Hockey Fan Bikes

Hockey Fan Bikes

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, etc. 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 will carry their patriotism a little further and we have found two such instances – one for the NHL and one for the WHL.

Azzkikr Custom Cycles located in Surrey, B.C. is a business that began a decade ago with a simple garage project between Len and Gord Edmondson, a father and son, and has turned into a full-time championship bike building business taking top honours this past season at Sturgis North.

Gord Edmondson says, “We took Azzkikr from a passion project to a fully operational business with a staff of 11 people.”

Hockey is a passionate game for both fans and players as are motorcycles for manufacturers, builders and riders. Edmondson says they love what they do, love to compete in bike building competitions, love their hockey and 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. Prior to creating the bike, Azzkikr put a game plan in motion. Digital mock-ups were done to get a visual of the completed project prior to picking up the first part.

“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,” says Edmondson. “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 all pearl white, chrome accented Canuck coloured pin striping and custom orca leather seat. Even the drive belt honours their team.

During the design and build process, various elements were changed as the vision became reality. One of the biggest changes aside from the paintwork was whether or not to go with drag bars or mini-ape handlebars. Mock-ups were done with one of each and online facebook fans have freely been offering up comments. Which set of bars will prevail will be known at the unveiling of the bike.

With an oversize back tire sheltered under a custom cut and pointed fender, a slightly raked front end and a Covington hot rod pipe exhaust, this chopper 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.

“This is a fan bike and whether we end up selling the bike or whether we ride it around town and enjoy it – it is something we really enjoyed doing and to mix work with pleasure, it was an opportunity that we really wanted to go for,” says Edmondson.

Moving more inland in British Columbia, another motorcycle is paying homage to its favourite team and although it is not a custom creation from the ground up, it is custom coloured to match the Kelowna Rockets Hockey Club and fans get a chance to win this bike.

A Ducati Monster 696, from Bentley Motorrad, is proudly on display at the Kelowna Rocket’s home games with the team colours proudly incorporated. 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” said Bentley. “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 Propsects game at the end of the month, Anne-Marie 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 then or visit them online at www.bentleymotorrad.com.

 

 

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Hockey Fan Bikes

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