LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) — A Lincoln small business owner is custom building a vintage ATV for actor and comedian Dax Shepard after a social media post caught the celebrity’s attention.
Corey Kruse, owner of CK Powersports, has spent years buying, selling and refurbishing used ATVs, motorbikes and other powersports vehicles. When he posted a video showing off one of his upgraded Honda Pilots, Shepard commented saying “BUILD ME ONE!!”. Kruse said he initially thought it was a joke, but after messaging back and forth, it became clear Shepard was serious.
“He was like, 100% yes. Like, I’ve had a bunch of, or, you know, driven a bunch of pilots and stuff, you know, in my youth. And I’ve never owned one. It’s kind of been a childhood dream… He was like, yup, I want, I want one with a bunch of horsepower. So, we kind of started talking about a build. And I was like, well, we can put a 800cc motor in it,” Kruse said.
Kruse has been working on the build since October. The machine features an 800cc snowmobile engine replacing the stock 400cc two-stroke. The new setup is expected to produce around 140 horsepower. He says he stripped the machine down to the frame, had components powder coated, installed new suspension, new shocks, better brakes and a custom seat mount.
The finished machine is designed to look largely stock on the outside, with original plastics and decals going back on once polishing is complete. Kruse described it as a resto-mod — classic looks with modern components. “It’s going to look stock, but it’s not going to drive stock,” he said.
Parts delays pushed the timeline, with the last of the conversion components not arriving until early February. Kruse said he still has some work to go before the build is complete.
Kruse plans to drive the finished Honda Pilot to Nashville to deliver it to Shepard in person at the end of March, along with a stock Honda Odyssey 350 Shepard also purchased. He said he is excited to meet Shepard and have him test it out, and plans to document the delivery for his CK Powersports YouTube channel.
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