision, and we try to go from there.”

Their work has earned them any where from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands and has attracted fans and customers from the United States, Canada and as far away as Malaysia.

“I thought it was a joke at first,” Beaver said of the customer from Malaysia, a fan of his work on Facebook who reached out for a custom bike to be built and shipped to his home country. “But it turned out great.”

At Capital City Bikefest, Crazy Beavers Customs will have a chance to show off the team’s handiwork. They’re working on three bikes they hope to have ready in time.

Beaver said they’ve been to the event for the past several years. “It’s a blast, and you’re surrounded by the whole motorcycle community,” he said. “We really look forward to it.”

“Not everyone gets to wake up in the morning and go do something they love,” Beaver said while tinkering with one of his bikes. “I always dreamed about this. I don’t think I ever really thought I’d be here.”

For more information on Crazy Beavers Customs, find them on Facebook or go to crazybeaverscustoms.com.

Courtesy Of: 
The News & Observer

About Ray Price Harley-Davidson

For more than 30 years, Ray Price Harley-Davidson has served as the center of motorcycle culture in Raleigh, N.C., and among the Southeast’s top motorcycle dealerships. Home to Hall-of-Fame racing legend Ray Price, dealership staff have centuries of combined Harley riding experience to provide award-winning customer service and education programs for beginners-to-expert riders. Ray Price was again named a 2014 Dealernews Top 100 business, as well as a Powersports Business Power 50 Dealer. The team actively supports area charities through a wide range of philanthropy projects. Ray Price Racing won the National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) Top Fuel Harley Championship in 2014 and 2015.

Bluetooth Headset Workshop

BOOM!™ Audio Workshop

115th Anniversary Gear Workshop

How to Detail Your Bike Workshop

FBC Brunswick Stew & Winter Sweets

Kids May Day Ride

Toys for Tots Ride

Whole Hog Cook-Off

Clayton Harvest Festival Ride & Show

Riding Academy Class Reunion

Wild Buffalo Wings Cook-Off

Got to be NC Ride and Show

Spring Demo Days - Day 2

Spring Demo Days - Day 1

Easter Basket Ride

Butt Pickin' Contest

Bluetooth Headset Workshop

ToyMakerz Viewing Party with Dave Ankin

Holiday Ugly Sweater Saturday

LED Lighting Workshop

Ladies Service Seminar

Cold Weather Riding Workshop

Performance Workshop

Polar Bear Ride-In & Chili Cook-Off

BBQ Brothers Brunswick Stew Fundraiser

UNC@NCSU Viewing Party

Audio Workshop @ the Garage

Performance Workshop @ the Garage

Ladies of Harley Group Meeting

BOOM! Audio Workshop

Performance Workshop

Mission: Thank You

Hogs and Rags Ride

Heated Gear Workshop

Revolutionize Your Ride Workshop

Ride For Jason & Friends

Save Becky's Boobies Poker Run

GEICO Hot Bike Tour Smoky Mountains Route

GEICO Hot Bike Tour Pre-Ride Party

Clayton Harvest Festival Ride & Show

Performance Workshop

Bikers Against Child Abuse Poker Run

Riding Gear Essentials Workshop

2018 New Model Open House

Ladies Service Seminar

The Miracle League Ride

LED Lighting Workshop

Performance Workshop

LED Lighting Workshop

Performance Workshop

Black Sheep Asylum Poker Run

American Legion Riders Post 232

Memorial Day Weekend Used Bike Tent Sale

How to Detail Your Bike Workshop

How to Detail Your Bike Workshop

Suspension Workshop

Suspension Workshop

Legend REVO & AXEO Demo Rides

Dyna, Sportster & Triumph Workshop

Leilani Mae Horse Rescue Ride

Audio Workshop at the Garage

Boom!™ Audio Workshop

35th Anniversary Celebration

See and Be Seen Workshop

Riding for a Smile

Tour Pass Drawing

Vandora Masonic Charity Ride

Milwaukee-Eight® Engine Workshop

Blue Knights NC 2 Officer Go Down Memorial

Denim Fashion Show

Ray Price Rumbles the Ritz

Denim Fashion Show

Heated Gear Workshop

Ride For Jason & Friends

It's a Wonderful Wednesday

Ready to Rally Workshop

LED Lighting Seminar

How to Detail Your Bike Workshop

Custom Creations Workshop

Boom! Audio Workshop

Performance Workshop

*CANCELLED* Heated Gear Workshop

FBC Brunswick Stew & Winter Sweets

Toys for Tots Ride

Whole Hog Cook-Off

Riding Academy Class Reunion

Wild Buffalo Wings Cook-Off

Got to be NC Ride and Show

First Responders Appreciation Event

Season Opener Used Bike Tent Event

Easter Basket Ride

Triumph Street Cup Unveiling

Valentine's Lunch & Fashion Show

Ray Price Rumbles the Ritz

Polar Bear Ride-In & Chili Cook-Off

Winterize Your Bike Workshop

Triumph New Model Unveiling

Boom! Audio Workshop

Performance Wokshop

LED Lighting Workshop

Whole Hog Cook-Off

Raleigh HOG Group Meeting

10th Annual Miracle League Ride

Ray Price Rumbles the Ritz

All-Star Ride for Life

American Legions Riders Poker Run

2017 New Model Open House

3rd Annual Autism Awareness Poker Run

Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots Ride

2016 Custom Dynamics' Parade of Lights

2016 Mountain Dew Kickstart Parade

Freedom Biker Church VIP Ride

Ready to Rally Workshop

Riding Academy Class Reunion

Project RUSHMORE Experience

Boom!™ Audio Workshop

Infotainment Workshop

First Responders Appreciation Event

Honor and Remember Ride For The Fallen

Got to be NC Ride and Show

BACA Annual 100 Mile Ride

Prepare to Tour Workshop - LED Lighting & Luggage Edition

St. Baldrick's Foundation Benefit Ride

Season Opener Used Bike Tent Event

All About Denim Event

Ladies of Harley Pancake Breakfast

Military Missions In Action Benefit ride presented by VEMA-Raleigh

Capital City Bike Nights

Custom Kings Sportster Reveal Party

Easter Basket Ride

Officer Down Memorial Ride

Freedom Bike Church Brunswick Stew Fundraiser

How to Detail Your Bike

LED Lighting Seminar

Custom Creations Seminar

Upgrade Your Gear Seminar

Blackout Your Bike Seminar

Boom! Audio Seminar

Prepare to Tour Seminar

Wild Buffalo Wings Cook-Off

Butt Pickin' Contest

6th Annual Tattoofest

Bonneville Reborn Launch Party

High Performance Workshop

Heated Gear Workshop

Shriners Hospital Tab Run

Polar Bear Ride-In & Chili Cook-off

Customer Christmas Party

Toys for Tots Ride

Ride for Jason and Friends

Tarheel Defenders Charity Ride