Comments on: Death Of Custom Motorcycle Builder Brad Ruel

By: John Verge

John Verge — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:08:00 +0000

I offer my deepest Sympathy & Condolences to Brad’s Wife And Family.
It was a true pleasure meeting you Brad,My son luke & I will miss you. We were really looking forward to showing you around our side of Nova Scotia & having you say here.
You were a true gentleman Brad.
John verge.

By: chaos custom cycle

chaos custom cycle — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:01:53 +0000

I WAS FORTUNATE TO MEET WITH BRAD AT SEVERAL SHOWS WE ATTENDED. HE WAS ONE OF THE BEST GUYS OUT THERE, A REAL GENTLEMAN. I WISH HIS FAMILY THE BEST. ALL OF US AT THE SHOP WILL MISS HIM. STEVE MAKADON

By: DJ Raven

DJ Raven — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:38:29 +0000

I also met Brad at Rally on the River in PA. We had such a great time there talking. He made me laugh so much that week!! Brad I just want to say everyone will miss you and this year at the rally we will definatly think of you!! condolences to your family. Your Friend Always, DJ Raven

By: Mike Cook "uglybiker"

Mike Cook "uglybiker" — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:02:38 +0000

I met Brad at Rally on the River,PA. We did some riding together. And we made him some home cooked meals. I joked about me taking his metric show winner for a ride. He said go ahead,no one else has ever ridden it. That was one hell of a ride,and you were one hell of a guy. We will all miss you and your text messages. Our condolences to your family. Luv Ya BIG MIKE

By: Carole Rosenblat

Carole Rosenblat — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:37:17 +0000

I did not know Brad, but I am a good friend of his brother Brent. I cannot express how sorry I am to hear this awful news. I was visiting Brent at Christmas this year and we watched a tv show that was profiling Brad. Brent was so proud. I was in amazed at how much alike they looked. From what I am seeing here, they also had similar hearts. They’ve both attracted loyal friend who feel honored to know them. It’s clear that Brad’s legacy will live on in all of the hearts that he touched. My thoughts and prayers are with Brent and his entire family.

Carole

By: Joanne Provencher

Joanne Provencher — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:28:55 +0000

I never had the pleasure of meeting Brad. I am good friends with his brother, Brent. I am a biker and always thought I would run into him eventually and I am so sad I never had the opportunity. I only know what Brent has told me about him and how proud he was of him and how much he loved him. All the wonderful things people are saying remind me of his brother, they must have been very much alike.
Brent, I am sorry for your huge loss. I love you and I am here for you.
My condolences to your whole family.

Brad, may the wind always be in your face.

By: Christi Kapp

Christi Kapp — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:42:04 +0000

Dear Effie (mom),

Brad was at one of the first shows we went to ever a few years ago (in Sarasota) and treated us “newbies” to the motorcycle industry with kindness and respect.

We will never forget his business advice…which we have followed since we met him. He was brilliant as well as talented.

Christi Kapp
Art In Motion LLC

By: Alan Barber

Alan Barber — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:49:07 +0000

My thoughts go out to the family and friends of brad, We just buried one of englands best builders on Monday so I know your pain

By: David Lee

David Lee — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:25:32 +0000

I worked with Brad side by side at Diablo chop shop in Sarasota. I was truly shocked to hear the news from my other friend, Mark Evans, as since I have moved to Colorado. Brad always came to work with a positive outlook and disposition, a crazy sense of humor, (thanks Jaeger) and a true passion for building kick ass bikes. It was a privelege to work with him and to do work for him. If you were his friend, you knew it. He made sure of that. Brad, you will be missed my brother…You are now truly riding free.

By: Bruce Hutkoski

Bruce Hutkoski — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:27:27 +0000

Brad will be missed. Such talent and a great guy to do business with.

Bruce Hutkoski
Platinum Airbrushing, Inc.
Havana, FL

By: Mazz

Mazz — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:00:35 +0000

I was shocked and saddened to hear of Brad’s death, my Bike Klub kids and myself met Brad last year at the Digby Wharf Rat Rally in Nova Scotia Canada. He was a true gentleman and it was easy to see his passion for the motorcycle and the industry.

On behalf of the Bernice MacNaughton High School Bike Klub and myself, we would extend our thoughts out to his family and close friends.

It was an honor to meet him.

Marc Mazerolle
Manager BMHS Bike Klub
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

By: The Sirotek & IAE Family

The Sirotek & IAE Family — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:06:48 +0000

Having spent some time recently with Brad discussing his ideas and vision, we are deeply saddened by the loss of such a great man. Our sincerest sympathies go out to Karen and all of Brad’s Family and Friends. Our thoughts are with all of those who have had the great opportunity of knowing Brad Ruel.

By: KYLE Independent Gas Tank Co.

KYLE Independent Gas Tank Co. — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:58:14 +0000

I usually don’t comment to anything written on this blog. I do keep up with the goings on in the industry even though I decided to get out. I considered Brad a friend and not just a customer. When I read that he passed, Shocked was an understatement. Karen, mine and Terri’s hearts go out to you. I still have a picture in my garage of Brad standing in front of his shop doing a burn out with one of his bikes.
take care,
Kyle

By: Walt Lumpkin

Walt Lumpkin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:17:08 +0000

I met Brad several times over the years at different events. Three words come to mind:
Humble, gracious and unassuming.

By: Tommy Graves

Tommy Graves — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:56:06 +0000

Brad will be missed beyond words. All I can do is think about the many great times we’ve shared at various bike shows and stuff. Like many have already said, he was so many times the first to help you out. He was great friend and our hearts go out to his family.

By: Ted

Ted — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:21:08 +0000

When I heard the news I was shocked. I always liked Brad, he was always up to something cool….

RIP brother….

By: Scott Sloan ( Builder for Immortal Bike Werks)

Scott Sloan ( Builder for Immortal Bike Werks) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:23:24 +0000

For a man taken way before him time truly left his mark on us and this industry, he was my foundation and also for so many others. Brad was up front and true to his word a very hard thing to find in life and mostly in this business. I met Brad 5 or 6 years ago when he built my fist frame, I enjoyed working with him to come up with some crazy frame design for me. You will be greatly missed but NEVER forgotten Just like your bikes you are ONE OF A KIND.

Our prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.

GOOD BYE MY FRIEND

Scott

By: Kiss Bike Mike

Kiss Bike Mike — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:48:16 +0000

I meet Brad at his Westshore store way back when,and had him do some work to my Herritage, and continued to returne to his shop for other performance work and aftermarket parts. We grew close along with Karen and became friends and shortly after that I started working for him at his establishment on 7th and 50th The Wrench I worked for Brad approx 3 yrs or so along with Brian and others I can’t remember their names but Brad was a very I know what I want kind of guy and it had better be done or shit would be flying, but inside Brad was a very caring person and took pride in his work, Karen their are no words for, what can you say about a woman who hung in their through thick and thin. I do know this, don’t ever tie his shoes in knots, for those of you who know what I am refering to you will understand for those of you who are scratching your head don’t ask..
You will be missed, some day we will all meet again and do this all over. If I know Brad this is just the begining. Karen be strong and I am just a phone call away if you ever need anything .

Mike Lima ( Kiss Bike Mike)

By: Carlie

Carlie — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:58:54 +0000

I have no idea how many years I have known Brad but one thing I do know, is that it wasn’t long enough. My ex husband and I became good friends with Brad and Karen and we always had so much fun with them. My ex called me about 30 minutes after Brad had passed and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Life is certainly not fair, especially to the good ones. While I was obviously stunned, horrified and sad…I don’t think it hit me until I googled his name 2 days after his passing and found so many things about him and read all of the caring words everyone had to say about him. I cried for hours.

Karen, it breaks my heart that I am in Atlanta now and couldn’t/can’t be there for you. I tried to come for Brad’s memorial/funeral but am unable to make it. I have been thinking of you and Brad every day and am so saddened by this loss. If there is ANYTHING that I can do for you, please just say it. I know that I am far away now but I will do anything for you. You are constantly on my mind and I’m praying for ya girl. You are a strong woman. God, your family and friends are walking behind you on your new journey. May Brad be with you every day to keep you safe and strong. I love you!

I will leave with my last encounter with Brad. It was probably about a year ago and I told him he needed to send me his tv appearance from Metric Revolution and a “Wrench” t-shirt so I could sport it in ATL and advertise for him. Less then a week later I get my package from him with an awesome DVD and my shirt!! It made me so proud to call him my friend. I slept in my shirt 7/14/09. You are such a great friend Brad, I miss you and can’t wait to see ya again!!

XOXO,
~Carlie Mosher-Maxwell

By: Diane McAnally

Diane McAnally — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:56:17 +0000

Wanted to share some info for those who have inquired about getting a tattoo in Brad’s honor. Casper at 1603 Tattoo and Body Piercing, who has done Brad’s tattoos, has created a special memorial tattoo. He would also be glad to do any other tattoos in his honor and a portion of the cost of the tattoo would be donated in Brad’s name to the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The phone number is 813-248-9153 and their website is http://www.1603tattoo.com and they are located in Ybor City. Thanks to Casper for extending this to his friends and family.

Diane McAnally

By: Someone who Cares

Someone who Cares — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:47:14 +0000

I would like to personally thank Cyril for giving us this wonderful outlet to share our fond memorys of Brad. I can think of no better way for Brads family to see all the people that Brad touched, that they may have never known how Brad influenced thier lives. Brad was a good, real, down to earth guy.

Thank you Cyril

Brad will be missed.

Tampa, Florida

By: Jeremy R. - Former owner of Coast 2 Coast Choppers

Jeremy R. - Former owner of Coast 2 Coast Choppers — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 04:09:48 +0000

I met Brad back in 2004. While I only used his frames a couple times, we hit it off from the beginning. I remember we shared a booth in Palm Beach for a show one time and he managed to run out of diesel in the big truck twice in the same day on the Florida turnpike. After it was all said and done we had a laugh and a beer. Although we lost touch after I left the business, I will always remember the good times and the laughs. My prayers go out to Karen and his entire family. May he ride the blue chopper swiftly towards the pearly gates with the wind in his face.

By: Jim Scmit

Jim Scmit — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:35:20 +0000

I met Brad back in 2001 when I replied to an ad for a 1993 FXR. I had just bought the identical bike a couple years prior and just wanted to see what could be done to an FXR as far as customizing as he had described in his ad. Once I met Brad and saw what he had done to it I figured why the hell should I do this to mine…I might as well sell it and buy his. I knew right then in the half hour I talked to him about his bike that we would end up being friends since he’s a likable guy as we all know. And that’s just what I did…I sold my FXR and bought Brad’s thinking I would be happy just the way he had customized it himself. But, as we all know and as we are all adicted to this sickness we have in us, we can never leave well enough alone and that was the start of my first nightmare. Brad had told me that if I needed some work done to bring it down to this litlle shop located on Westshore Blvd called The Wrench. So I brought it there to have a few motor issues taken care of and as I was talking to the owner he told me he was ready to get out of the business and thinking about selling the shop. I gave Brad a call and told him that I thought he should buy the place since he had such a love and creative mind for building bikes. Within a couple of months Brad had struck a deal with the past owner and was now the proud owner of The Wrench. I remember the first grand opening party Brad had with Born To Ride. Everybody had a great time and I remember meeting Karen and how supportive she was of him, putting together this party for his new little shop on Westshore. It wasn’t any longer than about 6 months when Brad had outgrown this location and I had talked to him about a building I had purchased on 7th avenue . It was kind of a rough area but it didn’t matter as most shops are located in areas like this and he was able to spread out with over 5,000sf. This is where Brad started pumping out the best customs of his life. and I used to love stopping by and watching and listening to him get excited when he talked about his new innovative ideas he had just come up with. He inspired me to try my hand at customizing his old FXR which had become my new FXR and allowed me to come in the shop in the evenings to cut it apart and start creating a bike that I am very proud of today. This bike turned out so well that it was actually featured in the August 2008 issue of Hot Bike magazine in which I gave props to Brad for all the help and support in creating that bike.

Recently Brad had decided to move his shop back to Tampa after a short spurt in Sarasota. Brad, Karen and I had been to a bike night at Wild Wings on Anderson and I told Brad I had space available and would love to have him back. He had just gotten the whole shop set back up in the the past month and we were working on getting the a/c completed. I had talked to him this past Tuesday night about meeting him Wednesday morning to complete the a/c system. Wednesday morning became one of the saddest days of my liife as this is when I learned of his passing.

His life was taken way too soon because we had many more miles to log in on our bikes. We’ll just have to do that when I meet him on the other side.

By: Rob Bailie

Rob Bailie — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:49:51 +0000

I was very sad to hear the news. Brad was a great guy with a lot of passion for his family and
bike building.

I first met Brad several years ago while working on The Metric Revolution show. What a gracious guy always wanting to help out. I am very blessed to have known him.

I will miss seeing him at the Bike events.

Brad, your love of bikes and your family will live on and in-still in us to do the same.

Good bye my friend.

God Speed and God Bless!
Rob Bailie

By: amanda strain

amanda strain — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:49:17 +0000

well when me and my cousin cydney first met brad we instantly fell in love with him .. he was are altime hero . from the time he gave us some of his big tshirts to watch batman in . or gave us a slobbery ball to play with trumble so he didnt have to . he was an amaizing cousin to all of us little kids . hes so loving at times and so grouchy at other times , but all in all i still love him and miss him . when i heard about his death i emidietly called my cousin cydney and we cryed together . i couldnt understand why , but i love and miss you brad rule and pray for your wonderful wife karen, every second .

love, your cousin
amanda e. strain

By: Cydney Jenkins

Cydney Jenkins — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:42:13 +0000

I loved Brad so much! He was so funny, and nice! Karen, you are lucky to have him, and i think about you everyday, i love you Karen and pray for you! Brad, i wil miss you soo much! I just recntly heard stories about how you would come up to visit us and you would call me and Ryan your little kids! When i found out about your death, i just started wailing and crying my eyes out ! I was shocked too. But the sad thing is, i didn’t get to tell you how much i love you and i didn’t get to say goodbye! You were great at building bikes, and they were really good, you had a great talent! You will most definately be missed! Rest in Peace.

I love you Brad!

Cydney!

By: Linda DiGLoria

Linda DiGLoria — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:10:45 +0000

I only met Brad on a few occations working for Kec-Mave Productions. He was one of the sweets bike builders who came to our shows. Brad was a fun loving caring person, he will be sadly missed.
Peace to his family it is a great lose

By: Amanda Dement

Amanda Dement — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:37:07 +0000

I haven’t known Brad that long, I was a first time Cycle Pro girl in the Richmond Bikes and Ink Show in March of this year. Brad welcomed me with open arms and made me feel right at home, our personalities clicked immediately! He was an amazing person, an incredible builder, a huge support of mine and i consider my number one fan! He left a HUGE impact on me!
I can say this, i have never met a man who after, i think he said 16 yrs of marriage? spoke SO highly of his wife, he was like a little blushing school boy when the subject of her came up, he was so proud to have her support and love in all he did! That itself took me back and melted my heart, that is a once in a lifetime love!
He was also a “self proclaimed mommas boy” as he said, and he just as well, loved her and told so many stories about his mother, very well respected!
He was a phenomenal and selfless individual! I actually saw him on July 11th for a brief period of time during his trip to PA, hard to believe and comprehend how just 3 days later he can be gone, i recently found out i am pregnant and he has constantly been pickin on me and makin fun of me for it! since i was supposed to be at the cycle pro shows this year he said i “ruined everything” haha! I still remember John’s phone call “Brad said he wants u at every show this year!!”. He would txt me just about everyday saying “have a good day sunshine!”. And he actually txtd me Monday the 13th asking for my address saying he was sending me a package with his shirts all different sizes so i can “still promote even when im fat and pregnant!” (makin fun of me! but still makes me smile through the tears) When i didnt hear from him wednesday something didn’t feel right, then i came home and heard the news. I still dont think it has sunk in completely..

Brad, you will be missed…deeply!! Your personality, your work, your heart and your memory has left a HUGE impact on this earth! Please continue to watch over us! We love u buddy

Karen and your family will remain in my thoughts and prayers!

By: Peter and Tammy Robertson

Peter and Tammy Robertson — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:10:36 +0000

We met Brad last year at the Wharf Rat Rally and became fast friends. Our son Tyler, had the experience of a lifetime to have apprenticed with Brad in his shop for 3 months this past spring. Tyler had just returned to Florida to work with Brad 3 days prior to his death and needless to say he was devastated. Brad was a great friend, a wonderful role model for our son, a dedicated husband and a truly talented individual. Words cannot express how sorry we are for the loss of Brad, as a friend, as a family man, as a gifted bike builder – the world will not be the same! Our hearts and prayers go out to Karen and the family at this time.
We will miss you more than you will know Brad!

By: L.A.

L.A. — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:16:33 +0000

My condolences to Brad’s family and his wife Karen. Brad was such a fantasic guy…alway’s taking the time to call, chat with you on the phone, go the extra mile and always a stand up guy! Brad did us a big favor and is the reason we even have a shop…so thank you and God Bless you and your family.

When it’s time…it’s time and it was yours my friend,

L.A.