? for bike shop owners, fabricators and such, plus guys who do things"on the side"

[CruisingRam]

? for bike shop owners, fabricators and such, plus guys who do things"on the side"

I was having a discussion with a bike mechanic today I know- great guy, super honest, best bike mechanic in the city, bar none, and recognized as such. I am opening a small fabrication shop in my home garage in October, and I already have deposits for 4 bikes to be done! The crux of my biz is putting pro's and bike guys together to get some stuff done- mostly for low cost projects, for guys who are mostly do it yourselfers that need a little this and that professional help- I will charge between 85 and 100 bucks an hour, with me getting half, and the pro providing thier own proof of liability insurance. got about 5 guys lined up that are gung ho about doing some custom work. One is thinking about going so far as to get his NHRA welders cert so he can build cert welds for NHRA legal (cars mostly) but bikes as well.

Okay- all that being said- this guy I was talking too, he said "there is not enough biz for old bikes, for customizing them, guys are just going in and buying the new stuff, and besides, the new bikes, that 600 over there will go faster, handle better and out perform any KZ made before 1980 unless you spend 15K on it, at least" - which, I kind of tend to agree with him- it is really hard to beat the performance per buck of the new bikes.

However, my personal opinion is that every one with an old bike sitting in thier yard, as gas approached four bucks a gallon, will be looking to get that baby running, and then customize it a bit- just to be cool. LOL

In fact, the four orders I have now are for just that- some small custom work, and then getting the bike in good mechanical condition- I am betting less than 2500 bucks total into each bike by the owners. None of them need an engine rebuild.

I am basing my biz on the model that the bike craze will not only continue, and not only be recreational, but will start to be everyday transportation.

I was hoping some northern European guys would also chime in here, and tell me if they are riding thier bikes all winter, like I have seen some pics of, in any kind of large scale due to fuel prices.

Remember Euro guys- we have almost no decent public transportation here like in Europe either.

So, what do you guys think?

In for a bike boom like the US has never seen, and all old bikes will be fair game for the road soon? Or is the price of the new bikes being so cheap it will still not be worth fixing up these old bikes?

[CTRider]

Well, on the one hand bikes overall aren't usually very expensive. On the other, they're usually a second vehicle as many areas don't have good year-round riding weather.

I think the market to fix up the old stuff is much greater than with cars. For one thing, older bikes are simpler than similarly aged cars. Even a 10 year old car is so computerized, it's hard to tinker.

Another aspect that comes into play is "lease syndrome". Not too long ago, it became very fashionable to lease a new car instead of buy. This not only allowed people to have a new car with a used car payment, it allowed used car buyers to purchase a newer vehicle for about what an older car would cost. This has created a mentality among car buyers that newer is better than fixing up.

I don't see this as being as big an issue in the motorcycle market. While the younger riders often like to have the newest, slickest, fastest bike on the block, there are plenty of riders who understand the value of keeping an older bike running. In some cases it's nostalgia, but more often then not it's practicality that comes with not needing to blow everyone away off the line.

[Scruffy]

I work at two different bike shops (different in lots of ways...).

Shop 1 caters to the chromed out "butt jewelry" crowd. $500 vests and lots of Jack Daniels motorcycle clothes. Snakeskin, custom fit leathers, overpriced helmets, way overpriced consignment bikes. Service bay isn'ton line yet. Shop owner is losing his shirt, I've worked 36 hours in a month for him.

Shop 2 handles all brands, all eras. Used bike sales. Emgo, BikeMaster (low quality chains, tubes, brakes, etc, well, to be honest, garbage), Sprocket Specialists (worst sprockets in the business), EBC brake stuff, manuals, and inexpensive imported leathers and helmets. Saturday the 27th of August, the day I bought my VN800A (from them), the shop turned over $26K (yes thousand) dollars in sales. One day, $26K. Other than the rocket bikes, for the most part, the shop is firmly stuck in 1982. I'm going back to work for them in the next day or so full-time, I was their HD/bobber/chopper/vintage guru. No downturn in the last week. Cater to the vintage bikes, and you should be fine. The high end shops, dealer or independent, are finally going under where I live. Motorcycles are no longer just weekend toys.

I plan to ride my Vulcan year round. I have a windshield, saddlebags, adding a tool roll and sissy bar bag. I LOATHE windshields, bike luggage, passenger carrying ability on my bikes. But, I'd rather ride my 50 mpg bike than drive my 8.5 mpg vintage truck (1969 Dodge 1/2 ton, 318 V8, automatic). My stepson rides my old 98 Savage barhopper, 77 mpg in town if you stay in the sweet spot of the powerband. My wife rides a 96 800 Intruder, that is also getting bagged, windshielded, etc.
-Scruffy

[CruisingRam]

Thanks Scruffy (is your handle from Futurama? That character kills me man LOL)- you have somewhat gelled what I have been planning LOL- though I am starting smaller than what you are talking about- it does give me an idea- there is no reasonably priced outlet for reasonably priced bike accesories up here- only the stealerships and some leather shops!

BTW- I have a few dodges of my own- 67 Valiant with a stroked 400- now 500ci, drag racer, a 69 coronet with another 500 ci motor, EFI, still in project stages, but with the five speed should get over 20mpg- but still doesn't compare to a 10 second bike that gets over 30mpg LOL

We are typically 3-5 years behind the "lower 48 trends"- so starting now, if I am succesful, I may be THE guy that is the owner of the biz that does 26K per month LOL

I am seriously looking into dealerships of reasonably priced reasonable quality bike accesories now- thanks for the idea!

[Scruffy]

My wife calls meScruffy because I tend to look like Charles Manson on a 3 month bender... I'm ex-military, consequently, I'm allergic to razors, haircuts, etc. I'm also former 1%er, so, the look fits. Haven't caught an episode of Futurama, but LOVE Sci-Fi channel's "Tripping the Rift".

That $26 thousand bucks was in one Saturday, from 0900-1800 hours. Almost 3 grand an hour. And no, that is NOT normal, it usually grosses about $50K a month. In the summer. Not sure about winter, only been with the company since May 4th, 05.

Stay away from Custom Chrome, Jammer, Drag Specialties. Everything is backordered, always.Some items for up to 8 months. Yep, 8 months.

Company I work for started in a North Seattle backyard in 1974. The small store, where I work, is 8000 square feet, plus a wrecking yard and 5 storage trailers (53 footers). The flagship store is 24000 square feet, the wrecking yard can hold 300 bikes. Supposedly the biggest motorcycle salvage operation onthe west coast of North America. We have customers from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Start small, you'll get there.
-Scruffy

[CruisingRam]

Good advice- one thing I know how to do is spend my money in the right places LOL- I can't ever see me getting that big with a population this small though- despite us having the largest per capita bike ownership in the US. Guess with winter and all, we just want to get out of our boxes and cages for about 5-6 months a year.

We have a great guy running a small motorcycle graveyard, but he is a bit of a pack rat, and doesn't let alot of his inventory go because he wants to fix it up "someday" LOL- but he is honest, loves bikes, and is a good businessman.

[2WheelFun]

Just had a conversation with a co-worker about him finding an older bike and fixing it up to ride in town to and from school/work. He rides an 1100 and has to use supreme gas. I told him my 1981 650 Special II Yamaha was for sale so he is buying it to use in town as mentioned. I think there will be alot of people out there who either have a bike but will buy a second for various reasons.

Here's to wishing you good luck with your business!

[Spok]

Hopefully you will garner customer praise and word of mouth will be your best tool. good luck in your endeavour