By Joy Burgess
Photos by Kendra Korman Photography
We’re excited about all the great photo submissions we’re receiving on social media, and we wanted to find a spot where we can feature some of the movers and shakers in the motorcycle world. So, Social Aftershocks is a section all about you! Submit your bikes, bike build stories, shop photos, show pictures or anything else you feel is creating tremors in the American V-twin world, and we’d love to feature you.
This month we’re featuring a couple bike build submissions from Kenny Davanzo of Hazardous Cycles. Influenced by Evel Knievel and the ‘70s chopper scene, Kenny grew up dreaming of building his own bikes. People thought he was crazy for chasing his dream to Florida, where he went to the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Orlando to pursue his degree. Eventually, his dream of building custom motorcycles led him to start a shop in his garage, and now he’s been in business for nearly a decade.
“The green ’49 panhead was my first custom build for myself to show what I could do,” Kenny told me. “I designed it, put it together, and picked the colors. I wanted it to be different, and whenever I pull up at a motorcycle show or biker bar, everyone looks at it because it’s so unique.”
All it takes is about two minutes of chatting with Kenny and his passion for custom bikes shines through. “A custom bike stands out in the crowd,” he said, “and I’m passionate about building stuff that’s customized. Give me a stock bike and I immediately start looking at it, thinking about how I can tear it apart to make it my own. I love putting a lot of thought into every part of the bike. Most of the time I use old parts and then powder coat and machine them. I don’t like to buy new when I can either fabricate my parts or powder coat older parts to breathe new life into them.”
Whether he’s building for himself, friends, or customers, Kenny puts everything he’s got into every bike. “There’s no room to be lazy when you build a bike. Customs are my whole life. I’ve considered other jobs, but I just can’t leave this. I just love building bikes – seeing a bike come to life. It’s a dream coming true for me.”
Get to know Kenny and check out Hazardous Cycles’ latest builds by following
@hazardouscycles on Instagram.
