Local riders are in the running to design and build a custom chopper with Orange County Chopper's Paul Teutel Sr. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

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Nanaimo riders dreaming of open roads on custom-made chopper

Aug 3, 2021 | 5:53 AM

NANAIMO — Two local riders are looking to make their riding dreams a reality.

Joel Wilson and Dan Morison are in the final stages of a North America-wide contest to build a custom chopper motorcycle with Paul Teutul Sr., founder of Orange County Choppers and star of reality-show American Chopper.

Wilson told NanaimoNewsNOW his love of riding goes back to his days as a teenager growing up in Ontario.

“I learned to ride in Ontario when I was 16, took a weekend to do and $140 out of your pocket. I bought my first motorcycle after having a bicycle stolen out in Oakville, Ontario and to my mother’s chagrin I brought home an ’89 Yamaha.”

Wilson is currently without a bike but has dreams of riding the open highways across Vancouver Island.

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He described his dream ride in his application for the contest as one from Laval, Quebec where his brother lives across the northern United States, then up the west coast and over the Malahat to Nanaimo.

Morison said in his application he wanted to use the custom bike to go riding with his father and his wife.

“My Dad rides but I’m not sure how many years he has left in him. I have been trying to get him out as much as possible but I want him to have great memories of us, especially after my brother passed away years ago. I ride a Honda VTX 1300 but I would love to pass it to my wife as she wants to ride with the old man while we can.”

Entries into the contest came from Canada, the United States and Mexico, with Wilson currently second in his group.

People can vote for Joel or Dan once per day for free. The contest is also selling “rescue votes” for a dollar each, with proceeds going to support New York’s Hudson Valley SPCA.

Vote for Joel | Vote for Dan

Voting in the current round ends at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 5 with Wilson needing to be in the top five to advance.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

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