You’ve got to figure that Gregg DesJardins, owner of Gregg’s Customs in Campbell, Calif., must be feeling a bit like Col. John “Hannibal” Smith these days. Gregg played a big role in a successful effort to raise more than $53,000 for the Ride for Kids project benefitting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF).
You might recall “Hannibal” Smith as the grizzled ex-Special Forces officer portrayed by actor George Peppard in the mid-1980s television series, The A-Team. The colonel would conclude each action-packed episode by sticking a cigar in his grinning teeth and announcing, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
This 11th annual fundraiser for Ride for Kids really did come together, bringing the total of funds raised since 2000 to more than $612,000.
Last December, we wrote in this space (see “PM Among Those Creating This Year’s Ride for Kids Bike“) about Cycle World’s Ride for Kids project, and we mentioned that Gregg was selected by the magazine to transform a new stock Honda CBR1000RR into a modern version of the LCLB750 Supersport for a drawing to benefit PBTF.
Gregg was all over it, but he turned to his friends in the motorcycle industry to help him build a bike that would be inspired by those early ’80s Superbikes. First, he took possession of a stock CBR1000RR donated by Honda. Then he got on the phone and began pestering his industry friends for primo parts for the bike, which he dubbed The Catalyst.
When all was said and done, he’d built a bike with quality equipment donated by the best in the industry. From Performance Machine, the bike features our 2011 RSD Boss Gold Ops wheels set as well as our RSD Bar Risers with a total value of nearly $2,900. In addition to Cycle World, Honda and Performance Machine, many other companies provided parts and craftsmanship, including Dunlop, Leo Vince, Sport Chrome, Drive Systems USA, Kyle Racing, Galfer, Corbin, EMA-USA and Colorzone Designs.
The months-long project culminated earlier this month in a drawing that saw Giovanni Velez of Lakewood, N.J., holding the winning ticket from among more than 20,000 entries. The news was an early birthday gift for Velez, who turned 21 two days after the drawing.
Kyle Clack, PBTF Ride for Kids marketing director said he was grateful to the motorcycle industry for once again stepping up to the plate. And he thanked Gregg for putting together this very special CBR1000RR.
