NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA
There is a saying, “Everything happens for a reason.” When Luc Leblanc of Kent County Custom in Shediac Bridge, New Brunswick traded his ‘99 Yamaha R1 for a pile of ‘88 Harley-Davidson Softail parts, a door opened and Luc stepped inside. After months of customizing, fabricating and assembly, he finally had that first ride on his Harley. From there his passion for custom motorcycles only grew.
A licensed machinist, Luc always had a passion for motorcycles and in 2002 he laid the groundwork and started his first build. Luc continued building custom bikes and soon opened his own repair shop. Luc now works mostly on Harley-Davidson and American V-Twins, whether it’s an oil change or right on up to a full-blown custom chopper or bobber. “I had the privilege of being a teacher for 4-years at the same college I attended, teaching the Machinist Apprenticeship Program and I received my license as a motorcycle mechanic, all while continuing to operate my shop in the evenings and on weekends.”
Luc is definitely no stranger to the custom bike world, when the call came for builders to make waves on TSN’s Canadian Chopper Challenge, Luc accepted the chance to be one of four builders. His bike, Misconduct, caught the judge’s eye and scored him the second place title.
With over 750 hours work in Luc’s latest build, Koben will be catching eyes wherever it goes as well. Everything on the bike has been built from scratch or modified to suit the function or form of the bike. Koben features a two piece fuel tank with three part tank inserts machined from scratch. To keep the fender from flexing and cracking, Luc started with three fenders and modified them into one final, strong, flowing fender. The frame has no bodywork cluttering it up and is painted to give a patina-like finish. The contrasting aluminum against the copper and paint sets this bike apart from others– and draws you in for a closer look.
Luc has also started his own production bike featuring a 110 ci Evolution motor and a six-speed transmission mated with a 2-inch open primary. The power gets to the ground through a 240-rear tire. “I want to bring back the ‘90s-style Softail. This is the perfect bike for the customer looking for performance, reliability and something a little different.”
With Mathiew Boudreau, a licensed machinist and experienced mechanic, helping with a wrench, and Alex Girouard up front on the Parts and Service counter, KCC is certainly a driving force in the New Brunswick motorcycle repair and custom building scene.
Though his TSN Canadian Chopper Challenge bike is named Misconduct, Luc will not be spending any time in the penalty box for his custom motorcycles. If anything, it will be Luc hoisting the cup skyward.
Luc Leblanc has been named the 2008 Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Kent County Region, awarded by Enterprise Kent.
Kent County Custom
28 Rue Du Viaduc
Shediac Bridge, NB E4R 1Z7
506-532-2033
www.kentcountycustom.com
