Artistry in Iron (2004)

Jose's upbringing and start in the custom motorcycle world is kind of unorthodox by today's standards. Growing up at the beach in the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico , it was all about surfing and skateboarding, typical activities of a youth from that area of town. His introduction to motorcycles was at a very early age 5 or 6 years old, he recalls. Showing a curiosity for chops back then, although with mini bikes and bicycles, even so the water had a much stronger calling and surfing became life. Later on he became a professional race car driver which became his full time job, and this is mentioned since it was the turning point into the bike building. With a full shop and some spare coin he went into Harley Davidson's with full force, as a hobby, after coming back from Miami and meeting with friends in South Beach that were into those cool choppers. It all started with slight customizing and restoration of old bikes. This was quite a feat back then since he did not have any mechanical skills.

A few years later, 15 or so to be more exact, Caribbean Custom Cycles is the custom shop in the Caribbean. It's work is recognized and featured in several worldwide publications, dozens of custom choppers have left it's doors and Jose's name is well recognized in the industry, as a builder and contributor to several magazines and websites, along with his clothing line ChopperFreak.

There seems to be no limit at what can be done in that tiny island amid the Atlantic. Various builds for different events, a solid travel schedule, and a will and imagination that knows no limits, we can only expect of which way Jose will head next.

He claims his biggest accomplishment is being able to be recognized as a builder from Puerto Rico, the place that you would least expect to have such a heavy custom motorcycle following.

Hawaiian Chopper

There's nothing conventional about Jose de Miguel from Caribbean Custom Cycles. When everyone else is on the long, wide tired, shiny, Bling-Bling , craze Jose turns around and builds simple old bikes. Bob/Chops as he calls them, are where many people think the industry is heading, and it's what Jose focuses on. When Caribbean Cycles is insane, Jose takes of the welding mask, slips a pair of trunks and goes surfing, when everyone is bitchin' amid a rush hour of hustle and bustle, Jose is dreaming of his next project.

Over the past fifteen years, many fads have gone by, but Jose has stayed true to his taste in choppers. Because of his strong work ethic, and commitment to building one of the cleanest bikes on the scene, Jose has become the only Latin American builder to move around  the inner circle of today's bike building world, and it's part of the "whos who" in the custom cycle industry.

Because of his "old" style of building, Jose's bikes have a growing following in Hawai'i, Japan , and Europe. His bikes aren't the only thing turning riders on today, Jose's ChopperFreak clothing line "no nonsense", is a bit antisocial. Jose freely admits that his shit isn't for everyone.

Coming off from his bike build-off at the Horse magazine's first Chop-off, Jose hope to find new friends and new memories to keep him sane for his next trip to Hawai'i.

When asked what he thinks about his role in today's motorcycle phenomenon. " My bikes have soul, and they are quick, simple, nimble, and have cool kandy colors. It's basically old stuff with new technology"  He said.

" No front brake, suicide clutch, jockey shift, rigids, there's only one thing more important... Chicks dig them... Isn't that what it's all about ? "

Street Chopper Feb 2005   Busted Knuckles.

   "Busted Knuckles and paying dues. I guess that's what it's all about.

 I come from a small Caribbean island, not known as the hotbed of custom building. That's the thoughest part of the gig, but at the same time, it's been the best part because of the unique qualities and ideas we come up with that aren't tainted by the saturated industry.      

 Sure, we have built all kinds of bikes in 15 odd years or so we've been working at this, from modified stock bikes to full blown customs, but I guess it's all about perseverance and survival. You've got to have a flair for playing around fads and the latest rage. Bill collectors wait for no one, so they must be paid, and many, many times we do stuff because we have to, not because we want to. Shit that needs to be done, like squeezing a 250mm tire in a 200 frame, kickstarting a 100 inch motor, or making a softail fender sit like it's on a rigid.....

I'm still doing what i did before, just with a lot more knowledge, experience and ability. Although now, I'm happy to be doing what I am doing, but what the hell is that exactly ? Simple bobbers and choppers, bikes that are the essence of it all.                                   

 Going back to basics is where it's at, what's the need to keep on widening that rear tire, or adding inches to your motor when most people can't handle either one. It's just a bragging game: my motor is such and such inches large!  Could it be that guys are just overcompensating?  People forget the old weight to power ratio, one of these light bikes with an 80 or 74 inch motor can cream a bigger, heavier bike with the biggest of engines. Quick and agile is the key; the more stuff you pile on your bike,the more weight you add. A fat guy will use far more soap than a skinny one, that is a fact.   

    In some cases hard work is lost. It's as simple as getting a wrench to tighten some bolts and you can be the next "master builder"  Becoming any kind of builder is a process of paying your dues, not buying an ad and becoming a self proclaimed "master builder"  In literature it's called "vanity press" and those who are guilty are frowned upon. it has taken me many years to be where I am (wherever that is...) and many long nights, bike after bike, not ad after ad. But those investments got to have returns. I am one that believes the more bikes out there, the more people will enjoy themselves. I don't have a surplus of wealthy people that are dying to have my next bike, and I'm glad my bikes are for the working people- blue collar- if you want to give them a name. When you sweat every penny, you enjoy the outcome a lot more (and take better care of it as well)  I see many very expensive bikes, and some, not all, are not worth a fraction of the asking price. But it's the "in" thing. Yuppies have pushed HD aside and are embracing big assed choppers as the new "in" thing. Originally choppers were built to distance those riders from the norm, now it's the toast of the town. So once more we need to move forward and away.        

 Thats why I went back to what I was doing many years ago, actually, back to square one: inexpensive, older motors, simple and effective. Choppers and bobbers have their innate coolness and bikes have a certain appeal, I look at bikes and wonder how much riding and abuse they can take. If they seem ready for real world abuse, then I head over to the subtle details. If you can't beat the crap out of a bike, I simply don't care about it (the bike)

 Bikes have soul, and soul can't be bought with platinum cards, nor can it be achieved unless experience and  a certain knowledge of the past are combined. Lot's of Bling-bling is cool for jewelry, not for bikes. Some people don't give a damn about history, but the past is a very important matter concerning what we do. NOTHING IS NEW. It all comes back and haunts you, with a better understanding of history you can see it. I laugh when people come up with a "new" never seen idea. Some of us can bring it to a certain date, mag or people that have done it before. We need to keep matters simple, uncluttered. The complexity of simplicity as I like to call it  . Plenty of labor goes into the details just so a bike seems as simple and bare as possible. Catchy to the eye, but not the untrained eye. Doing this is not simple, it's quite tricky, as a matter of fact. Few people get it.                    

  I have built many bikes and the latest have caught more attention than all the other chops together. Most importantly, chicks dig 'em                                  

 In this age of computer games, some of the youth have an interest in working with the hands, welding, building , cutting and more important, creating, so if we keep a kid away from the screen, we are being good role models. That long time division between bikers and rubbies  has been introduced to a new era of of urban builders. They look more like surfers, skaters, or blue collar workers than any historical stereotype of "the" biker.

 We don't follow rules, we make them; we are outcasts in an outcast society. More so , we get along and encourage each other. Right now, I am building a bike with stuff that friends have given me, and to me, that's cool, not like over the counter shit, An old gas tank here, and old fender there, stuff that is as hard to find as a three dollar bill, and to me that means a lot more than money can buy.                                                         

 The industry is going full-on into the future, but we are happily lingering in the past, holding on to the basics. There are few builders that are willing to sacrifice exposure and dough to hold on to this, but those who do, my hat's off to you. I think it's working. We have been noticed and raised a few steps on the way to the top.    

   We are a new wave of builders doing it the old way, what an oxymoron......  

Speaking of waves, I see the first waves of winter from my window.   

  I'm Jose de Miguel from Caribbean Custom Cycles and an Urban Builder......... I'm going surfing.
 

In 2004  I built a bike for the "Bobs back" exhibition at the Journey Museum in Rapid City South Dakota.

This took place way before the old school simple bikes became the "fad" that it is today.

This is what Michael Lichter had to say about me and my bike...

"Jose de Miguel has been building custom motorcycles in his native Puerto Rico since 1989. From his shop Caribbean Custom Cycles in San Juan, he loves to build simple, old style, bikes, like those he grew up building and like this "bobber" el Lucky 7. Now that 250 and 280 tires have become the norm, and big beautiful choppers can be bought brand new off a production line, he believes that narrow tires, white walls and old school bikes are on their way back.

While Jose does not call himself an artist ("that would be too pompous" he says), he does feel that every single motorcycle that is hand made is a piece of art. Motorcycles for Jose "are just a different media to express what's insider our brain". As any artist needs talent, commitment and an ability to work with different tools to accomplish their goals, so does a motorcycle builder. They utilize sculpture,engineering, painting, and other pursuits, many which are considered artistic, to translate their ideas into rolling pieces of metal"

And so I would say that Jose is indeed, and artist !!!"

John Dewey college 6-22-07

Estudiantes practican la mecanica con Fenomeno

A simple vista luce un chico introvertido, pero al momento de conversar sobre su pasion por la modificacion y mecanica de motoras, automaticamente se transforma en un individuo extrovertido y persuasivo. Nos referimos a jose de Miguel, quien nos confeso que primero practico y luego comenzo a leer sobre el funcionamiento mecanico de las motoras.

" Comence a mecanear las motoras como parte de un "hobbie", realmente no sabia absolutamente nada, aprendi leyendo, preguntando y haciendo. Les preguntaba a los mecanicos viejos o sino se las llevaba (las motoras) para que ellos lo hicieran, pues comence con mis motoras plasticas" expreso De Miguel, quien luego se intereso por trabajar las motoras Harley Davidson.

De Miguel ha sido autodidacta en todo lo relacionado a las motoras, pues al instruirse a su paso fue aprendiendo a modificarlas y como resultado a su dedicacion comenzo a destacarse en este campo. Este santucino afirmo " Tu trabajo es tu trabaj0, es tu orgullo propio, lo que sale (del taller) es mi nombre y mi responsabilidad, no se trata unicamente de licenciarte"

Hawaiian Chopper Sept/Oct 2005

Jose de Miguel

An interview with a Chopper Freak

When I began Hawaiian Chopper, I needed a lot of help figuring out what was important, and what was bullshit. A lot of people gave advice about whom I should talk to, and what should I feature. Without all that input, I was fortunate to meet Jose de Miguel of Caribbean Custom Cycles at last years Choppers Only Show. Jose's friendship and sensible advice has made quite an impact on this magazine. Jose has been a good friend to Hawaii, and to Hawaiian Chopper,so I figured, fuck it... I'm gonna put him on the cover of issue number eight as a way of saying Mahalo. So take a minute and meet the Chopper Freak...

Hawaiian Chopper (HC): How did you get into building?

Jose de Miguel: I got into building bikes by chance, I was in Miami (South Beach) with some friends (one of them happened to be Billy lane) They were all really into the chopper scene. We thought that was the coolest shit ever.

As soon as i managed to save some money, I got back to Puerto Rico and bought a 77 shovel and it just rolled from there. What started out as just three bikes, soon became 15, and so on...

I had a full racecar shop, which gave me the chance to start messing with the bikes. basically, it was like, one thing here, and another thing there.

After that my friends were asking me to work on their bikes. I guess I saw the future. What started as a hobby, eventually became a job. It was much cooler back then.

Today i work my ass off, and then take off for a couple months. It sounds like a pretty easy life, but its been a long time of hard work. there has been no freebies along the way Just busting my ass doing what I enjoy.

HC: What does your family think of what you are doing?

Jose: My dad is an architect and my mom worked for IBM until she retired a few years ago. Today she works in my shop (when Im not there) I guess they approve.

HC: Did you have other plans before you got into building?

Jose: my parents wanted me to go to college in Puerto Rico, but I wanted to go in the States, I tried to go into different schools (including Hawaii), but my parents only sent me a one way ticket, so I ended up going to school at home.

I was really into racing cars and sailboats back then and I was traveling all the time. Sometimes things side track you. I'm still two courses shy of my bachelors degree, But I guess now it's too late.

HC: You said you traveled a lot in those days, but aren't you on the road more today?

Jose: yeah, I guess so, but I love what I'm doing (and traveling) so it's worth it.

HC: You still live in Puerto Rico. have you thought about moving closer to the industry?

Jose: between all the trips I make, and the short stints of living in different places, I would say I'm definitely home here (San Juan). I grew up in Puerto Rico. This is home to be, and always will be.

HC: You were invited to compete in the Horse magazine Smokeout. What was that like?

Jose: They (the Horse) called me with the idea to build a bike for the Smokeout, and after I thought about it, I decided I would give it a try. I get called for stuff all the time, but I really give it a lot of thought. Most of the time I say no, but I felt that this was important.

I said yes to the horse knowing that I would be the underdog; I figured my chances of winning were slim.

I decided to build a tribute to Indian Larry and the Smokeout seemed like the perfect occasion to do so. Larry was my friend and he meant a great deal to me, and i guess I wanted to do this for him.

When it was all done, I ended up being right about my chances of winning, but I did what I had to do, and people liked the bike, but most important I liked the bike.

HC: tell us about the build. What was the most difficult part of it?

Jose: The most difficult part was finding the time. I had to fit it in between working on all my customers bikes, and then there's the trips and running the shop. there's a lot of shit that has to get done, and doing something "extra" is a bitch. Not to mention , it ain't cheap! The general misconception is that we are all loaded. Most of the guys you see on TV depend on the day to day stuff to keep the shop running. Paying customers are what keep the shops running, so they have priority. For the Horse build, one of the hardest things was keeping the bike under a certain budget (in this case it was 10 grand) Keeping the bike within budget means having two or three times the labor so you don't run into overtime.

I do a bike from an idea. No plans or drawings. it goes from my mind, to my hands, to the bike. I was fortunate to have a lot of friends giving me stuff for the build. I had to redo most of it to make it work. A lot of the parts didn't make it to the shop on time, and some things had to wait until after the event to make it on the bike. It's still not completely finished. Time is also crucial and that drives me nuts, I worked 20-hours a day for weeks, but I got to ride it for a couple days before shipping.

HC: Did you get help with the build?

Jose: Everyone gets help. I have the guys at the shop, friends that come over after work, my mom answering the phones, my dad does the wiring, even the guys that goes get lunch or the Cokes are big help. Anything that keeps you working on the bike is big help. Edwin stayed with me until dawn for many days, and some of my friends from the industry sent me stuff that I needed. Shit even readers of the (Horse) magazine sent me parts for the build. Major companies like CCI and Jireh helped out with many of the parts. it's a collective build, and everyone does their part, directly or indirectly. It doesn't help that I had to put everything on hold to catch a plane (to a certain event) The bottom line is it would be impossible if it were not for all those people.

HC: What was the best part of the experience?

Jose: The best part of the experience was finishing the bike, and being able to ride it. But, I still wondered if the bike was good enough. Not good enough to win, but to Indian Larry's guys. I didn't want to copy one of his bikes. I wanted to do my own thing while including some of the stuff that Larry did. The bike is a base for one of my bob/chop rollers. The same as the journey Museum bike. I really want to push those rollers in the upcoming year, it's very simple and inexpensive, but still is a full custom bike.

Being there with a bunch of friends from Puerto Rico and knowing there are a lot of people who appreciate what is done, is always good. having friends sending parts, or even e-mails giving you props is amazing, I have never seen myself as anything special, I know what I do, but I don't feel I am a "celebrity" or anything like that, it still floors me when people dig my bikes or wants me to write (sign) something...

HC: Break down a Jose de Miguel build?

Jose: My builds are simple. The new stuff, which happens to be the old stuff, is just going back to basics-Light bikes with Soul. They are based on the roller I want to put out on the market. They're not cheaply made, but I try to keep them inexpensive. The most important element is fun. Everyone is so busy trying to win that they forget this is all about fun. Fun of riding with friends, of being unique... I want to have a bike that can be put together in my garage. if you don't know how to weld, I will weld whatever is needed. If you want to use your own front end, you can. If you have a "donor" bike, you can let me know what you want to use and I will build the roller accordingly. You can even just tell me which motor and trans you have and I can send the painted roller. All this is a build like I would do it.

HC: How was your recent trip back to Hawaii? Is there anything you would like to say to the locals here?

Jose: yeah, I really enjoy my visits to Hawaii. People are building some great bikes, and it's always a party, and everyone treats me so well. Oh, and the women are... well, let's just say I can't get the out of my mind. Hawaii reminds me of home, and that's how everyone makes me feel when I'm there.

A hui hou..

by Steve Kalnasy

1er Encuentro Nacional de Motoras

27 al 30 de mayo 2005   Lajas ,Puerto Rico

Dedicatoria

A Jose de Miguel

Puerto Rico es una cantera de talento inagotable. Prueba de ellos son las ejecutorias de nuestros artistas, bellezas y atletas.

El motociclismo no se podia quedar atras y han sido muchos los que han hecho su aportacion.

Uno de ellos es un joven boricua que ha seguido abriendo camino en el diseño y confeccion de motoras.

Hoy dia los medios internacionales reconocen su labor. Su empresa Caribbean Custom, se ha convertido en u icono en el mercado internacional de motoras.

Dicen que muchas veces tenemos muy cerca las cosas como para valorarlas.

Hoy tenemos que reconocer y valorar lo nuestro.

Es por ello que nos sentimos muy orgullosos de dedicarle este Primer Encuentro  Nacional de Motoras a Jose de Miguel.

A

Jose (Che) Miguel

El Club Los Road Runners de Isabela

Te hace entrega de este reconocimiento especial

Por tu magnifica y valiosa labor en el motociclismo.

Nos sentimos orgullosos de ti.

Dado hoy, Domingo 31 de Julio de 2005

Segundo Bike Show

“Corriendo por los niños”

Municipio de Rincon

Proclama

La administracion Municipal de Rincon y su alcalde, Carlos D Lopez Bonilla, Proclaman “Visitante Distinguido de Rincon” al Sr Jose de Miguel, "Top Builder" Boricua.

Por Cuanto: Jose de Miguel, Artesano de las motocicletas por mas de 15 años, se caracteriza por ser el “top builder” boricua, con un estilo sumamente sencillo y limpio en la fabricacion de sus motocicletas.

Por Cuanto: Jose de Miguel nos visita hoy para su acostumbrado evento anual de motocicletas, llamado Caribbean Bike Week, el cual se lleva a cabo durante los dias 2,3 y 4 de Diciembre de 2005, en el area del Parque Pasivo El Faro , de nuestro Pueblo de los Bellos Atardeceres, Rincon.

Por Tanto: YO, Carlos D Lopez Bonilla, ALCALDE DEL MUNICIPIO DE RINCON, PUERTO RICO, en uso de las facultades y prerrogativas que me confieren las leyes del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, por la presente PROCLAMO “ VISITANTE DISTINGUIDO DE RINCON” AL “TOP BUILDER” BORICUA, Jose de Miguel. Con motivo de la celebracion de su evento annual en Rincon, Caribbean Bike Week.

Al asi hacerlo, deseo dar tambien una calurosa y cordial bienvenida a sus amigos “Top Builders” que nos visitan, entre ellos, Chica customs, Kendall Johnson, Indian Larry Legacy y Caribbean Custom Cycles.  Es muy grato tenerles en nuestro suelo Rincoeño.

Bienvenidos todos y adelante siempre.

En testimonio de lo cual firmo y expido la presente proclama y hago estampar en ella el gran sello official del municipio de Rincon, Puerto Rico, Hoy dia 4 de diciembre de 2005