FEATURED DEALER OF THE MONTH: Widowmaker CDR
Contact: Hank Thibodeau
Email: nitetrain74@earthlink.net
Web: widowmakercdr.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WidowmakerCustomDesign
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/widowmakercdr/
Office: (336) 364-8535
Q: Tell us about your shop?
A: It’s a small shop in the country outside of the Raleigh-Durham area in North Carolina. And when a guy or gal calls-in, they are talking with the person that is working on your bike.
Q: Why do enthusiasts come to Widowmaker CDR?
A: We are open to all makes and brands of motorcycles. And, of course, we build cool stuff.
Q: What does American-made mean to you?
A: It’s something that you take pride in.
Q: What makes Widowmaker, Widowmaker?
A: It’s a family run business. And we consider our customers our extended family.
Q: How did you get started in the motorcycle industry?
A: I wanted to work on bikes, so I did.
Q: What bike do you ride?
A: 2001 Harley-Davidson Softail Nighttrain. I’m finishing up with a fat tire kit, EMD rocker boxes, a new paint scheme painted by Auto Arts Inc. with an Atomic Bob design on the tank.
Hank’s completing the Softail Build
Q: What are your favorite Suspension Technologies or Elite Technologies products?
A: Really enjoy the Suspension Technologies’ new drop-in cartridge kit. It’s been engineered to be simple to install and it transforms the bike.
Q: What do your customers say about Suspension Technologies products?
A: This has happened more than once. I’ll get a call from a customer that has received the complete suspension package and they will stop before they get home to call and rave about how well the bike is handling.
Q: What is your favorite bike your shop has built with Suspension Technologies product?
A: It happens to be my latest build, Low Life Lucy. I built a girder, banana forks, springer front end with custom dual shocks to dampen the frontend. I worked with Mike Alex of Suspension Technologies to dial-in the frontend with a set of custom shocks.
Q: Any cool news about your shop?
A: We are pulling together performance packages, a one-stop-shop, that focuses on superior horsepower, handling and stopping solutions.
About Suspension Technologies Dealer of the Month: Widowmaker CDR
Hank Thibodeau has been a professional mechanic for nearly 20 years. Hank attended UTI learning an associate’s degree in applied science, which gave me a firm knowledge base, from where he has learned by making things happen.
Lifelong learning is one of his basic tenets. He attends welding seminars, expo’s, advanced training classes and the good ole’ school of hard knocks.
Hank explained, “I am a mechanic, not a technician. The difference is that I pride myself in having the ability to look at things and be able to figure them out, even if it is something I have never worked on before.”
He sets a very high standard for himself as to how something should be done and then he gets it done. “The long and the short of it,” said Hank, “I am very anal about what I do. It HAS to be a certain way, whether it was right or not when it came to my shop, it will leave right.”