DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Zac By Kennywood Park

Q: That's a pretty unique looking motorcycle you have there, Zac. What kind is it?

A: It's a custom Pro Street chopper. It's a no name bike. It was built from the frame up, according to my specifications. Everything from the way it was built to the paint job is customized.

Q: Any unique or cool features that you'd like to mention?

A: The motor itself is a high-compression motor. It's called an Ultima El Bruto. It's a 113 cubic inch custom-made motor with 125 horse power and 135 foot-pounds of torque. Most bikes only have a 180 millimeter rear tire. Being that this bike's a custom chopper, it has a 250 millimeter rear tire. So it's over a foot wide, which gives it better handling, better stability and a better look.

Q: It does look good! And I love the paint job. Who designed that?

A: I had some ideas of what I wanted, so I got together with a friend of mine from Cut Throat Paint. My ideas and his ideas kind of went together and he painted it up the way that I wanted.

Q: Is your motorcycle your main form of transportation?

A: No. I have a Honda Civic that I use to get around.

Q: What kind of things do you use your bike for versus using your car?

A: The bike we take out once, maybe twice a week, or on occasion. We go around and ride out in the country. The car is mainly just an everyday driver.

Q: When you say "we," who are you talking about?

A: Me and my girlfriend.

Q: Cool. Do you ever go to bike nights?

A: Yeah. We do the bike night down at Quaker Steak & Lube by Century III Mall. We go every Wednesday that they have it.

Q: How old were you when you first started riding?

A: When I first started riding? I was five years old when I got my first dirt bike and I've been riding ever since. It's been 22 years.

Q: Wow, that's really cool. Have you had different styles of bikes?

A: I've had various bikes. I've had a few different rice rockets. Then I switched over to cruiser style bikes, which I prefer. This is my first customized bike, though.

Q: So how did you go about getting it?

A: I bought it used. It was all parts. What happened was the guy who owned it before had all the parts but never put them together. When he bought them, it was registered as an '05. I bought the parts off of him and had different parts made to my specifications--like the frame. We cut the frame and raked it out so it would be the Pro Street. Before, it was a stock frame. So, basically, it was another guy's bike. But when I bought it, it was all in pieces. Then when I got it, I had a buddy of mine make it to my specifications. Actually, I found it on eBay. I bought the parts off of eBay and drove out to Philadelphia to pick them up.

Q: Finally, how would you decribe your bike's personality?

A: Angry, definitely angry. It's just the way the bike is. It has a lot of power and is very loud!

Photos and interview by Sarah Beth Martin

View previous Defend Your Ride features as well as other great stories for people who love cars at CBSPittsburgh.com/Autos.