Local business owner ‘chops’ up a win Oshawa/Whitby This Week Written by David Blumenfeld Sunday, 22 January 2006 Oshawa – Yurko Custom Choppers has built a winner. The Columbus-base builder of custom motorcycles picked up first place with its DeWalt Custom Chopper at the 2006 North American International Motorcycle Supershow, held Jan. 6 to 8 in Toronto. The bike -- boasting a supercharged motor, 170 horsepower and a 360 millimetre tire -- won best of show. Another bike built by Yurko, affectionately named “She Devil,” also took home third prize in the builders class. “These shows are almost like a lottery -- you’re not guaranteed anything,” said shop owner Mike Yurko, 43, who spent nearly five months building the award winning chopper with his partner, Frank Bourgeois. “It was a tough class, and we put so much into the bike. To come home with a first place, and with a client like DeWalt Canada, I can’t even explain. I was ecstatic.” It was the No. 1 win for Yurko Custom Choppers, which not only builds motorcycles from scratch, but also does custom work on a variety of motorcycles, for corporations, small business and individuals. A licensed pipe fitter welder and plumber, Mr. Yurko has contracted for a variety of corporations and businesses such as General Motors, the Region of Durham, Mackie Automotive and the Durham District School Board. The shop puts out about two custom bikes a year its 2,500 sq. ft. facility on Columbus Road in north Oshawa. After winning the bets of show category at the SuperShow, Mr. Yurko said DeWalt Canada has plans to take his bike on the road, showcasing it as a number of bike shows. “I don’t think you can pay for this exposure,” he said. “They’re taking this bike across Canada, whatever their big shows are. This thing was such a hit… it’s going to be a smash. I know it will.” As for Mr. Yurko, he said the phone at Yurko Custom Choppers has been “ringing off the wall” from potential clients since the win. Although the bike is back home now, Mr. Yurko said it will be displayed at a bike show in Montreal at the end of February, and then Daytona, a show which he called the most prestigious in the world. Such bikes can sell for upward of $100,000, but testing Yurko’s award-winning chopper on the open road is a bit of a problem right now, Mr. Yurko said. “We haven’t had it on the road yet. Begin winter time, it’s kind of hard to test drive it,” he said. Return to News