Motorcygalz
Custom- built bikes made in Surrey and Kelowna honour Canucks and Rockets, and will be at this weekend’s Vancouver Motorcycle Show
Hockey fans and motorcycle riders are often one in the same, and two custom bikes pay homage to the home teams.
Hockey fans can attest to the fact that on any given game day, in the crowd you will see logos of Harley Davidson, Ducati, Triumph, BMW, Yamaha, Honda, etched in leather, screened on cotton, stitched on hats — it doesn’t really matter.
What matters is that a good portion of hockey fans are motorcycle riders. While some fans choose to pay homage to their team by sporting the team jersey, riders often carry their patriotism a little further, and we’ve found two such instances – one for the NHL and one for the WHL.
Azzkikr Custom Cycles is a Surrey- based business that began a decade ago with a simple garage project between father and son Len and Gord Edmondson, and turned into a full- time championship bike building business.
“We took Azzkikr from a passion project to a fully operational business with a staff of 11 people,” explains Gord.
Edmondson says they love what they do, love to compete in bike building competitions, love their hockey and love their hockey team – the Vancouver Canucks.
With these inspirations, they decided to put their competitive nature to work and build a Vancouver Canucks- inspired fan bike. Before creating the bike, Azzkikr put a game plan in motion. Before picking up the first part, digital mock- ups were done to get a visual of the completed project.
“We engineer and mock things up digitally before we create it to make sure that what we create is an actual safe and rideable bike,” notes Gord. “We are huge fans of the Vancouver Canucks and this is something we wanted to do so we went with it. This is something that we are passionate about.”
What started out as a visual piece of motorcycle art, emblazoned with Canuck- coloured flames on the tank and fenders and with chrome and black leather accents, has evolved to a pearl white, chrome- accented Canuck- coloured pin striping and custom orca leather seat. Even the drive belt honours the team.
During the design and build process, various elements were changed as the vision was turned into reality. One of the biggest changes aside from the paintwork was whether or not to go with drag bars or miniape handlebars. Mock- ups were done with one of each and online fans have been freely offering comments.
With an oversized back tire sheltered under a custom cut and pointed fender, a slightly raked front end and a Covington hot rod pipe exhaust, the bike is a must see.
In creation since at least June, when the first digital mock- up was posted, the bike is scheduled to be on display this weekend at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show at Azzkikr Custom Cycles’ booth.
Moving more inland, another motorcycle is paying homage to a favourite team, and although it is not a custom creation from the ground up, it is customcoloured to match the Kelowna Rockets Hockey Club and fans get a chance to win this bike.
A Ducati Monster 696 from Bentley Motorrad — with the team colours incorporated — is proudly on display at the Kelowna Rockets’ home games.
Relatively new to Kelowna, Bentley Motorrad owner Scott Bentley said, “This is such a unique opportunity, and a great way to get to know the community. The bike has exceeded my expectations and looks spectacular.”
The opportunity to win the bike is a raffle draw and fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society. Fans can go online to www. bentleymotorrad. com and purchase an energy bracelet for $ 20 that comes with an entry code to win the bike. Codes are entered online and at the end of the season, one lucky hockey fan will ride off with a new Ducati.
“I lost my mom to this terrible disease, so I am passionate about supporting the Canadian Cancer Society,” said Bentley. “We’re excited to get involved.”
As for the Kelowna Rockets, who are hosting this year’s annual Top Prospects game at the end of the month, AnneMarie Hamilton, Rockets director of marketing, said, “We hope that we can raise some money for a worthwhile cause and allow one of our fans to win a really unique prize.”
Bentley staff will have a selection of entry bracelets available for purchase at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show, or if you are travelling to Kelowna for the Top Prospects hockey game, you can pick one up there or visit them online at www. bentleymotorrad. com