Three days before the Motorcycles As Art exhibit at the 85th Sturgis Anniversary Rally, Roy Martin of Roys Toys Customs is deep in the belly of the beast at his Denver garage. Tools everywhere. Air thick with grinding metal, burnt fingertips, and the kind of tension that makes a lesser man fold. But Roy ain’t lesser. He’s a damn outlaw with a wrench, and he’s building a bike that’ll stop hearts and steal souls.
The name? Piloncillo.
Spanish for brown cane sugar—sweet, smooth, but with a kick that knocks you flat if you’re not ready. A tribute to everything that makes custom culture holy.
The Thrash Begins
Two years of wrenching, polishing, cursing, and hand-engraving and it comes down to 72 hours of chaos. Roy hadn’t slept in a day and a half. Coffee in one hand, air ratchet in the other. He was muttering to himself like a man possessed.
Paint was still off-gassing. The powder coat wasn’t even fully cool when it got bolted on. And the engraved cases? Jerry Potts delivered them still warm from the vise. Roy didn’t care. He had a vision, and Piloncillo wasn’t gonna miss her date with destiny.
Shop clock reads 3:17 AM.
Taylor Schultz’s paint—honey-glazed bronze, fire-licked and dripping wet-looking and gleaming under a single fluorescent bulb like it was forged in Hades. Roy mounted the tank with surgical precision.
A Glimpse of the Beast:
Bike Name: Piloncillo
Frame: Custom Daytech Drop Seat; stretched low, mean, and slicker than snake oil
Model: Soft Tail Goliath
Engine: 114 Shumaker billet EVO race motor — thirty years in storage, now roaring like a devil in a drum solo
Transmission: 6-speed polished box feeding into a 2″ open belt drive. Pure exposed fury
Wheels/Rotors/Hubs/Oil Tank: One-off monsters by Curt Owens at Anything Goes 74 and Roys Toys Customs
Paint: Whiskey Bronze candy by Taylor Schultz Designz
Seat: Custom drop seat stitched and sculpted by Angie Dixon at Gas Axe Chop Shop
Grips & Pegs: Machined madness from Ryan Gore at Paper Street Customs
Engraving: Full-body metal tattoos by Jerry Potts at Steel Tattoos
Tires: Sponsored by Avon, a fat rear tire that leaves bruises on asphalt
Fluids: Sponsored by RedLine Oil, the blood that keeps this monster pulsing
Every nut, bolt, and line was hand-picked. There’s not a single piece on Piloncillo that says “factory.” It’s all outlaw. All art. All attitude.
Sturgis. Buffalo Chip. 4:00 PM.
The crowd’s thick. Sailor Jerry’s Cherry in hand. Sunglasses on. People leaning in, whispering, “That’s Roy’s new build under there…”
The Motorcycles As Art tent is packed. And under one heavy black tarp sits Piloncillo and the low, brooding, gleaming like a coiled viper.
Roy walks up. Hands black with grease. No speech. No BS. Roy and Kevin Dunworth, show producer, just yanks the tarp.
BOOM.
The collective gasp from the crowd hits like an engine backfire. Silence for a beat. Then camera flashes. Wide eyes. Grown bikers saying “Holy sh*t.” Paint like molten candy. Engraving so sharp it looks dangerous. The bike is so polished it reflects your soul and maybe your sins.
An old-timer in a leather vest chokes on his dip and mutters, “That ain’t a bike. That’s a golldang weapon.”
The Show
“I call it Piloncillo,” he says. “She’s sweet… but she bites.”
Piloncillo is proof that custom motorcycles still pulse with raw imagination. It’s the sweet spot where art and horsepower share a shot of whiskey and toast the open road. If a Colorado bike builder can bottle that feeling, it’s Roy.
Because Piloncillo ain’t just a custom. She’s the kind of ride that burns herself into your brain and makes you question everything stock in your garage. And the Motorcycles As Art crowd? They weren’t just impressed. They were converted.
