If it’s got an engine and wheels, Chris is on board to wrench and tinker with it. Inside Chris’ hallowed space is where the magic happens, and where many a little nutcase machine has been created for the Quake City Rumblers.
Growing up surrounded by bikes meant that Chris had little choice in the matter as far as falling head over heels in love with machines. “I’ve been on two wheels since I was about 4 thanks to Mum and Dad being bikers. We had no car, and got around on an old Yamaha XJ750 with a sidecar. Dad was forever working on bikes, whether it was maintenance keeping at least 6 bikes on the road, or restoring old classics. It wasn’t until I moved to Christchurch from Blenheim, That I was introduced to customising by my Aunty’s partner James whilst living with them. James was never content with anything stock, and often took the grinder to new sportsbikes, making them streetfighters and the like. James then helped me work on a Suzuki GS500 that I had. It would be after this that I truly realised that bikes belonged in my heart, and eventually got into small bikes which is where the Quake City Rumblers started.”
It would be a steady stream of Chopper magazines and infinite online blogs showcasing all styles of custom builds that would further push Chris into working on custom machines for himself, as more projects would enter their way into his garage. “I have a coach building trade, and had modified a few cars before customising my bikes. I’ve always enjoying making something my own and personalising it, and bikes were perfect as they are cheap to purchase and modify.”
“All fabrication is done in my shed. I have a trusty Mig welder and air compressor, with assorted air tools and panel gear. I’ve chopped all my frames and made bars, sissy bars and seat pans for all my bikes. I’ve also got spray guns and have a go at painting most of my shit. Ill Outsource the stainless tig welding to a couple good mates and also the seat upholstery to my mate Lewis. I should give that a go myself as the Mrs has an industrial sewing machine.”
“When I first started QCR we had regular build days in my shed where we chopped the frames and exhausts and made bars and headlight mounts and the like. Plenty of work was done to make our bikes wild and loud. Ive still had a bit of a hand at helping some of the other Rumblers who dont have fabrication gear lately which has been fun.”
“I’ve always enjoyed looking at old boys sheds and their setups, so I’ve tried to recreate that with my shed. Having the bar out the back is a bonus spot to store all my collectables and a spot to chill out after working on bikes and have a couple cold ones.”
“The big build is my 1980 Harley Davidson Sportster Chopper, which is going to need wiring and brake lines till it’s finished. I’ve repowered my wife’s C90 for Dirtmasters, which will need to change that back to Road duties soon. I built my wild Green Honda C50 named ‘Mantis” which was the most fun!”
“I spend about 4-8 hours a week in here depending on what I’m building. My night shift work and my beautiful wife and daughter, along with plenty of riding with the Rumblers decides how much time is spent where. When I was getting the Harley up to where it is now I spent a good solid 3 weeks of all my spare time on it. Usually a few hours during the day, a couple hours on a Sunday morning helping out a mate. I’d say it’s enough time to be honest, it’s to balance it with the rest of what’s going on in life.”
