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Local inventor gives bikers one final ride.
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| by JAMES JOHNSON, Up & Coming Weekly, July 5-11, 2006 |
July 05, 2006 |
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At 47 Steve Radz, Fayetteville inventor and motorcycle enthusiast, has never stopped thinking outside the box, or casket for that matter. At an age when many are making retirement plans, Radz is starting a new and unique business called Final Ride.
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The business is centered around a new product which will undoubtedly raise some eyebrows: motorcycle mounted cremation urns. Radz says the idea struck him in the middle of the night.
"I just woke up with this wild idea, so I turned on a light and a grabbed a pen, then I drew this cremation urn which mounts on a motorcycle. It came to me clear as a bell," said Radz.
So clear, Radz said, that the image he scribbled in 2001 is nearly identical to the urn he is working with today.
Radz, a Harley-Davidson owner for more than 20 years, built his first motorcycle at 14. Since then he has always had an eye for mechanics. Despite his love of working on bikes, Radz had another passion growing up.
"When I got out of the Army, I really wanted to become a funeral director," said Radz. "There is no better time to help someone than when they are at their worst, after they've lost someone in their life."
Unfortunately for Radz, life got in the way of his career aspirations, forcing him to put off his dreams so he could take care of his family. Even with both children grown and his military career over, Radz found that his college credits could no longer be used. If he wanted to pursue a career as a funeral director he would have to start college all over again, a prospect that Radz, who is nearing 50, had no interest in.
The Final Ride product brings both of Radz's great loves together.
"People who love motion so much in life aren't going to want to spend the afterlife sitting on a shelf," said Radz. "Graves are rarely visited, and as romantic as scattering the ashes over the ocean might sound, in the end you're left with nothing."
One of Radz's main concerns when developing the product was its durability. These urns would not only have to deal with any kind of weather condition, but the possibility of a major auto accident. To ensure strength each urn is created using solid D.O.M. steel. In fact, even the steel used for the urn chamber itself has a listed strength of over 60,000 pounds.
Radz said he has had a number of excited responses to his product, with one person even asking if it is possible for them to mount an urn on their golf cart.
"It has unlimited mounting applications," said Radz. "From a motorcycle to a motor-home, from a Ferrari to a fire-truck, from a police car to a cruise ship. Sure, mount it to a golf cart. Just think of how many people would say his name again and again, then rub his urn for good luck."
Radz admits his product is not for everyone, but none the less has faith that the public is ready.
"It is an alternative. A great alternative. This is a modern funeral item and times have changed. There are a lot of people turning to cremation."
For more information on this product, go to www.1FinalRide.com.
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©Up & Coming Magazine 2009
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