Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Hey, welcome to the DIY Garage, the podcast for hands on, do it yourself automotive enthusiasts. I'm Brian Joslin coming to you from inside the workshop studio of the Eastwood Company in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. With me today is motorcycle culture guru and DIY builder Lemmy. He describes himself as, and I quote, a generally c plus motorcycle guy, sort of good mechanic, crummy racer who runs out of talent before he runs out of ambition. Shop owner, and sometimes lovable scofflaw and miscreant. He runs a small shop called Pangor Cycles and hosts the podcast. You're motorcycling. Wrong. But chances are you know him as Lemmy from revzilla. Before we get talking motorcycles, let me remind you that you can catch the DIY Garage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and just about anywhere else you catch podcasts. Video episodes are on Eastwood's YouTube channel. Or check out eastwood.com garage and click on the podcast tab for links to the show in either format.
However you watch or listen, we hope you'll subscribe so you'll never miss a new episode. So with that out of the way, welcome to the Eastwood garage here, and it's good to see you again.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: Likewise, buddy.
[00:01:22] Speaker A: So we actually share a little bit of history. We worked together for a while, and you actually took my position when I vacated it and kind of still occupy that.
[00:01:31] Speaker B: You were working. That was the problem. I wasn't working at all.
[00:01:35] Speaker A: Before we get into talking to Lemmy the person, let's talk about Lemmy, the name, where you came from. Are you big motorhead fan or give us a background on that.
[00:01:43] Speaker B: No, that's. Man, it's really not a good story at all.
I, at some point, was selling auto parts, and I bounced around auto parts counters and wound up selling in a section of the city that had a heavy korean population. No one could get my name right, and a couple of my colleagues thought it was absolutely hilarious that some of these, you know, these korean cats who only spoke Korean were just speaking very broken English. Couldn't get my name out. So he was, like, helping them get it wronger. And then it wound up that we kind of just landed at Lemmy. And that was close enough that I knew who they were talking to.
[00:02:21] Speaker A: So it's Liam officially.
[00:02:23] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. And Pangor is also my nickname. That's a character from Buck Rogers in the 21st century. A buddy of mine told me I looked a lot like Pangor, and then he pulled a photo on his phone, and everybody agreed that was true, and I couldn't shuck it.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: Not flattering, I take it.
[00:02:39] Speaker B: No, it's pretty. I don't know. I mean, the guy's a satyr. He's half man and half goat. He swings around an electric blue lasso and he plays a pan flute and loves women and wine.
[00:02:48] Speaker A: Yeah, I didn't know if it came out of your time at Revzilla because you opened a lot of your videos with howdy.
[00:02:55] Speaker B: This is Lemme. Yeah, it kind of did a little bit. So over there they had a philosophy that I actually kind of dug was everybody is in customer service. Right? Which is not untrue, but they took that very literally and meant if you got hired there, ps, you're going to be spending a little time in customer service. So I'm responding to some emails or whatever, and I don't want to use my real name. I don't know, you're just some jamoke. Why do I have to. You don't need to know my name. I'm just working for a company. Answering your question about will this helmet fit your head?
So I was like, well, we're all motorcyclists. Everybody has a silly nickname. Can I just use my regular nickname? And they were like, yeah, I guess so.
[00:03:30] Speaker A: So how did you fall into the gig at Revzilla? You've always been a motorcycle guy, I take it?
[00:03:36] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I've always been a motorcycle and a car guy. I just. Unfortunately, if you live in the northern half of the United States, you can't be a motorcycle guy full time unless you dig unemployment, which I'm not so hot on.
You know, you say, how'd I fall into that job? I mean, really, it was that easy. It was just falling into it.
You know, they were a tiny, itty bitty little startup, you know, I'm like your stereotypical millennial, right? Like, worked for us. They've heard e tail startup.
They just needed people. They were so little when I started there. I mean, I think, you know, the only person who's trying to get a job doing that is somebody who's just pretty passionate about it. So I like, you know, I was pretty, pretty jazzed about getting a. Getting a job in motorcycles again. And, you know, like, they didn't hire me to be a video guy. I was just a parts dude for them.
And their current video host, or at the time, their current video host is actually one of the founders of the company who was awesome with gear. Man, this guy knew everything about gear, but he was not really so wrenchy, and he was having difficulty with the parts, stuff. So duties kind of fell to me.
[00:04:40] Speaker A: Yeah, you got a lot of bike experience there. Obviously, you guys had exposure to bikes and accessories and all kinds of stuff.
[00:04:47] Speaker B: Yeah, there's a lot. I mean, you know, if you swing over the website, look at the catalog, I mean, there's a lot to know. I mean, that stuff's all very specialized, just like cars.
[00:04:56] Speaker A: Did you. Did you get to build projects there as part of the job, or was there really no time for that?
[00:05:00] Speaker B: Not as much as you would think, especially not like, big long term projects. I mean, I can tell you I have installed more twin cam exhaust systems you could shake a stick at. Right. Because what does everybody want to see? They want to see it on the bike, and they want to know what it sounds like. Right. So we did all sorts of, like, sound comparisons and stuff. So I'm. I'm really quick at putting on an exhaust.
[00:05:16] Speaker A: So, like, single component kind of project video.
[00:05:19] Speaker B: Normally, we did a couple. We did a series on, like, a little sportster. We sort of did, like, a bunch of, like, bolt on stuff, too. And that came out pretty neat. I mean, I feel like it was, like, very approachable for your average dIyer, but, yeah, not. I mean, like everything else in life, I think. Right. The longer the project takes, the less profitable it becomes.
[00:05:36] Speaker A: Well, I know that. Yeah.
What was the first bike you actually owned? Did you grow up riding bikes, or was that an adult? Boy, that's passion.
[00:05:45] Speaker B: That's a good question.
I guess you could split that into two questions. The first two wheeled conveyance I jumped on, I was, like, 15 or 16.
I bought a non running tomos moped, a 1994 golden bullet, and that was it. I bought a non runner. The optimism that comes along with not knowing what you're doing is so cute, so adorable. That is a bike. Now I just avoid, you know, was.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: It in bad shape? I mean, was it really.
[00:06:13] Speaker B: Didn't run? Didn't run. And I'll tell you, Brian, my most. My, like, this memory will be with me until my brain turns into swiss cheese Malzheimer's. But I remember turning the key, and the headlight just started doing this slow blink. Somehow I got hooked up to a flasher. I don't know what happened, but I just remember thinking, like, man, I'm in over my head. That's not how it's supposed to work. But I got that thing going. And then my first real bike was an old CB 350, which I think is true of, like, a jillion people in the country.
[00:06:40] Speaker A: What was the first real project. It built, like, as a. As a bike, then?
[00:06:43] Speaker B: Ooh, that's a good question.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: I think maybe beyond just, like, keeping it on the road.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: No, yeah, I understand what you're asking. Like, I. I feel like my. My. My chopperizing kind of came in stages. Like, I just kept biting off, like, slightly bigger and bigger pieces. I mean, you know, I. There was. I had a little CX 500 I, like, you know, cut up and painted when I was younger, and then, you know, a whole slew of Harley stuff. I don't know. Like, I don't know. There's one I could point to and be like, that was the first one.
[00:07:10] Speaker A: Did Joyce have multiple bikes around? Is it?
[00:07:12] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, when I was younger, I lived in the midwest, and the general, like, running rule out there for, like, a japanese motorcycle was usually, like a dollar per cc. So it was. Yeah, it was pretty good. So, like, if I got a smoking deal on a bike, right, you could pick up motorcycles and, like, two, $300. So, you know, once I realized how fast I could go relative to how much I didn't have to spend, cars were, like. They were, like, secondary at that point. You could fit, like, four motorcycles where you put a car in a garage.
[00:07:39] Speaker A: That's true. That is a lot. You start out with Honda, Zen, or what did you have? What did that garage full of bikes look like?
[00:07:48] Speaker B: I mean, there's always been a rotating cast. I think you asked. You start with Hondas. I think everybody starts with Hondas, right? They're the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer. They make pretty good bikes. They're not expensive to purchase, so, yes, like everyone else, I had plenty of those, but I'm pretty brand agnostic. There's a couple that I sort of shy away from and some that I haven't gotten into, but I'm pretty equal opportunity. I've always had a good smattering.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: What do you shy away from?
What scares you?
[00:08:16] Speaker B: I don't, man, if you ask me to now, I have to give an answer that people are going to find negative, which feels bad. So forgive me if you are in any of the protected classes I'm about to speak about. So italian motorcycles generally, they tend to be. They're super cool.
[00:08:33] Speaker A: And I like Justin.
[00:08:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
It's like having a supermodel. Right.
When it's on, it's on, but it's not always on.
I haven't had a ton of experience with british bikes. They're not like, as it stands now, I'm pretty normal sized for a good portion of my life, I was pretty heavy. Like most of the british bikes did not support a man of my stature.
A couple other little weirdos I step aside from now and again. But for the most part, I like a lot of stuff.
[00:09:07] Speaker A: You've got a shop at home, right?
Is it at home or is it a separate shop?
[00:09:11] Speaker B: I have a shop. I like to think of it as not my home, but yes, it is definitely connected to my home. If you come to my shop, you are also going to be at my house by default.
[00:09:21] Speaker A: That's the angler cycles.
[00:09:22] Speaker B: Yes, sir.
[00:09:23] Speaker A: And custom shop. I mean, you're doing maintenance work mostly.
[00:09:29] Speaker B: I will do anything that makes money.
So try to stick to motorcycle stuff if possible. But I'll do automotive work work. And I mean, if you bring your antique tractor by, we will work on that.
But yeah, I wish I, you know, would. Will we do custom work? Yes. Do we do it? Sure.
But like every other motorcycle shop in the world and even automotive shops. Right. The lifeblood is your not sexy stuff, right? Your maintenance, your tires, your, you know, tip overs, your dealing with like, all the things that just happen with a motorcycle. I know that's not an awesome answer, but that's the reality of it is, you know, sometimes that that kind of piddly work is what keeps the lights on.
[00:10:10] Speaker A: Yeah, most shops, actually.
[00:10:11] Speaker B: Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It's true. Almost across the board. Like, while those custom builds are super sexy, I mean, there's a reason that's like, dIy heavy is because, like, you really gotta want it. It's hard to make that, you know, financially justifiable.
[00:10:24] Speaker A: We were talking about choppers. You've got start out kind of building choppers. Is that kind of your wheelhouse in terms of projects or. I know we talked about, you and I offline a month or two back about cafe bikes and things like that. So everyone's built differently and has different interests. But you kind of fall toward the chopper end of the spectrum. Or is it all over the place too?
[00:10:47] Speaker B: It's hard. I like modifying things. Or at least I used to like modifying things. I think I still do.
Choppers are neat, right? They look cool, right? That's why everyone's chopper. Cause they look awesome.
Especially the longer choppers. Right. They're really nothing super rideable like. Yeah, they are. But also they're.
[00:11:06] Speaker A: We were just discussing that the other day.
[00:11:08] Speaker B: Yeah, they're. They're like. They're rideable to some degree. So I still have one long bike in my garage that I would. That I hang on to, but for the most part, as I've gotten older, I've sort of gravitated more towards, you know, what sugar bear called a short chop. Right. So, like a custom, but built maybe on a factory wheelbase or factory ish wheelbase.
[00:11:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:32] Speaker B: You know, when it comes to other stuff, I mean, I think the later we go, at least in Harleytown, right. The less I feel the urge to heavily modify something. Right. I have a fairly late model evo dinah. I say late model things ancient now, but it's an evo dinah, so, you know, farther along than the old junk. And that thing doesn't need, you know, it doesn't need every inch reworked. It's. A lot of parts of the bike are kind of good from the, from the jump. And I think, you know, there's something even be said on truly late model stuff. I mean, sometimes even just your silly light bolt on customizations is the way to make the bike most usable.
[00:12:05] Speaker A: Yeah.
What's the most difficult part of building a bike from scratch? Like, as a project?
[00:12:10] Speaker B: Just all the work.
[00:12:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: I think that differs, right? I think it differs for who you're speaking to. If you're talking to your first timer, I think your answer is going to be massively different than somebody who's done it a couple times and been around the block before.
I would say if I were I a Diyer, I think knowing exactly what I wanted and how to get there is probably the most difficult part. Right. So parts compatibility becomes difficult if that's not native to you, I think. I mean, I always tell everybody, if you're gonna build the bike, right? Like, you gotta start the wheels. You can't really. You can rework other parts of the bike, but, like, once you got your wheels sizes chosen, everything else is sort of.
[00:12:52] Speaker A: Yeah, that's. That's. That's kind of your anchor point for.
[00:12:54] Speaker B: A falls in a place. Yeah. So I would say. But I think no one tells you that, right? Like, when you go to your first day, like, chopper class, they don't tell you, like, oh, you better pick your wheel set. That's important.
But, you know, it sounds nerdy, but I even tell people, like, hey, man, put a mood board together. Like, that could help.
[00:13:10] Speaker A: I was gonna ask, like, how do you start with a concept for a bike? I mean, you personally, not.
[00:13:14] Speaker B: I mean, if I'm building something for myself, it's usually like picking over the parts pile, finding some stuff I like, then convincing myself that, okay, I have this transmission that needs a rebuild, and a taillight I like. That's almost all the stuff I need for a full project. That's not actually true. And then trying to do it for nothing. I'm always trying to not spend a jillion dollars. So that is a reality. I think, of everybody. Even if you own a motorcycle shop, you don't have deep pockets.
[00:13:44] Speaker A: I think that's what drives a lot of personal projects anyway, is what can I do for as little as I can try to get the results you want in terms of a concept or look or performance, for sure.
[00:13:57] Speaker B: Yeah. One of the things I always tell people, too, if you're thinking about buying a motorcycle, right? Like, it's very, I'm gonna use Harley. I'm gonna pick on Harley again. But it's, you know, it's. I think you see a lot of people start with the sportster, right, because it's cheap. But if you think about it, unless you really want to end up with a sportster at the end of it, that's probably not the most financially prudent move, right? Like, the wiring costs the same, the paint costs the same, the parts all pretty much caught. The only thing that's cheaper at the beginning is, like, the base motorcycle, right? So, you know, like, spend a little more upfront and get what you want. Because ultimately, if you put all that effort and money in parts in, and you end up at the end with a bike that you're only kind of into, it doesn't feel good.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: Do you fabricate any of your own stuff? I know you've got a pretty decent shop, right? In terms of.
[00:14:42] Speaker B: I have an under tooled shop.
Yeah, we fabricate some stuff, for sure.
Some stuff's easier than others. I mean, at least it's been my experience in this game. It seems that everybody has a buddy who has a piece of equipment they need once in a while. So it tends to be very givey takey. And I think the reason you see people who get into at least the chopper end of things, they get into it kind of so hard, is because it's not just a motorcycle. You're kind of taking on a bunch of new friends, and you really got to immerse yourself in order to get what you need.
[00:15:17] Speaker A: How do you figure out at what point you fabricate something versus just buy it? Is there something you just absolutely wouldn't buy?
[00:15:26] Speaker B: Boy, that's a great question. So, like, on customer stuff, buy everything. It's always faster and easier to buy stuff and build a customer. I mean, and that's just an unfortunate reality. For myself, I think it's a question of, like, what am I trying to challenge myself? Do I want to, you know, do I want something that really isn't viable commercially?
I think there's a couple factors that go in there, but, you know, it's kind of a. I think, again, it kind of depends what you have on hand. What tools? Like, what are we talking about, a sissy bar? Yeah, I'm probably not going to buy a sissy bar unless it's something really cool that I have to have this period. But, you know, but then there's other things where it's like, dude, that's a. That's a giant pain. Like, I, you know, caliper brackets, for instance, to run these calipers on this bike. I'm not. I'm not sitting there doing all the math. If some guys got them for sale for $150, like, not even a question.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: About your projects, when you build them for yourself, what do you prioritize? Are you looking mostly like a cosmetic build? Are you looking at performance? You looking at handling what drives you for most of your projects?
[00:16:29] Speaker B: All those things? I think it kind of depends. There's some bikes where I'm not really super into restoring, but if I was going to restore, my. My goals would be very different than if I was building something sort of high power. I try and change it up a little bit for myself. I know if left to my own devices, I would just keep building the same bike over and over. I would just build a short chop shovel head with good suspension and brakes on it, called a day.
Turns out that gets kind of boring, so I try to vary it up a little bit more. So lately, I did sort of a hot rod build for myself.
You know, there's a couple things I still want to attack. I do want, at some point, restore something when, you know, I just have money leaking from every orifice in my body. But that's, like, on the table. I don't know. I kind of just, like, for my own personal stuff. At first, it was fill out the garage and make sure I had the stuff I wanted to do, the writing I wanted to do. But then, like, as I did that, it was kind of more like broaden my skill set and learn some new stuff.
[00:17:28] Speaker A: But maintaining a custom build after it's done, I would.
[00:17:34] Speaker B: I mean, at least for me, that's pretty easy. And I. When I'm building, I generally build an eye towards maintenance, too. If I know something's going to be crummy or, you know, oh, this drain plugs in the way or, you know, like, I'm usually moving some stuff around to make it easy.
I mean, if you think about it, too, like, I like the junk. I like to build one of the nice parts about choppers. They're a little bit like dirt bikes. They're kind of similar in that they're kind of stripped down of only the stuff you need to go, you know? So, like, I like building stuff with magnetos. Right? So, boop. There's no battery to take care of. I like building stuff in mechanical brakes. Boop. There's no brake fluid to take care of. Right. Like, on an air cooled bike, no coolant. Right? Like, all you're doing is just dumping in, leaking lubricant. Like, that's kind of it. That's pretty easy. So I know that sounds kind of insane, but, like, they're already kind of built that way to make life easy.
[00:18:25] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a crude. Simple. Basic is kind of.
[00:18:28] Speaker B: Yeah, crude and simple, I think. Yeah, crude and simple is cool, right? Like, yeah, they're super refined. Awesome. Nice stuff out there. It's just. That's hard to work on it. I think you're making a project for.
[00:18:37] Speaker A: Yourself, for someone who's maybe thinking of picking up their first bike project tool wise. What's different about having shop full of tools for a bike versus a car?
Anything specialized. I mean, beyond wrenches and screwdrivers and things. Like, what's someone not expecting to buy when they need to keep a bike?
[00:18:58] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a good question. So, I mean, if we're expecting someone's doing an average bike build and they have next to nothing in the toolbox, is that what we're talking about? So it's kind of. It's interesting. Like, there's surprisingly little you need. You know, if your bike is older, I'm assuming you're, let's call it eighties and back, just for sake of argument. I mean, you obviously are going to want a set of wrenches and sockets that are appropriate, right? Sae for your Harley metric, obviously, for your japanese stuff, or if that's where you're going.
[00:19:27] Speaker A: And who knows, on a british bike. Right?
[00:19:30] Speaker B: Well, right. Whitworth, maybe.
And then you also need the specialized tools to deal with the Whitworth fasteners that have been ruined by someone who didn't use what we're tooling on. That's, of course, critical. You're right. I missed that.
Beyond that, I think your basic entry level mig welder will do literally anything everyone would ever need. I mean, even if you're doing a complete custom frame, you can totally get by on a, you know, in your entry level mig welder. I think a table helps, like, a work area, but you don't even really need, like, a lift. You can just build yourself a table out of plywood. I mean, the nice part of motorcycles, most of the parts are so light, you can just move them with your hands. Like, even a really heavy motor trans combo, you can move it yourself if you have to.
[00:20:14] Speaker A: Or tip the bike, as you were explaining.
[00:20:15] Speaker B: Yeah, or tip the bike over onto the. Onto the drivetrain. But, I mean, I guess my point is, like, they. They feel pretty accessible to me for a beginner, because you don't even need that much room, right? Like, if you have a one car garage, like many people do at their home.
[00:20:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:28] Speaker B: That's really not enough room to do a car resto project. Like, yes, the car fits in there, but you don't fit in there. Your tools don't fit in there. You can't blow it all apart. But on a motorcycle, if you have, like, a one car garage, you could. You got enough room to do your thing. Like, you can. You might be a little cramped, but you get the job done.
[00:20:46] Speaker A: Is there anything unique about mechanics of a bike versus a car? If you have a general mechanical sense, is there anything that's going to surprise a first time bike project owner?
[00:21:00] Speaker B: It's pretty straightforward, I think, for the most part. Depends what you know about bikes. Right. I mean, there are some pieces, like, obviously there's no jiffy stand on a car. You don't need to lean your car over. So, like, there's some things that are just objectively different, but from just a straightforward. How does this system work? Perspective again, if we're sticking, let's say, eighties and back. No, it's kind of all the same. I mean, carburetors are tiny and much differenter than a car that's not the same. And. And the thing wants to fall over all the time. Other than that, no, like, yeah. Mechanically, yeah. Like, and they all have their quirks and their foibles. I think it's more likely that someone who's taking on one of those projects is probably not doing a resto. If you are doing resto, good for you. That's awesome. And life should be easy. But I think the one thing that gets a little weird in the motorcycle world is everybody wants to know what stuff from other things fit, which is not what people do in the car world, unless you're into, like, hot rods. And that's pretty specific.
[00:21:57] Speaker A: Talking, like, mixing different manufacturer components and things like that.
[00:22:00] Speaker B: I mean, yeah, like, I'll tell you something from my time at Revzilla. I will tell you the difference that I. To tell everybody the difference between, like, your Gixxer owner and your Harley owner. So your Gixxer owner calls up and he says, hey, I have a 2006 Gixxer 1000. What do you have that'll fit this thing? That's very straightforward. Then you get the call from the Harley owner. Right. I got a 94 sportster. I want to put this thing from a 2006 softail on there. What do I have to do? Why don't it fit? It's like, well, I don't. I don't know, man. Like, that's the whole name of the game. So I feel like people who are. Who want to start Tinker and they're inclined to figure out what other stuff they can use, but that I think you're going to spend as much time with your nose in a book as you are in the garage.
[00:22:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:46] Speaker B: Is that a fair answer?
[00:22:47] Speaker A: That's a fair answer.
Got any great stories about breakdowns on the road? I mean, you guys rode bikes a lot for content, right?
[00:22:55] Speaker B: We did. I've never broken down. I don't build stuff broken. No, I break down constantly. Couldn't be riding old leaky junk. All I do is break down. My whole life is lived in the breakdown lane. I just think of that as my lane. That's where I like to travel.
Yeah, we got a ton of breakdown stories, I think. I mean, boy, I got a number of them. I think the guys I ride with, they have the same leaky, horrible, not even close to rival death traps. I do. And I think there is almost an air of.
I hate to say, but it's kind of just like, well, can I even do this right? We have done repairs on the side of the road that many people will note attempt in their own well stocked garage.
Kind of just like a, hey, well, we can, so why not type a deal?
One. You know, when I worked at Revzilla, I used to review motorcycles as a road test editor, and one bike that stands out for me was the Ducati multistrada.
The multi s, specifically. That is the only bike I ever rode that had a reliability score, that it was better than perfect. Yeah, exactly. And it was an italian bike, no less. So anybody was mad at me for my previous comments. Hopefully this makes up for it.
Ducati had thought to put in a plug kit for that bike, which is something that normally does not come in motorcycle tool kits. And my wife and I were on a tour in, I don't know, Wisconsin or maybe Michigan or something, and a buddy was on a road king and his road kingdom, you know, picked something up in the tire, and he had a flat, and he was hooped. He didn't have tire tools. I don't know why. Irresponsible, I guess. But I was like, wait, hang on. We have them in the ducati. And went and grabbed them and got the thing up and running. So that bike got another bike up and rolling, which I think is a score greater than 100%. So, yeah, that's pretty awesome. Yeah, I was into it. Good job, Ducati.
[00:24:56] Speaker A: Let's talk about motorcycle culture a little bit. American motorcycle culture, because I think it's a little unique here. I've been lucky enough to travel the world a little bit, and we were in Europe in the spring, and the motorcycle culture is entirely different there. It's a utility vehicle, an economy vehicle for a lot of people, and here it's such a recreational activity and a brotherhood. We were exchanging brother remarks.
[00:25:22] Speaker B: Aliens are our brother.
[00:25:24] Speaker A: So, you know, talk about motorcycling culture from the perspective you've seen it, both as a shop owner, but also someone who worked in that retail space dealing with all kinds of customers.
[00:25:35] Speaker B: I want to actually step back to the intro, because I think you introed me as a motorcycle culture guru.
[00:25:40] Speaker A: Well, I had to put something up there.
[00:25:42] Speaker B: Yeah, that's. Boy, you know, I don't.
[00:25:45] Speaker A: People know you.
[00:25:46] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, I'm gonna appear so nancy negative right now. I don't think of motorcycles really, in terms of culture. I know it sounds dumb, but I think about them for what they are, which is, it's a consumer product.
Like, the. I've gotten. I've gotten so much flack for this. Like, the wave. I don't really love the wave. I don't. I do it because I don't make somebody's day bad, but, like, I don't. I don't care, man. Like, you've motorcycle. I have motorcycle. Great. Like, we're not.
[00:26:10] Speaker A: It's funny you say that, because that's.
That's my thought exactly, is we had office bikes. I've never. I've never owned one, but was lucky enough to have press bikes and worked in an office where several people had bikes, and we just kind of. Everyone rode them. And it was always awkward with the wave, because, for one thing, it always seemed to come up at the worst possible time. When I needed that and on the grip, and it just seemed like, like you said, like, okay, we should. We're both on two wheels. But. But it. You feel kind of compelled, right, on some level to do it as well, right?
[00:26:39] Speaker B: Exactly. Yes.
[00:26:40] Speaker A: Unless you're on a scooter and then you don't dare wave.
[00:26:42] Speaker B: But, like, culture wise, I mean, it's. It's all different in America. I tend to be. I feel like I'm a pretty antisocial motorcycle. It's just in that I kind of want to. And it's hard, right? It's hard, especially in this junk I ride. Right. You have a chopper or a 400 bike or whatever. Like, you roll up to the gas station P's. You're not just gonna fill up and leave. Like, that's not how it ever goes.
[00:27:04] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:05] Speaker B: So, you know, from that aspect, I do enjoy talking to people. Like, my favorite is when I see somebody who has a vehicle that's, like, obviously inconvenient, and I don't even care if it's a bike or car or whatever. Right. And I don't care if you built it or you paid somebody build it or whatever. I just always want to talk to that person and, like, get to know their motivation. Right. Like, why this is obviously not mainstream. Right. You're obviously doing something that's a pain. Why are you doing that? Like, what makes you tick?
[00:27:31] Speaker A: So you get stopped at gas stations and so on, but you do the same thing, right? You see something interesting. You talk to people, too.
[00:27:39] Speaker B: I do.
I will generally try to not interrupt somebody. Like, if somebody's at a bike show standing next to their bike. Okay, cool. I know you probably want to talk about this.
You know, if somebody looks like they're busy or they're, like, doing something that's not, you know, showing off their. Their wheels, I will usually try and give a little respectful distance. I have learned, too, for especially people who have one motorcycle rather than many motorcycles, they usually love talking about them.
[00:28:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:07] Speaker B: I love asking people what they ride because they will instantly start chattering. I almost never tell anybody what I ride because nobody cares. Like, you don't care about you. You don't care about my bike. You care about your bike, which is how it's supposed to be. Be.
[00:28:19] Speaker A: For someone who's not ever owned a motorcycle, what's. Any advice for stepping into it as a hobby?
I ask that coming. Coming from. I got my license later in life. I was 40 when I got my license and went through MSF training and did all that. My wife thought I was having a mid life crisis.
For me, it was a professional opportunity. I was reviewing cars and realized that opened up a couple other avenues.
But also, as cars have gotten more modern and more digital, bikes are still very analog.
[00:28:54] Speaker B: They're moving.
[00:28:54] Speaker A: They're moving that direction relative to newer cars, though. I mean, you're true. There's no steer by wire that. Well, I don't know.
[00:29:01] Speaker B: Well, there is throttle by wire.
[00:29:03] Speaker A: There is throttle by wire.
[00:29:04] Speaker B: Yeah, it's moving that direction, but it's.
[00:29:06] Speaker A: A more engaging experience. So what should someone expect when they step into motorcycling for the first time? Take the leap from a sports car or something else?
[00:29:15] Speaker B: That's a great question. I want to answer it, I guess almost from an Eastwood perspective. And I know it's going to, like, I'm plugging you sort of unintentionally here, but like the, I think it depends, like, if you're just trying to ride a motorcycle. Okay, get that figured out first, right? Like, you got to figure out how to ride, get a bike. Don't get anything nice, right? Your first bike should be a giant heap because it's not going to be your last bike.
If that sounds super inconvenient to you, and it does to many people, like, you're not gonna like motorcycling. It's very wet and hot and horrible most of the time.
But I think then the next step is like, am I ready to take on, you know, okay, I want a cool custom bike, blah, blah, blah, whatever. It's funny. I know a fella who just popped into my head.
I talked to you very recently. He doesn't ride a motorcycle, but he bought one, and he wanted to do, like, a cafe project. That just seems to me, that seems like you're just biting off so much at once. Step one is like, do motorcycling. Step two is like, jump into customizing. Once you've got that, you know, start doing your usual maintenance, et cetera, et cetera. Not, there's not people who can't do that, but I think for a lot of, I think I've seen a lot of bikes rolled out of a shed that are half stripped apart and somebody, quote unquote, lost interest in the project. And I know what happened.
[00:30:23] Speaker A: What's a good first bike for someone who wants to tackle a project, then?
[00:30:26] Speaker B: Ooh, that's a great question. I think it depends what you want at the end of it. But almost every style, whether you want to build a cafe or a chopper, you want to build a crazy dirt bike or. Yeah, whatever you want to do. There's almost always going to be sort of like, platforms that are appreciated. I mean, ten minutes on the Internet, you should be able to figure out what the good platforms are for what you want to do. But, you know, I would say don't. Don't move too far outside of that unless you are okay with not having aftermarket support and not having a bunch of people rando strangers on the Internet who you can say, hey, does this fit that?
If you're cool with not getting an answer to that question, then I'd say stray off the beaten path. But there's nothing wrong with doing something a little cookie cutter for your first time out of the gate.
[00:31:10] Speaker A: Yeah.
In terms of straying off the beaten path a little bit. What are the tougher bikes for? Aftermarket support. What's a really tough one to customize?
[00:31:21] Speaker B: Well, hell, man, half the italian brands. It's tough to get factory support.
It's italian bikes are hard. I was kind of laughing. I had a Vespa in for work that just left yesterday, and the bike was in for, I think, four days, and it was the shortest turnaround done in italian repair I've ever done. The owner didn't care, but I was like, this is amazing. This is light speed.
I think it's hard with a lot of the japanese stuff. They made so many different models.
You know, you can. If you choose a real weirdo, you might get in trouble. So they had some one and two year only bikes that were kind of crazy, whereas I would sort of, you know, pivot that to, like, if you're looking at a domestic bike, an older Harley, at an indian, they had nice, long runs, and they tried to make stuff compatible, so, like, those can be easier, you know? But again, it depends how much aftermarket help you actually need. If you're not afraid to cut and welded, you might be just fine, you know, on something metric. Whereas if you. You know, if, you know, you want to buy out a catalog, which is a completely okay thing to do, you know, kind of open the catalog and see what's in there before you buy a bike. Right. Like, what do they make a lot of parts for? Great. I want to buy one of those.
[00:32:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
What are your thoughts on gear?
I know that's. There's a couple camps, obviously.
[00:32:40] Speaker B: Yeah. I feel like I draw ire from all of the camps because I.
It's up to everybody. Right. Like, I feel like you need to do the thing you need to do. Right. So there's. I think regardless of who you are, what your discipline is, you. You're. You know, you have this sliding sort of spectrum, and at one end is, like, maximum protection, and that involves ensconcing yourself in a Toyota Corolla, and at the other end, right. You have, like, freedom to move and be comfortable. Right. So if you're, you know, like, when I. When I raced, I. I wore maybe sometimes different setups on gear than would be recommended, but sometimes that was to allow greater freedom of movement, which might actually keep me from coming off the bike in the first place. So you're like. It's kind of hard to know. Like, you tell me how you want to wreck, and I can tell you what you ought to have on you, but obviously, that's difficult. So, like, I don't know. I mean, I would encourage you if you. If you are new to motorcycles, maybe start with a lot of gear and get rid of things you think you might not need.
[00:33:37] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:38] Speaker B: Is that all right? Answer.
[00:33:40] Speaker A: No, I think that's a good answer. I tended to. I don't at the moment, but I had a full suit and always a helmet and proper boots. I had a friend whose sister was an emergency room nurse and said she saw too many guys come in with their ankles ground away because they were in soft shoes and so on. And that stuck with me.
When I was a kid, my very first motorcycle riding experience was on a little 50 cc Yamaha or something in a friend's backyard in Maryland. Really rocky, like, field backyard. And he gave me a helmet, and I tabletopped the thing and put the handlebars through the visor, and that stuck with me as well. So I tend to lean toward the heavier gear side, but I also enjoy the freedom of being out on the bike.
And especially we had a scooter when we lived in town. Almost never wore the gear with. With the scooter, because it, you know, we're doing 15, 20 miles an hour. Conversely, I also dropped the scooter and scuffed up my hands, you know, so, like, gloves would have been a smart move.
[00:34:41] Speaker B: Right? So, yeah, and that's, like. I mean, that's. That's the thing, right? Is, like, you're. I mean, yeah, I would love to say at gat, bro, all the gear, all the time, but that's not even practical, right? Like, if I'm. If I, you know, I'm doing a quick repair for somebody, and I got to take the thing out and just verify the repair. Like, I'm not going suit up.
That's insane. Like, that doesn't work. Let's grab helmet, gloves, and zip it down the road back.
I'm not going to stand here telling anybody else what to do. You're a grown up. You know what to do. You don't need me to tell you.
[00:35:14] Speaker A: What kind of project would you still like to build? Coming back to project stuff a little bit, what have you not built that you would like to do?
[00:35:21] Speaker B: That's a pretty good question.
I don't. I think maybe I built everything I want to build. Does that sound crazy?
[00:35:28] Speaker A: Like, there's nothing left in the tank?
[00:35:30] Speaker B: No. Like, I always get interested in doing stuff and doing new things. Like I said, I do want to restore a bike at some point just to say, you know, just for the.
[00:35:38] Speaker A: Challenge of it or for.
[00:35:39] Speaker B: Yeah, just to check it off my resume. Not because I need a restored motorcycle.
I don't know. I have all the stuff I need or want. I have enough motorcycles. If I just decided today, like, I'm not doing anything else, I could live the rest of my life happily with whatever's in my garage.
One of the things I guess I'm starting to learn now, too, is I'm. I think I now qualify as an old guy. I'm now. I'm now 40 years old. So I think moving an old guy territory, I am getting more and more jazzed on seeing younger guys getting into stuff and doing. Doing their thing right. Even if it doesn't, like. Doesn't make my socks go up and down. I want to help you get to where you want to be. So, you know, lately we've some buddies, mine, we've been getting younger folks into a little bit and trying to, you know, try to really be kind to the younger guys. Right. Because I don't know if you've ever. If you're my age or older and you ever went into a motorcycle shop, especially, like, an indie shop, right. Like, you were treated horribly. That's just how it works, right? Like, you had to. You had to be treated horribly in order to know that, you know, like, you really wanted it or something. I don't know. Yeah, but that's where I get jazz now. I guess. Maybe even doing stuff is not for me. That's. That's what I want to do. I guess that's the answer. I want to do stuff for other folks.
[00:36:47] Speaker A: So, in that vein, any thoughts on electric bikes? Because electric bikes seem to be flying.
[00:36:51] Speaker B: They're awesome.
[00:36:52] Speaker A: Doing pretty well.
[00:36:53] Speaker B: How did. That was, incidentally, it was the worst transition of all time.
[00:36:56] Speaker A: That's fine.
[00:36:58] Speaker B: I love the question. I just don't know how you got.
[00:37:00] Speaker A: There with the younger kids and their bikes and things. Oh, so outside of your comfort zone? A little, I guess.
[00:37:05] Speaker B: Man, I don't know if they are outside of my comfort zone. It's funny, I've sort of fell into their electric bike road test editor sort of defecto for a little bit, which is weird. But firstly, I don't think of that as a younger guy's bike just because they're so damned expensive.
[00:37:23] Speaker A: I just work on the assumption that old motorcycle enthusiasts probably reject the electric bikes the way a lot of old car enthusiasts reject electric cars.
[00:37:30] Speaker B: I think a lot do, but I don't think that's fair. If you like going fast, the mode of propulsion doesn't matter. I like going fast, and I don't care what that looks or sounds like to almost any degree. I mean, especially, like, I think when you consider, like, the electric brakes are really good at some things, they're, like, perfect for some, use case scenarios, and horrible for others. Like, much less so than a cars. I think it's like a little less.
They're a little more adaptable with a motorcycle. That's not really true.
I love electric bikes. They're super fun. Yeah. Almost everyone I've ridden I've enjoyed for some reason or another.
[00:38:10] Speaker A: Yeah. I would have expected more rejection of bikes because I think for a lot of people, the. The sound is half of the experience with. With riding a bike, or maybe that's my perception.
[00:38:21] Speaker B: So I don't. Yeah, I don't think that's wrong. And I could. Man, I could talk about that for about four. I could talk about that forever. I do agree with you. I love. I mean, you know, a lot of people ask me, like, why Harley Davidson's. Because I do. I do. I'm partial to him. I just like the music they make. And that's not a. Like, that's not a.
It's completely subjective, right. It's not an actual reason, but it's. It is still a very compelling one for me. The first time I rode an electric bike, one of the things I noticed is I was flying because I didn't realize how much I relied on the engine to gauge my speed, which was kind of crazy. I remember hearing. Hearing the tires mechanically grip the pavement, which is not something you'll ever catch on a motorized bike. I don't care how quiet it is. And that was, like, sort of new for me there. You know, there's something to be said, too, like, if you're riding off road. Right. Like, being able to actually, like, coast into an area silently, especially with, like, wildlife or something. It's a completely different experience than when you're just, you know, ring dinging away on a two stroke or something. It's. There is. There is a noise factor there, but it's not.
[00:39:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:25] Speaker B: It's not just the noise the bike is making. It's also sort of the noise the bike isn't making.
[00:39:29] Speaker A: Yeah. It kind of flies in the face of the loud pipe save lives mantra, though, doesn't it? I mean, riding on a silent bike, I mean, that's a justification for a lot of people to have the exhaust of their choice.
[00:39:42] Speaker B: It does. I think. And I'm sure there's going to be a bunch of people who are going to want to hang me out to dry. I've always thought this kind of a poor excuse. I agree with it. Yeah. There's definitely been times where I've given somebody a goose on the throttle and they can hear me now, but, you know, like, why not just call it what it is? Right? Like, I like the way that thing sounds when it's on course. Like, why is that not a good enough reason to put them on there? Like, why do you have to make up a reason?
[00:40:07] Speaker A: Right.
[00:40:08] Speaker B: Yeah, I like to.
[00:40:08] Speaker A: That's always fun, too, you know?
[00:40:09] Speaker B: Yeah. I like to be kind of loud and antisocial. Sorry.
[00:40:14] Speaker A: Lane split. How do you feel on lane splitting all day long?
[00:40:17] Speaker B: I love lane splitting.
[00:40:19] Speaker A: Is it legal in Pennsylvania? No, I didn't think so. I mean, California, it's legal, right?
[00:40:24] Speaker B: It is legal. You've driven or ridden in California?
[00:40:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, yeah. I watch my mirrors all the time in California. When I'm driving.
[00:40:31] Speaker B: It's wild.
[00:40:32] Speaker A: It's unnerving.
[00:40:32] Speaker B: Like, the first time I went to California and rode a bike, I didn't realize, like, they're super cool about it. They peel over and make room for you. I wanted to, like, stop my bike and just, like, reach into somebody's car and kiss them. I was like, this is great.
It's, you know, it's kind of wild that it's even a contentious topic here in America because, like, this is standard practice pretty much for the rest of the world. Like, that's just how it is.
[00:40:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:40:57] Speaker B: I don't know why it's such a contentious issue. I love doing it when I go to California, all you Californians out there, I have kind of a chip on my shoulder about this. They're so good at it. So I remember at some point, I was lane splitting, and I wasn't splitting fast enough, and a cop was behind me splitting and turned on. Gave me, like, a little siren, like, to, like, tell, like, get. No, like, get out of the way. I need to pass you. Which was really cool. And then I was like, well, I guess I'm supposed to be doing this as fast as I can, so that's how fast I split.
[00:41:24] Speaker A: Now, how often do you get out to California to ride? Probably a lot. When you were doing. When you were doing motorcycle reviews, were you ever out there?
[00:41:32] Speaker B: Yeah, out there all the time. I mean, the motorcycle industry is centered in southern California. Everything is there. It's. Honestly, when I was younger, I probably should have moved there because, you know.
[00:41:45] Speaker A: Like, try to do this professional opportunities.
[00:41:47] Speaker B: Right? Like, to do this in Pennsylvania doesn't make any sense. Like, hey, you know, half the year, you're not doing motorcycle stuff, but, you know, that. That train kind of sailed for me, so, yeah, I definitely have ridden. California's a beautiful state, and it's so different. It's a large state, and it's so different one end to the other. I mean, it's. Man, it's. Yeah, it's nice out there.
[00:42:05] Speaker A: A bunch of us took bikes from LA to SeMA one year, and it's just an amazing experience. We have four press bikes, two triumphs of BMW and a ducati, and it was just amazing. Coming up over the mountains, of course, we started on a return trip from Vegas. It was 46 degrees in the morning and came up over the hill into the La base, and it was 103.
We were in the same gear.
[00:42:30] Speaker B: Yeah, but, I mean. But it's a dry heat.
[00:42:33] Speaker A: It wasn't dry when we came in, I can tell you. We were all sweating mad. But it's gorgeous ride. The desert riding was. Was beautiful. And you're really exposed to everything.
[00:42:44] Speaker B: Yeah, I've ridden outside Vegas quite a bit. That's beautiful out there. I would say anybody who's watching or listening, if you have the opportunity to ride your motorcycle somewhere else, take it.
[00:42:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:54] Speaker B: If you don't, you know, you can't get off that long for work, et cetera, et cetera. Do not be afraid to get on a plane and fly to a beautiful place and rent a motorcycle. I think not doing that's almost irresponsible. Right? Like, there are. I have ridden in absolutely beautiful parts of this country that I would not have had the ability to ride in had I not gotten on a plane first. There's no shame in taking a different mode of transportation to use your preferred mode of transportation.
[00:43:19] Speaker A: It's good advice.
[00:43:21] Speaker B: It's just so pretty. There's so many.
[00:43:23] Speaker A: It's a great way to see new. New places, too, for sure. I mean, I drive a convertible every day, but there's no comparison to being out, you know, on a bike.
The sights, the smells. You become aware of microclimates and all the. All the little nuances of being out in the natural.
[00:43:37] Speaker B: Yeah, it's wild.
It's wild, you say? Because I feel very strongly about that. To me, it's the difference between, like, watching a movie and being in the movie.
[00:43:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:43:45] Speaker B: I mean, you know, it's funny. You say, like, sights and smells, like. Yeah, microclimates. It's. I mean, there's nothing like, if you have a car, you don't really understand the joy of. You know, when it's really hot and you dip down into this, like, shady, low area by a river or something. Right? Next you get a blast of cold air. Like, that feels so good. Or, you know, it's cool when you're. You know, you're zipping by a farm and you smell the cow shit. Can I say. Can I say cow shit? Yeah. Sorry. You smell the manure. Like, as you're running by it, like, that's. You don't. You just don't get that in a car. It just doesn't happen.
[00:44:13] Speaker A: Yeah, 100%. Well, hey, man, it's been great to have you here.
[00:44:17] Speaker B: It's been great being here.
[00:44:19] Speaker A: I always enjoy talking about motorcycles. Yeah, I'll have another. I'll have one someday. I should say last one. We might overtake some scooter. And I broke the fender doing wheelies on it and got in trouble with my wife, so.
[00:44:30] Speaker B: Scooter wheelies are pretty great.
[00:44:31] Speaker A: Scooters are pretty fun, actually. So really appreciate you coming by and can't wait to hang out with you again.
[00:44:37] Speaker B: Thanks for having me, man.
[00:44:38] Speaker A: Awesome.
