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Custom vehicle gives bikers who pass away ‘one last ride’

Click to play video: 'One last ride now possible in Edmonton thanks to motorcycle hearse'
One last ride now possible in Edmonton thanks to motorcycle hearse
A unique farewell was held for an Edmonton man who lost his life in a motorcycle crash: the family of Chris Wills gave him one last ride. As Jaclyn Kucey reports, the motorcycle hearse is a new way the motorcycle community can pay tribute. – May 31, 2024

It’s a way to honour a fallen fellow biker; a memorial ride organized by family and friends.

“Usually when we do a group ride like this, a lot of people are impatient. Today when they see the coffin, they’ll understand what we’re really doing and understand we’re out here for a good cause,” said James Fiddy.

Fiddy is one of many bikers who took to the road on Wednesday to honour the life of his friend Chris Wills.

To break away from a traditional hearse, his coffin was carried by a motorcycle.

“You should be celebrating the life that they lived. Myself, if I could be on my motorcycle 24/7, I would,” said Brad Chalcraft, owner of One Last Ride Ltd.

One Last Ride offers a unique way to say goodbye to motorcycle riders who have passed away. Global News

Chalcraft bought the hearse a few years ago from Ontario. He saw it as a unique way to give bikers one last ride. So far, he said the reaction on the road has been positive.

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“Even driving down the highway, people are taking pictures, videos. It’s just kind of a shocking look when you see it. It’s not something you see every day,” said Chalcraft.

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It’s a final farewell, but for Chris’s wife Kristy McGregor, it is so much more.

“I wasn’t riding with him when he passed, so for me it’s my last ride with my love,” she said.

Chris is remembered by his family and friends as caring, full of integrity and a philanthropist.

He died in late April, in a motorcycle crash on Highway 21 and Highway 16, on his way to collect charity donations.

“There’s always purpose in our rides and the purpose is always doing good things,” McGregor said.

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