In the Spotlight 'Dream' build: Friedens father and son duo build custom Yamaha for national contest

May 1—FRIEDENS, Pa. — The inspiration behind Steve and Tyler Will's entry in a nationwide Dream Build Off started six years ago — before the motorcycle contest was born.

For Steve Will, of Friedens, and his 25-year-old son, Tyler, it began with a trip to the American Motorcycle Association's Vintage Motorcycle Days in Ohio.

"He's been addicted to vintage bikes ever since," said Steve, noting they have 10 road-ready bikes between the two of them. "And just like everything else dating back to when he was a kid, building bikes is something we do together."

So it may seem fitting that their choice for the Geico- and Roland Sands-spomsored contest included the base for a Yamaha motorcycle they brought home with them the weekend of the Ohio swap meet — one Tyler Will said they spent years intending to rebuild.

"I said, 'Dad, this would be the perfect time to build it,' " he said.

"The contest," his father, Steve added, "gave us the incentive we needed to follow our dream."

The result is a bright yellow 350cc Yamaha built from their favorite parts used by the bike company over a nearly 30-year-span.

Now road-ready, it's one of 33 entries in a mid-sized engine style 749 cc and lower "Dream Bike" category.

Contestants have four months to design and build their dream bike for the contest with the deadline set for Saturday, Steve Will said.

"It was a tight timeframe," he said. "It was just him and I in a one-bay garage ... and he's a full-time student at Bucknell (University). But by the time we were done, there wasn't one single piece on that bike that went untouched."

Tyler Will, a chemical engineering graduate student and U.S. Army 1st lieutenant, found time to chronicle every milestone on Instagram under the page "BuiltByWillVintage."

Steve and Tyler tore apart a 1972 R5 and altered it, using cylinders from a 1973, a high-performance 1987-era clutch and a 1975 gas tank "because we really liked the original decals on it," he said.

They picked up a fiberglass tail piece for the back end from an aftermarket parts manufacturer.

He credited two Somerset County companies for stepping up to assist.

Roxbury Garage owner Bob "Ziggy" Zigler sandblasted and powder-coated the bike's aluminum parts.

Wade Tannehill, of TT Customs, near Bakersville, stepped in on the paint work, and Tyler Will created the custom graphics himself.

"We wanted to design something new, but keep the classic '70s look at the same time," he said, "and I think we did that."

For Tyler Will, the anxious moment was starting it up the first time several weeks ago.

"We're in there running new wiring, pipes, an electronic ignition onto a bike that we'd never heard run before. Something we bought in beat-up shape on Facebook Marketplace," he said. "So, when it did — it was a relief."

The Will family may find out as soon as Saturday on YouTube Live if they've won the contest.

The winner will take home a Royal Enfield Meteor 350 bike.

That, Tyler said, "would be icing on the cake."

"But it's been all about the experience for us," he said. "This was much more about winning."

Steve Will agreed.

He recalled days teaching Tyler to ride as a 3-year-old, Cub Scout trips and now, wrenching on bikes together as colleagues inside a small garage.

"Working together on this, that's everything — that's the biggest thing," he said.

And win or lose, they aren't done yet, he said.

They already have plans to build a second identical bike.

"What good is it if you can't ride together?" Tyler said.