COUNTING CARS WITH DANNY “THE COUNT” KOKER
Vegas is a gambling town, most people bet with chips, Danny “The Count” Koker bets with rides, and he’s always in all the way with his all-star team. They fix em, flip em, and sometimes keep em. It’s high stakes and can’t afford to lose, and we were fortunate to catch up with Danny and his partner Kevin at the BTR Jam, and this is what they had to say. …
Ron: This is the History Channel’s number one show! I’m with Kevin and Danny from Counting Cars, Count’s Kustoms. You guys are killing it, brother!
Danny: Thank you so much, man! We appreciate you having us down here at this magnificent rally, man! We’re here to have a really good time! This is going to be cool!
Ron: You know motorcycles, man! Tell me about your shop in Vegas.
Danny: Count’s Kustoms has been a licensed shop for a little over 15 years now. We are also a licensed manufacturer of custom motorcycles. We build choppers from the ground up. We build all kinds of bikes. My personal favorites are the long bikes. I’m really into the rigid, down to the ground bikes. I’m hooked on Sugar Bear springers. My daily rider is 32” over stock, narrow springer from Sugar Bear. It’s over 10 ½’ long. It’s all about the bikes, man.
Ron: People got to see your debut on Pawn Stars show! How cool is that they look to you as an expert on what’s right and what they should buy? That’s pretty heavy duty.
Danny: It’s really cool to be able to do that. The Harrison Family are wonderful people. Rick and I go way back. So when Rick called me to be an expert on his show, it was an honor to be asked to do that. And you’re right. It’s a big responsibility because you have to tell people that it’s not quite worth what they think it’s worth. I hate to burst people’s bubble. But then on the flip side, when somebody comes in and they are only expecting a small amount, you get to tell them they have a gem here and it’s worth this amount of money instead. But the responsibility to Rick and the Harrison Family to give them good advice to “buy this” or “don’t buy this” is important. I’m honored to do that for them.
Ron: When you see a car, how do you know “That’s the car?”
Danny: They speak to you. They speak to me. You got to feel it in your soul. You know what I’m saying? You have to examine a vehicle to make sure it’s, in fact, a solid, straight car—that it’s not buttered up to make it look good and have it fall apart on you. There are certain things you check to make sure it’s a solid, real car. After that, you listen to them and they talk to you!
Kevin: I get an extreme headache. When I get a headache, I know he’s about to buy it.
Ron: (Looking at Kevin) People tell me you’re the brains behind this. Is this true?
Kevin: Well … let’s just say that I try to keep this man (Danny) in line. It’s tough. He’s a full-fledged car nut. I have to show him what’s real and what isn’t—and also trying to keep this a business. It’s not a hobby shop. With a hobby shop, we won’t be in business very long. We do it right, but it is a struggle every day for me.
Ron: How is it that he walks everywhere now and is one of the most recognizable guys at any airport? He’s almost like Elvis. Is he not recognizable or what?
Kevin: Shhh!! You can’t say that, man! Somebody will think he’s a diva. You can’t do that! (Laughing) But really, he is very popular and his is for real. He has no acting skills whatsoever. What you see is what you get. And listen, we’re blessed by God, we believe in God and have a big faith that we follow. And the other thing is that we treat people the way we want to be treated. We are also big supporters of the military. We give to charities and benefits and we give back. We do all the right things. You can’t out-give God. That’s what we do.
Danny: Yup!
