NHL Coach Teams With Dallas' Old Bike Shop

Dave Tippett Builds His Own Chopper During Layoff

As head coach for a National Hockey League club, Dave Tippett has become accustomed to molding cohesive lines, meshing distinct personalities and crafting quality teams. He has helped build a consistently successful team on the ice in Dallas, and he has created a winning atmosphere that permeates throughout town.    

With a lot more time on his hands last season than he would've liked, Tippett took the opportunity to achieve a goal of building his own motorcycle. He used the same qualities that work so well as a hockey coach -- molding, meshing, crafting, building and creating -- and carried them over to Dallas' Old Bike Shop, where he put the finishing touches on the motorcycle in late August.

Tippett had developed a friendship with Gage Prichard, the owner of the Old Bike Shop, as well as the proprietor of Gage Homes, a respected home-building company in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for more than 40 years.

"Dave lives in one of our houses, and he told me a year or so ago that he wanted to build a bike and do it himself," said Prichard. "So we got him a lift here at the shop, we gave him a key and told him he could come work on it whenever he wanted to. He'd come in on Sundays or late at night, whenever he could, and when he was here, he got lots and lots of work done. His bike reflects all the work that he did, because you can't just snap your fingers and make a bike like his appear."

Hard work is something that Tippett has become well accustomed to, first as an NHL player and now as a head coach. After spending hundreds of hours in research, design and good old elbow grease, Tippett now boasts a custom motorcycle that is sure to get its fair share of looks from passersby.

"It's one of those times where you get to turn a dream into reality," said Tippett of his creation. "I thought about doing it for a long time and there are a lot of times in life that people think about doing something, but never actually do it. With the situation in our game last year, I had time to really invest in this. It was a great learning experience for me and I take a great deal of pride in the final outcome." 

Just as is the case in his hockey career, Tippett refused to cut corners with his motorcycle and left no stone unturned in creating his masterpiece. He incorporated a Harley Davidson engine into a Rolling Thunder frame. His bike features sparkling chrome on the transmission and exhaust pipes, and he infused some custom design ideas into his creation that he devised himself. His custom paint job was done by Gary Queen of Other Side Customs in Dallas and his seat is accented with a stitched inlay of an actual stingray hide. Both of his wheels feature a design reminiscent of daggers, so in a finishing touch to his motorcycle, Tippett ordered a three-pronged medieval-style sword from Belgium and installed it on the bottom of the bike.

"The greatest thing about Dave's bike is that it's a custom motorcycle that looks clean, reflects his personality and is very unique," said Prichard. "When people see his bike, they'll know it's not off the floor in a showroom. His rear fender is very unique and we were able to help him get the coils and cables from his handlebars inside the piping. He put together a great deal of elements into a bike that really flows and really looks great."

Tippett worked closely with head machinist Aaron Mather and chief mechanic Butch Koss and received technical advice from the Old Bike Shop team throughout the process. However, Tippett took pride in handling the bulk of the actual labor himself,  again, a result of the relentless work ethic and wide array of experiences he has recorded in his 44 years.

"He did 99.9% of that bike by himself," said Prichard. "All of the sheet metal work, cutting and fabricating were his. I had heard it before about someone wanting to build a bike themselves, but then Butch or Aaron will end up doing it all. We gave him some advice, but he basically built that whole bike by himself, which is really impressive."

Tippett grew up in quite the handy household in Saskatchewan, where one of his grandfathers was an auto mechanic and the other was a carpenter. He has enjoyed working on cars and being a Mr. Fix-It' at his home for many years, so he certainly knew his way around the shop.

"Dave is a really hands-on person," said Prichard. "From the very start, he wasn't afraid to pull out a saw or a grinder and start cutting. A lot of people would be really timid, but he just sort of knew his way around even though he'd never done it before. If ever there was something he wasn't comfortable doing, which wasn't very often, we would teach him how to do it and he'd go carry that over on his bike." 

The Old Bike Shop is a full service shop that deals in the building and restoration of custom motorcycles. The shop is currently working on restoring Harley Davidsons from 1946 and 1953, and sells parts from countless historic motorcycles.

"We wanted to start a bike shop that took us back to our childhoods and was extremely hands-on," said Prichard. "We didn't want a shop where you have to stand on the outside of the counter and look back into the garage. Dave fit in great with us and we just hope that he finds time to come back and see us now that his bike is complete."

This fall, Tippett will be charged with another major project as he leads the Dallas Stars into the "New National Hockey League." His free time at the bike shop will be dramatically reduced from last year, but don't think for a second he's going to stash his bike in the garage and let it collect dust. Keep an eye out for Tippett's custom chopper on Metroplex roads this coming season.

"I can't wait to get out and really enjoy this motorcycle," said Tippett. "I've put a lot of hard work into it and I look forward to enjoying it for a lot of years to come. That being said, it's now time to get back to achieving our goals on the ice."