Clean. That’s the word the Del Prado brothers hear most often. Clean. Standing in their shop in New River, AZ, where everything has its place, it’s clear this is no coincidence. The safety goggles sit folded next to the electric tape atop a bright red tool cabinet, the tools tucked quietly inside. There’s a shelf for paint, a desk for business, and a work bench divides the room into halves, a side for each brother. But this isn’t the pretty face of some bought-and-paid-for shop.
“Our mom and I are both neat freaks,” Justin tells me. “I might have a disorder. I don’t think I can function amongst clutter.” Then they describe ironing their shirts to go bag groceries as teenagers. Indeed, clean is the Del Prado way of life.
But it wasn’t until they jumped ship from corporate life (they both worked as managers in finance companies until a little flick called Fight Club inspired them to abandon their stations) that the creed would earn them a reputation as top motorcycle builders. Since then, they’ve become known worldwide for their spit-shined aesthetic, bending our minds with one imaginative Ironhead-based build after another.
Looking over their catalog of work, one of these things is not quite like the others. We wanted to take a closer look at one in particular: the Beach Cruiser. As it turns out, this bike wasn’t built for a customer, but for Justin’s personal daily use, inspired by his old daily ride.
“The key design influence on this bike,” says younger brother Jarrod, “was actually Justin’s 1958 VW Bug, which he’d previously restored. After enjoying that car for several years, he ended up selling it, and later regretted it. The paint scheme and overall style of this bike were inspired by that car to help Justin somewhat keep its memory alive. The paint codes are identical.”
It did more than keep the memory alive. “It was really a sleeper,” Jarrod said. “It looked vintage and fun, but it was actually pretty quick! Although we didn’t rebuild the motor, someone previously had, and must have upgraded to some hot cams. Our seat-of-the-pants dyno guesses about 65 horsepower, which moved this little machine along nicely.” (Stock Ironheads carried 45-50 horses.)
I asked if the Beach Cruiser was a departure from their style. “It’s certainly the most comfortable bike we’ve built. The mini-beach bars lend to a nice, easy-going riding position. Most of our bikes have an aggressive clip-ons stance.”
Knowing how far they’ve pushed the envelope already, I wonder where these two, who have been best friends since birth, are headed next. To this, Jarrod says, “We just finished a 154 hp turbo Sportster. The future keeps getting faster! And we’ve got our first custom Triumph in the works. Along with several cafe-style Sportsters. We’re already booked until 2015, the future is looking awesome for DP Customs, and we’re having a blast!”
This article first appeared in issue 13 of Iron & Air Magazine, and is reproduced here under license.
Words by Robert Hoekman Jr. | Images by Jed Strahm
