"I'm the idea guy, the designer," Kozlowski insisted.
"Anything we do is because I want a platform to show my
stuff."
Kozlowski's 'stuff' is evident all over his creations. With
countless hours spent developing new prototypes and parts, he
said that the end result is a bike that reflects his very personality.
"It's meticulous, detail oriented, yet still highly complex.
That's me. It may seem at first glance like chrome and black
paint, but the more you look at it, the more you find."
Kozlowski insisted his pursuit of perfection wasn't borne out
of a desire to become famous, like Jesse James of West Coast
Choppers, or the Teutul's of Orange County Choppers. Instead,
it is driven by his desire to become recognized among those
who he regards as the greats, such as legendary New York City
seat designer Paul Cox.
"When you get a guy like him to say 'beautiful,' it's not
often you get a guy like him to say 'beautiful,'" Kozlowski
said. "I've wanted to quit many times, but when you get
those compliments, it gives you the fuel to keep going."
Kozlowski continued that while being rich wouldn't be a bad
thing, it is the 'cool factor' that keeps his bikes and prototypes
going. "I'm trying to make something that I think is cool
and I hope someone else does too. I hope 30 years from now I'm
a millionaire, but I'm not going to stamp something out just
for it to sell. If I sell five, or 5,000, it's all going to
be the same.
"It's gratifying at the end when you see the bike and you
know it's what you wanted," the custom bike designer said.
"The bike is meant to ride."
Kozlowski's passion for custom design has been an obsession
for over a decade, starting with an old Honda he found while
out of town for a sports event.
"I found the bike on the weekend while out of town for
hockey. This thing was Tremclad blue, old, '70s style,"
Kozlowski said. "Once I got it home, I gave it some more
Tremclad."
From a bike found on a rural roadside, to the bike the affectionately
called Rush, Kozlowski said his real talent has always been
in the conceptual stage of customizing. His pursuit of perfection
doesn't always end up on the bike. Many prototype parts Kozlowski
has worked on for hours have ended up on the shelf of his garage.
"I took a fiberglass headlight, sculpted flames into it
and now it's sitting on a shelf after working on it for 18 hours,"
he said of his dedication to find the ideal fit. "Custom
wheels and custom paint jobs don't make a custom motorcycle.
It's using the right part and the right colour at the right
time."
Kozlowski's eye for the right colour and right part at the right
time has won him numerous accolades, such as Best Paint at the
World of Wheels. While he recognized winning such awards as
highlights of his young career, he is quick to give credit to
his partners in the Winnipeg custom motorcycle scene.
"What I try to do is excel in design," he said. "I
come up with the idea, what works, what doesn't. I rely on the
talent in Winnipeg to get to the next level. The talent in Winnipeg
would be extremely sought after in the U.S."
When asked about the future of customizing in Winnipeg, Kozlowski
said the emphasis shouldn't be on wanting to find something
that somebody else will approve of necessarily. Instead, instinct
and personal desire have to take centre-stage when it comes
to customizing.
"You really have to stay true to yourself when you're building.
I'm not trying to build anything like anyone else," he
said. "That's what I don't like - the stigma of just because
someone isn't driving the right machine or having the right
part. If it's cool, and it makes sense to you, and if you think
you've accomplished what you wanted, then that's cool."
MOD LIST-ENGINE
1550 cc - 110HP
Screamin Eagle high compression pistons and jugs, adjustable
push-rods, high compression heads - ported and polished, 211
high performance cams, performance clutch, intake manifold
- wrinkle coated to hide between engine cylinders
45 mm Mikuni Flat Side carburetor - polished
Removed idle adjuster hose and replaced with a custom hidden
screw - wrinkle finish to make it disappear
DynaTek programmable ignition - hidden under the seat
K&N ram air filter (pleats in front and sides) that flows
520 cfm's with black pre-charger sock
Wrinkle finish ram air mounting elbow
Chrome billet spike mounted to air front of air filter
Spark plug area filler fins to keep a flowing cylinder look
Sumax Thunderbolt wires are the thickest in diameter on the
market for the big power engine look
Arlen Ness neutral switch cover and fat tubes
Joker Machine tear drop chrome billet crankcase breathers
with chrome mounting bolts
Nitro Choppers chrome timing cover with painted black letters
and custom airbrushed Derby cover with clear coat
Pearl black primary inspection cover
Custom machined billet oil cap with sealing o-rings - wrinkle
coated
Wrinkle coated the top engine brace - chrome acorn nuts and
chrome socket head bolts
All chrome engine fasteners
MOD LIST-BODY
Aluminum Fat Katz gas tank - stretched and lowered
Hot Match pop-up gas gap
Pingel high flow fuel valve
Pi-Thon (no screw) gas line clamp - black
Braided gas line hose in black
Braided cross over fuel line with chrome fittings
Chrome air vent spigot with custom shaped hard wire vent hose
Hand tooled all leather seat, also hand laced
Hand carved chrome billet horn cover with custom mounting
hardware
Modified and hand shaped the Corbin fiberglass chin spoiler
Polished stainless steel flame foot pegs with chrome hardware
Polished stainless steel flame shifter rod with aircraft ball
joint ends
Chrome transmission control arm
Vance and Hines - Pro Pipe HS
Custom made ignition housing
MOD LIST-REAR END
RevTech Inferno wheel in chrome with matching inferno belt
pulley - billet aluminum
Chrome axle spacers
Polished stainless steel rotor with chrome fasteners
Steel braided brake line with chrome banjo bolt and bleeder
caps with hidden set screws
Wrinkle coated upper and lower swing-arm covers
Wrinkle coated axle adjuster bolt caps
Wrinkle coated custom rear tire back-splash cover
Custom side mount license plate with LED brake light - hidden
set screws to mount the license plate and hidden wiring for
the cleanest look
Arlen Ness low profile chrome billet turn signals with hidden
wiring
Sumax Fiberglass Street Sweeper fender hand shaped for the
best look when parked and with the weight of the rider
Shortened the stock fender struts and removed the bow present
in the end of all stock fender struts
Shortened the stock belt guard and rechromed
Chrome lower belt guard
MOD LIST-FRONT END
Converted from 21" stock configuration to a 16"
wheel
Machined new spacers to accommodate new wheel
RevTech Inferno wheel in chrome finish - billet aluminum
Polished stainless steel rotor with chrome fasteners
Steel braided brake line with chrome banjo bolt and bleeder
caps with hidden set screws
Chrome billet upper brake line clamp
Powder coated lower legs in wrinkle texture with coated top
seal covers
Chrome fork drain screws, fender bolts, axle clamp nuts, axle
spacers, caliper mount bolts, top fork nuts
Sumax Street Sweeper fiberglass front fender
Painted Mitsubishi black with green and gold pearl by Kenny
Lang Auto Body. Clear coated, wet sanded and polished
Flames and skulls by Dale Lawrence - MAG Studio's
V2 Obsession wrinkle finish handlebars
LED back lit guages by Nova MMB from Germany
Aero Mach inferno mirrors with chromed billet Sidewinder arms
Internal throttle
Joker Machine billet hand controls and master cylinder with
chrome billet pistol grip levers
Arlen Ness 5 3/4 inch billet headlight
Reversed and re-engineered mounting bracket
Handmade headlight mount shaped to a point like the headlight
then chrome plated
Adjure Inc Diamond Cut lamp with a Sylvania soft white bulb
Arlen Ness minimal front signals with hidden wiring
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