Theresa Contreras wins Female Builder award for bike built with Jessi Combs
Designer/builder Theresa Contreras accepted the “Female Builder” award at The One Motorcycle Show, in Portland, Oregon, on April 21. The award was given for a 2015 BMW R nineT she built in 2016 with racing legend Jessi Combs, who died breaking the land speed record (female) at 522.783 mph.
“Jessi told me to design it,” says Contreras. “And from there, we both added touches that further enhanced it.”
The “Real Deal BMW,” which was originally unveiled at the 2016 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, was featured in the Real Deal Revolution booth, a nonprofit organization the two fabricators co-founded in 2014 to “revolutionize the perception of skilled trades and women’s roles in them,” through hands-on workshops such as pinstriping and welding.
The bike was built to race on the salt flats and includes BMX-style foot pegs, a Schwinn-style flake seat, and an aircraft-inspired custom fuel cap. Theresa’s paint design was inspired by the sunset on the lake bed, with the landscape turning into metallic reflections as the sun sets.
“We based the bike on a land-speed-inspired theme,” Combs said in a 2016 interview. The custom-fabricated front fairing, the RSD hub adapter for the billet wheels, and Theresa’s custom paint garnered much attention.
Since its unveiling, the female-built motorcycle has won multiple awards at the International Motorcycle Show, was featured at the Handbuilt Show, and appeared in several magazines.
“Even after eight years, I love that the design of this bike still stands the test of time,” says Contreras. “To win this award at The One Moto Show is truly a dream.”
