A 3.5-metre long custom-built chopper adorned with 24 carat gold plating is the first star attraction to be confirmed for the next CRC Speedshow taking place at the ASB Showgrounds in 2013.

Next year’s edition of CRC Speedshow might still be ten months away, but new owners Ross and Brenda Prevette are drawing on their excellent contacts in the US to start lining up star attractions for the show scheduled for 20 and 21 July.

First on Prevette’s sign-up sheet is a gold-plated, multi award-winning, custom-built motorbike worth at least $US 300,000 called ‘Nehme-sis’.

Finished with 24 carat gold plating and a velvet seat, 3.5-metre long chopper has never been out of the US . Securing its appearance at CRC Speedshow is quite a coup for Prevette and due to connections he made via the custom motorcycle venture he established, and has since sold, in Whakatane called Bat Out Of Hell Customz ‘n’ Classics.

“I haven’t seen Nehme-sis myself, but it’s totally mind-blowing from what I’ve seen in the media,” says Prevette.

“Its name is a play on the name of its owner and builder Sam Nehme, who heads a Florida mega motorcycle dealership and custom motorcycle shop, called Broward Motorsports and BMS Choppers respectively.

“In the world of custom choppers which is dominated by Harley-Davidson powered machines, Nehme-sis is unique in that it started with a stock-standard Yamaha Road Star, which in US terms makes it a ‘metric’ chopper.

“Built in 2006, Nehme-sis made history by being the first metric chopper to win the Biketoberfest Rats Hole show in the show’s 38 year history. If you follow custom bikes at all, you’ll know how significant this is. Since then it’s won virtually every other custom bike award in the US and has toured the US extensively.

“It’s one of the most expensive custom bikes ever built, it’s fully rideable with its amazing 360 mm wide rear tyre – wow! We’re rapt that it’s coming to New Zealand for Kiwi bike fans to see at CRC Speedshow. I can’t wait to open that container for the first time and see it!”

Nehme is quoted in one of the numerous articles about this unique creation as saying: “With Nehme-sis, I saw myself as making the Frankenstein monster of motorcycles. I wanted to be different and do all that it was possible to do in one bike; to push myself further than ever—as if this was my last build.”

Some key components of Nehme-sis:

§         All that remains of the original Yamaha Road Star is the 1700 cc engine, the part of the frame that has the engine mounts, and the neck of the frame since that part includes the VIN number and builder Sam Nehme wanted to keep this bike titled as a Yamaha Road Star.

§         The build cost $250,000 in labour alone to handcraft the machine from the ground up, excluding the cost of parts, paint and gold plating.

§         Extensive design work and testing went into the single-sided front “fork,” whose main spar is more than three feet long and machined from aluminium billet. Fully functional, it incorporates an air-ride system that, along with the single-sided swing-arm rear suspension, can lift the motorcycle 10 inches or lower it right onto the ground. In fact, a side stand is unnecessary as Nehme-sis softly lands on its frame rails when it’s time to park.

§         Making the most of the beautiful Road Star engine, BMS Choppers developed a new frame with no front down tubes, instead utilising the V-twin as a structural element.

§         Nehme-sis sports an extraordinary 360 mm rear tire (wider than a Dodge Viper’s!) from Vee Rubber, flanked by a custom LED taillight/brake-light array integrated into the rear fender edges.

§         An automatic clutch and a clever electronic grip shifter help clean up the overall lines. The rider selects gears by rotating the left handgrip, which can also switch modes to control the air-ride suspension on the fly.

§         For space efficiency, the fuel tank was sectioned into two parts – one for gasoline and the other for electronics.

§         As you’d expect, the finish is simply exceptional, with many gold-plated components including the custom wheels, which blend gold and chrome plating. A skeleton motif extends from the paint to intricate details such as the bony hands surrounding the air filter.

Prevette says progress on plans for the 2013 CRC Speedshow is going very well.

“We have considerable support from exhibitors with numerous bookings already confirmed. Brenda and I have been working through many ideas for other key attractions for the 2013 show and we’re definitely utilising our contacts in the custom-building world to bring new and different vehicles to the show.

“CRC Speedshow has always had a strong motorsport emphasis – we’re not going to lose that, but as the show has grown substantially, it’s now at the point where it’s a multi-faceted show that incorporates motorsport, new cars and bikes, custom hot rods, custom bikes, concept cars, supercars, historic racing, classic cars and bikes, and pretty much anything new and exciting that will fuel the passion of Kiwi motoring enthusiasts.

“Nehme-sis is just the first of what we expect to be a fantastic line-up for the 2013 CRC Speedshow.”

CRC Speedshow will take place at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland over the weekend of 20 and 21 July 2013. The event website, www.speedshow.co.nz, features video clips and news from this year’s event.