His love for motorcycles was only the beginning of his inspiration.
Since the advent of the first motorized two-wheelers, the motorcycle has exerted a powerful attraction for those of us with 10w-30 weight motorcycle oil coursing through our veins. Let’s face it: if you are a motorcycle junkie you might own one or two motorcycles — or maybe a couple more — but we are constantly eyeing a whole lot of bikes that are not in our garage. That being said, some of the most incredible motorcycle collections are tucked away behind closed doors, carefully restored by their owners, hidden from prying eyes.
Boris Fudurich, on the other hand, loves to showcase the details and history of the restored motorcycles in his care. His collection became so large that he built a dedicated 168 square metre building — what Fudurich calls his “Doghouse” — to showcase his collection and motorcycle memorabilia.
Sounds Viable
Fudurich’s love of motorcycles began in the early 1970s and, like some from that era (me included), moving from pedal power to a motorcycle opened a whole new world of adventure and broadened the horizon. However, family and work got in the way and Fudurich put his love of motorcycles on hold until those parts of his life settled down.
Once inside the showroom, my first thoughts upon seeing the collection lining the walls were memories of the motorcycle parking area at my high school with all the polished chrome and vivid paint colours from those eras — something you don’t see much of anymore.
There are currently 27 motorcycles on display in his collection with another two on motorcycle lifts in the makeshift workshop and approximately another 10 awaiting restoration. “I have my eye on a couple more so my collection keeps growing,” said Fudurich.
Fudurich even uses an ingenious winch system to assist in getting his motorcycles up and down the stairs from the garage entrance to his workshop, which is located in his basement.
Metric Invasion
While the majority of motorcycles on display are from 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, and mainly comprise the big-four metric brands — Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki — there is a sprinkling of a few from British and Italian heritage thrown in, and 95 per cent of the bikes are ready to go riding but are displayed in storage condition.
“Sometimes the allure can stem from the lineage of a particular bike, or just a unique story behind it,” Fudurich said. “I am most proud of my 1972 Kawasaki Z1-R TC with its American Turbo-Pak as it took the longest to restore because of its rarity…
