A hog of a hobby

Published: February 1, 2010

Nick Kerzner’s motorcycle “Loud” won Best of Show at the Harley-Davidson Museum’s 2009 Custom Bike Show in Milwaukee. Photos submitted by Nick Kerzner

By Jessica Stephen

Sometimes, Nick Kerzner can’t resist the urge to ride his motorcycle to work.

That’s less of a gamble than it used to be, said Kerzner, 50, owner of Kerzner Inc., a remodeling and construction business in Oconomowoc. Potential customers are more accepting these days, he said, of a Harley-Davidson riding contractor who has dedicated his free time to collecting and customizing the iconic motorcycles.

“As opposed to five or six years ago, when people said, ‘Oh, maybe this isn’t someone I want to deal with for business,’” Kerzner said.

And though he still finds himself at times apologizing for his hobby, more often than not his passion has proved an asset, he said. Sometimes customers and fellow contractors come along for a ride, he said.

“It’s a great icebreaker,” Kerzner said.

In the early days of his hobby, Kerzner’s bikes were less of a draw because he could not afford the custom motorcycles he now sports.

His first bike was not the Harley of his dreams, but the $500 Honda 750 Chopper was a good beginning, he said. And although the bikers at Dirty Ernie’s bar in Milwaukee laughed at Kerzner the first time he rode there with the Honda, he stuck with his passion for motorcycles and eventually bought his first Harley-Davidson, a 250 AMF bike, followed by a 1000 cc Sportster, which his brother-in-law transformed into a custom-painted hot rod.

Nick Kerzner (front right) poses with fellow Harley enthusiasts and his trophy for winning People’s Choice Best of Show at the Harley-Davidson Museum’s 2009 Custom Bike Show in Milwaukee.

“I’ll remember that for the rest of my life,” Kerzner said. “We felt like superheroes.”

Kerzner has spent the past 20 years fixing up bikes and selling them, earning enough money to trade up and expand his collection, which includes a 1948 Panhead custom that won first place in a number of local competitions and was featured in a French magazine during the Harley-Davidson 105th anniversary.

Kerzner also has a 1971 Police Special, another first place winner, and a 1994 Heritage Softail, which shoots flames from the exhaust and has a nitrous oxide boost.

As his motorcycle collection has grown, so has the need for more space, Kerzner said.

“You end up making custom parts to accommodate the mechanical stuff you’re doing,” he said. “And it’s so expensive to have other people do it, so you buy the tools. I’ve since built my own garage with a motorcycle lift in it.”

As he gets older, working on and riding the bikes has become more than a hobby, Kerzner said. It’s a way of life, one that he wants to continue for years to come.

“It’s a whole different world on a motorcycle,” Kerzner said.