PRECISION BUILDS WITH a short period of time, it in my friend’s garage.” he is no stranger to the Carter says completing the world of custom items. project made him realize PANGEA SPEED Carter’s parents owned how much more fun it was an industrial design to work on a bike than and rapid prototyping a car. “An average car company for most of project is probably a year By Jeanette D. Moses [email protected] his life. “When I was and a half or two of full- It’s mid-June, and Andy Carter, on the day,” is exactly what super little, me and my time work. A bike is half owner and sole employee of \RX·GKRSHWRÀQG brother would build DavidNewkirk.com that. It’s a lot less stress Pangea Speed, is 14 days away custom bicycles, cut our than a car,” he says. from his next big motorcycle Carter admits that he is never fully skateboard in half and show—Born Free 3 in California. Andy Carter, owner VDWLVÀHGEXWKHUHIHUVWRWKH6SHHG glue it back together In addition to building The bike he plans to enter, which he Master as a nearly perfect project. “I got and watch it break in half Photo: custom bikes, Carter calls the Speed Master, sits partially and sole-employee of paid to do it, and I got all the leeway that [again],” says Carter. also specializes in disassembled in the shop he shares with Pangea Speed. I wanted. I could do it however I wanted,” “We always just sort of custom parts. “A lot of his father. Just a few hours ago, as he says Carter. “[My client Brett] said ‘build customized everything.” the stuff I do is helping stared at the bike with his old man, he the coolest bike you can.’” For Carter, The list goes on: go- with projects, but doing realized that this custom project, which this hands-off approach from his client is carts, dirt bikes and the work myself,” says he has spent “countless hours” working the ideal situation. “I consider this an art. eventually race cars. Carter. He recently built on, isn’t as close to being completed as Having a client like Brett allows me to do Carter even spent a year a friend a fuel tank, he thought. “I’m down to the wire on my thing. [He] trusts me. That’s a huge in race car mechanic handlebars, a sissy bar, a this bike,” says Carter. “I’m sweating thing—the trust involved.” school in California rear fender and a seat pan it because I [think] I need to be and as an apprentice for a custom motorcycle grinding these mounts and I The Speed Master is one of at a vintage Formula project. “I built all that need to be welding. But step many projects that sits in the 1 fabrication shop to stuff, but he installed it back, look at the whole thing Pangea Speed hanger. It is perfect his skills. all himself,” says Carter. and I’ve got some major surrounded by a variety of “Luckily, [he] is pretty cool changes that I’m going other bikes, all in various &DUWHUVWDUWHGKLVÀUVW about trusting my visual to do now that it’s all states of completion. custom bike in 2004. styling opinion.” Carter coming together.” Some belong to Carter, The ’74 Yamaha RD 350 admits that one of the others like the Speed began as a bunch of things that burned him Although Carter has Master, belong to pieces in two boxes on out about building cars already hand-worked clients who contact the shelves of what was, is the amount of control and smoothed out a Carter for his expertise at that time, solely his certain clients would try to variety of the custom in motorcycle creation father’s shop. He initially exert over a custom build. bike’s components, with and design. The Speed planned to create a rat “It always seemed crazy some closer inspection Master started as a bike out of the pieces, but to me that some old man (and the help of his Triumph won at an it didn’t pan out that way. would come to us, obviously father), he realizes that auction. The engine “I don’t think I’m capable of he is coming to us to get the among many changes, is the only thing that making a rat bike. Next thing coolest car ever, but then he the chain guard needs remains from the original you know, I’m painting the frame, wants to hold our hand the whole to come down a few DavidNewkirk.com bike. Carter says that I’m hand-working a bunch of stuff, time and tell us what to build,” says inches. “It sucks, but when he gets burned I’m building a tail section. It wasn’t a Carter. “You don’t go to Picasso and I know it’s the right out on a project, it’s not rat bike when I was done,” says Carter. tell him to paint your picture a certain answer. I know I have to unusual for him to hop %\WKHWLPH&DUWHUÀQLVKHGWKHSURMHFW way—there is that freedom that needs to Photo: be able to step back and over to a different project he was living in California, had recently be had.” When it comes to a custom job do that,” says Carter. “I and do some welding on ÀQLVKHGUDFHFDUPHFKDQLFVFKRRO from Pangea Speed, the only way Carter have this bad habit of it. Pangea Speed, which and was building hot rods. “Everyone chooses to work is solo. “I’m not trying QHYHUEHLQJVDWLVÀHG,·OO was initially started in wanted a custom car, but we didn’t The Zion Express, one of to run a school,” he says. According to always look at a project 2007 as not much more have any space, so everyone had Andy Carter’s custom bikes at Carter, the ultimate goal is to establish and think that I can do than a blog, catapulted these chopper projects,” says Carter. “I his parts line enough that it can support it better.” Andy Carter into a full-time custom EURXJKWWKH5'RXWWKHUHDQGÀQLVKHG Pangea Speed. him. The parts line currently features is a perfectionist. When motorcycle and parts you consider that he is business for Carter the owner of his own about a year and half custom motorcycle and DJR´,JRWÀUHGIURPP\ parts company, Pangea job, and there was a lot Speed, and one of the of interest in [Pangea major organizers behind Speed], so I thought the second annual Salt I’d try it full time,” says Flat Social, this quality, Carter. Although Carter which he refers to as has only been able to either an “evolution or a focus all of his energy sickness—depending on Pangea Speed for 36 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 37 items such as kicker pedals, license plate brackets, streamliner bars, here. Nobody has an excuse to come here. We wanted to do something zephyr bars, carburetor guards and seat-builder kits. Since everything that would give people an excuse to visit Salt Lake.” The event falls on PRECISION BUILDS WITH is handmade by Carter, many of the parts featured on his site, Friday, Aug. 12—the evening before the world-famous Speed Week pangeaspeed.com are offered in limited quantities. He says that when starts at the Salt Flats. “It’s a lot easier to get someone from California the line becomes more established, it will allow him the freedom to build to come to Salt Lake if they are 100 miles away versus 800 miles away,” whatever he likes without having to worry about someone dictating to he says. him what the designs should look like. a short period of time, it in my friend’s garage.” Last year the Pangea Speed party drew about 70 bikes and 200 he is no stranger to the Carter says completing the When describing his ideal design, Carter returns to the Speed Master. people—a larger turnout than was expected. The next morning, Carter world of custom items. project made him realize Initially, when he imagined this bike, he considered taking the Triumph says approximately 30 people met at Este Downtown and rode to the PANGEA SPEED Carter’s parents owned how much more fun it was engine and turning it into a ‘70s chopper, Easy Rider style of bike. “I Salt Flats together to goof around. “It’s fairly low structure. It’s pretty an industrial design to work on a bike than GHFLGHGWKDWLWGLGQ·WÀWWKHPRWLIµVD\V&DUWHU´7KDWHQJLQHSODWIRUP much just hanging out. We don’t want people to feel like there is some and rapid prototyping a car. “An average car didn’t seem to work for that.” After creating numerous illustrations and sort of expectation,” says Carter. “One of the most annoying things company for most of project is probably a year lists, Carter landed on the idea of creating a factory ‘40s-looking bike. DERXWPRWRUVSRUWVLQJHQHUDOLVHYHU\RQHIHHOVOLNHWKH\KDYHWRÀWVRPH By Jeanette D. Moses [email protected] his life. “When I was and a half or two of full- With some help from a friend in California kind of stereotype. None of us care about It’s mid-June, and Andy Carter, on the day,” is exactly what super little, me and my time work. A bike is half who works as a clay modeler for any of that. I just like motorcycles.” owner and sole employee of \RX·GKRSHWRÀQG brother would build DavidNewkirk.com that. It’s a lot less stress Volkswagen, Carter was able to pinpoint Ultimately, Carter sees Salt Flat Social Pangea Speed, is 14 days away custom bicycles, cut our than a car,” he says.