 Todd Copan, on his 1972 Triumph Daytona 500, at a recent Vancouver Toy Run.  Killman Customs Independent Buildhouse has been attending Todd Copan's event, The CLASSIC & VINTAGE SWAP MEET and SHOW'N SHINE for quite a few moons now. Todd puts on one hell of a show and it's always a treat to shoot the shit for a bit, and share the love, with such an amiable and knowledgeable dude during load-in, before the event kicks into high gear. Todd goes way, way back in the motorcycle scene in these parts and he's a driving force behind keeping our community alive. We wouldn't miss his show for the world, and it's always our pleasure to throw a little free press his way, so we naturally just had to include him in our series of interviews. We invite you to come on out and check out the event to see the man's work for yourself, just don't forget to track us down too and stop by to say Hi while you're there! With Over 150 Vendor Booths featuring American, British, European, and Japanese parts and bikes, The CLASSIC & VINTAGE SWAP MEET and SHOW'N SHIne, (now at the The AGRIPLEX building in the Cloverdale Fairgrounds after an epic decades-long run in Tsawwassen) has been an anchor of the vintage and custom scene in BC for a long, long time, thirty two years in fact, and With good reason.  Pic from the last swap meet in Tsawwassen, 2013 Todd, his lovely wife Barbara and his friendly, hard working crew make sure that everyone feels welcome at this amazing event and the throwback admission price of just $10 makes it pretty easy on the wallet to boot. The swap meet itself is absolutely massive, so if you're looking for unobtanium, you absolutely need to hit this event up. But wait, there's even more! This year's feature bike, Darwin Sveinson’s 1968 Norton Commando, is one of the earliest Commandos known, and a fine example of a machine that represented a radical departure from traditional British motorcycle styling. Be sure to stop off AND check it out on your way into the main hall.  A 1949 Whizzer in 2015 Show ’N Shine Of course, before you even get in the doors, there's the horde of bikes in the outdoor lot. Then there's the actual Show 'N Shine itself, lining up a whiplash-worty display of classic chrome and vintage iron for your drooling pleasure! Owners of all makes and styles of classic and vintage motorcycles, that meet the requirements of a Collector or Vintage plate in BC, are invited to participate and awards are presented in several different classes, including Best in Show and People’s Choice. So, now that you've got an idea of what Todd's managed to create for us all, over the last thirty two years, let's hear from the man himself, Todd Copan ladies and gentlemen!
How did you wind up where you are? A series of weird events. I wanted to be a car mechanic so I took high school courses and always loved motorcycles.
 Paul Brodie re-creation of a 1919 Excelsior, all work done in Langley BC. what comes to mind when you think about an incredible three plus decades of holding this event? First off, I think of my 2 friends who started the swap meet with me and are now departed. Second I think of all the times we had very rare or unique bikes which blew people away. How about 4 Brough Superiors on display, or 2 Crockers? one was a street bike and the other a speedway bike. Then there was the year when the Vincent club rode in and parked 20 Vincents in a row for display in the parking lot. Another year we had the oldest Indian in Canada on display, THANKS Dave! All the bike owners were so eager and appreciative to have been asked to display their bike. It really has been an amazing experience.
 A typical vendor booth. Note the chimp with the blue old school helmet! What was the last thing you did that made you swear later? Dealing with some of the crazy drivers in Greater Vancouver lately. This week I was in the middle of a high speed pursuit in Abbotsford! I was driving a Grumman Olson, (think UPS delivery truck) for my business, when I hear multiple sirens coming up behind me. We were travelling at 60 km/h on a rural, two lane road that rolls through the area and has a limited shoulder, when in my mirror I see a red car passing the truck behind me in the oncoming lane. He barely makes the pass, at about 100 km/h, with inches to spare on my front end. This leaves the police stuck behind the following truck before they pull into oncoming lane and fly past in full pursuit. The truck behind and I are well over on the tiny shoulder and hoping we don't get hit. At the intersection a half km ahead is a roundabout and it looks like smokey and the bandit with police cars in all directions chasing this car. Freakin crazy. They did finally stop the car a short distance away and arrested the idiot.  Who, or who’s work, do you have a crush on right now? Dan Smith. He Re-creates bikes like the Velocette ROARER and the Vincent model A, known as the Plumber's Nightmare. * Info by Todd: This was one of our annual feature bikes. A Velocette ROARER. There is one in England but this version was RE-CReated By Vancouverite Dan Smith. Everything was fabricated including the engine cases and all the motor and transmission internals, it also has a blower! A true marvel of craftsmanship to build WITHOUT blueprints, (think about that!) and Dan has made a couple of other bikes as well.  Swap Meet Vendors' tables Want to give some shout outs to other talented peeps, or anyone that helped along the way? My wife and son and all who have helped us run the shows for the past 30+ years, never would have been able to do it without all their support! There have been so many people and organizations who over the 32 years have helped us out, it is hard to list them all. Currently we get support from; A,I,M, - Association Of Injured Motorcyclists BCCOM - BC Coalition of Motorcyclists BMOC - British Motorcycle Owners Club Christian M/C Assn - Messengers of Hope Classic M/C Club of BC - Canadian Vintage M/C Group’s BC Section Gospel Riders Greater Vancouver M/C Club Job’s Daughters Bethel #52 Sabbath Keepers Tell us anything else you want us to share for you. Over the years of doing the show, the thing I have found is most people are more than willing to lend a hand or help out. Things happen and sometimes a solitary person can not fix the problem or correct the issue. The ones who look the most miserable are usually the most easy going and reasonable to deal with. Thanks for asking, Killian!
We hope you enjoyed our visit with Todd today and we'll catch you all at the 32nd Annual Classic and Vintage Motorcycle Swap Meet and Show 'N Shine, at the Agriplex in the Cloverdale Fairgrounds on Sunday, April 29th!
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