- [Jim] The "Fun Side of Life" gets me on the back of a Harley in beautiful British, Columbia, behind the scenes at a custom motorcycle shop.
- This is where all the magic happens. You wanted to see behind the curtain.
- And on the water to check out Lake Okanagan's famous boating culture. Join me on my cross Canada RV tour as I look for the fun side of life. Today, I'm heading over to Konquer Motorcycles, a legendary custom motorcycle shop. My friend, Tim, is giving me my first motorcycle ride in 20 years. I'm a bit nervous
- Jim, we're gonna go for a ride today.
- I can't wait. I've never been on a Harley before.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- Well, this is a classic. It's a 1992 FXT or they called it a Sport Glide.
- How do I keep my balance?
- Just sit up straight and just follow me. That's the best way.
- Don't slouch go with it.
- Yeah. If I lean into a corner, just stay with me.
- Okay. I'm excited. I don't know, I can't contain myself. I don't move until you tell me to move.
- [Tim] Let me get it started first.
- [Jim] Sure.
- See what I mean? Very novice.
- [Tim] That's okay. You'll be just fine. I'll move forward a bit. You on?
- I'm on.
- Perfect.
- There we go.
- [Tim] All right. Way to go, buddy.
- Don't go here.
- You first. There you go.
- That was awesome. I've never felt safer in my life.
- There you go.
- Thank you so much.
- You're welcome, you're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed.
- That was awesome. Did you feel the smile on my face the entire time?
- I did, I did. There was this big beam in the back of my head.
- I think I have a permanent smile now. I can understand the liberating feeling that you get. when you're on it.
- That's just a small example of what we do when we ride here in the Okanagan. There's so many places to go. The scenery's fabulous.
- [Jim] I headed inside with Tim and we were surrounded by an incredible variety of custom motorcycles made by the team. It's no wonder Custom Creations is a Mecca for motorcycle enthusiasts all over North America. What is it that you offer here?
- People, whether they buy a newer bike or they get a second hand one, they wanna make it their own. Right? What we do is we give them that opportunity. A lot of people come here from across Canada. There's no other place like us.
- [Jim] What are we looking at here? What are we looking at here? I don't recognize these bikes, but they look epic.
- These two bikes over here, they fall into the performance bagger category and basically they've got a lot of performance parts. We did a military bike, which was a tribute.
- I love the finished products, but I'd love to see how they're done.
- Ah, well, that's top secret. Sorry, you can't go there.
- Okay.
- No, I'm teasing.
- [Jim] Time to peek behind the curtain and see where custom motorcycles are born.
- All right, Jim, this is where all the magic happens. You wanted to see behind the curtain.
- Love it.
- This is where it's gonna be.
- This is your secret lair of awesome creation, right?
- Well, there's a lot that's gone on here and there's a lot more to go on as well. Our guys work really hard. Everything from basic services, oil change, right up to full customization. We tear the bike down. We do everything to it. And it all depends on what the customer wants, of course. We also have our own paint and body operations so we can do everything. Custom paint and graphics and all that kind of stuff.
- Tim, you obviously love what you do. This can't be work for you, right?
- It absolutely is not. No. I found my dream job. I've ridden bikes since I was very young. I've always been around bikes. I've gone through various careers in my lifetime and now I'm here and this is something I've always wanted to be a part of. I'm glad to work with the great crew that we have and they're all invested. They all are part of this culture. This is what we do.
- [Jim] I couldn't let the opportunity pass to spend a bit more time on Tim's motorcycle. He was gracious enough to drive me to my next adventure. The Okanagan Valley's crown jewel is Okanagan Lake. The Kelowna Yacht Club is the perfect place for me to find the fun side of life on the lake. Thom Killingsworth is the executive director at the Kelowna Yacht Club and he's also just a regular guy who's happiest on the water.
- So there's about a thousand boats in the marina here.
- Wow.
- One common theme is this is really a community where people kinda treat this as their campground. Some people just sit on their boats and party. Yeah and some people have boats like this one where you can really enjoy the lake for weeks on end without having to leave the boat.
- Can we take a look?
- Yeah, yeah, awesome.
- Oh yeah.
- It's a home on water. Absolutely.
- Oh yeah. Wow. Wow, look at this. This doesn't feel cramped at all. This is like super spacious.
- [Thom] Tons of room, barbecue and a fridge and freezer here and microwave and TV. It comes down from the ceiling
- Panoramic.
- Absolutely.
- Right.
- Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah.
- It just opens it right up.
- I was impressed because below deck, there were two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Any family could call this boat home.
- Kelowna's a very busy town in the summer. It's a tourist town. It's a great spot for lots of people to come to, but once you get out on the lake, you're really in a different world.
- [Jim] During my chat with Tom, he suggested we check out something totally different, a boat that he feels goes so well with the Lake Okanagan lifestyle.
- So this boat's completely different than the last boat we looked at. These are a really great way to enjoy the lake and they're so stable. It's actually the only way I could get my mum and dad out on the water because you can pull it right close. You can step on really easily. This boat has three pontoons. If you get caught in a storm or there's some waves, it just cuts right through. It's a living room on the water.
- [Jim] I could see why this boat would appeal to all ages. Stepping on board was just as easy as stepping through a doorway.
- [Thom] You can get to where you wanna get to as fast as you want or you can just get into the middle of the lake, shut it off, and just enjoy the day.
- I feel like this is the kind of boat where people can just come together and just chat.
- Some of our best days on the lake, even this summer, have been when my wife and my two kids come out and her sister and their kids, there's conversations happening out front, there's barbecuing happening out back, there's kids jumping in the water.
- This boat is a memory maker then.
- A lot of our best times are out on on the lake and in a boat like this.
- Even though it was a calm and really crisp evening, Tom insisted we head out onto the water in this gorgeous sailboat. He felt the only way I'd really understand the appeal of Lake Okanagan was to be smack dab in the middle. He even showed me how to raise a sail. You know, he was right. Once we were there, I definitely started to get it. This is beautiful. It is so serene.
- I've lived here for quite some time, but I'm always amazed when I get out on the lake, even just a half a kilometer from the city, you're in your own space. You feel like you're in the middle of nowhere and it's so quiet. You're so right. It's just a very peaceful.
- Describe for me the lake lifestyle.
- It's family, it's the sunsets, the beautiful nights, and the warm lake.
- Is it always hard to be go back and dock the boat when you've been out here?
- Actually one of the most challenging things is docking the boat. I like a challenge. It's always great when you can get out here for a few hours. It just reminds you how lucky we are to live where we live and to have this kind of experience.
- What a day. Tim showed me the freedom and beauty of the open road from the back of a classic motorcycle. What a rush. At the Kelowna Yacht Club, I learned that you could have a nice day on the lake or make it your home. It's truly up to you. Today might be over, but you never know what tomorrow's gonna bring. Why don't you come along with me? See where I go next.
