Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Kirk Taylor, proprietor of Custom Design Studios, lives what some men vision: He designs, makes and paints motorcycles. He paints them for each day customers. He’s built them for former-football stars and members of the rock band Metallica. He’s shown his work at motorcycle happenings, and his business has been the subject of a TV show. Therefore when he claims to march to his own drummer, he isn’t hard to believe.
Taylor said that “I started in my garage in 1988, and we moved to Bel Marin Keys in 1997, and we take the whole thing from oil changes and paint commissions to ground-up custom-build jobs. We do what the dealers won’t touch, forever.” Taylor says, the choice of services reflects a hard reality: there’s a price for doing what you love and his most important business, skilled painting just pays the bills. Keeping the business going is less about money, and more about love of work.
“It’s our passion. If I wanted to make currency, I’d of stayed in house painting. But it wasn’t rewarding,” he said. “I get to work with customers to make an effort and help them make their vision come alive. They come and say, ‘I don’t know what I desire.’ I have to decipher the information given to me, so I have to be part psychologist, artist, and psyche reader. Those paint jobs are our bread and butter. The fabrication effort is sketchy at best.”
On the other hand, the business’ reputation has allowed it to make connections with few independently wealthy clienteles. The bike, named after a comment made by Hetfield’s wife about its probable role in their marriage’s prolongation, features a piece of sentimental worth to Taylor. Additionally to rock stars, the business as well works for businessmen with a less formal weekend alter ego. “One of our best clients who ended up becoming a dear friend of mine was the ex CEO of Smith & Hawken, who just took a senior VP place at Home Depot. This is the thing, if you’ve been around for a short time; you end up developing a name and a reputation. It’s a small group of people, and people seek you out.”
The business as well puts itself out into that community, attending most important shows, like the San Francisco Rod and Custom Show, and the famous Hollister Motorcycle Rally. But Custom Design got a major boost this year with the kind of advertising you can’t buy: its have episode on Country Music Television’s number one rated “Chopper Challenge.” “We were the first episode up, one out of nine. On the whole, the concept was nine builders’ pair up with nine corporate sponsors, and they give all the parts,” said Taylor. “We had 30 days, however we did it in 28; I brought in some builder friends of mine from the area.”
But while advertising helps, it doesn’t remedy the shortage of cash enthusiasts have with which to dote ahead their favorite hobby. He was working to forge business partnerships, creating bikes for businesses looking to publicize to the motorcycle crowd, and “I’m trying to pursue more of that. I’ve got my connection now at Home Depot, if the opportunity pops up, so I can create a promotional vehicle,” he said. “Those are the clients I’d like to get, if possible two or three a year, along with my blue collar guys. Those projects are high-profile, unlimited financial plan bikes.”
Source: novatoadvance.com
posted by xtremetexaschoppers
@ 11:17 PM
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Monday, July 28, 2008
With polished chrome shining as distant as the squinting eye can observe and with intricate paint jobs fondly waxed to a mirror finish, the motorcycles parked along judges' row at the Canadian Biker Build Off appeared more like displays in an art gallery than street legal machines easily competent of topping 200 kilometers an hour. Fortunate for the more than 1,000 people who bought tickets for the final day of the three-day show the 67 bikes in the ride-in category and five in the champions class were all standing still. It is Eye candy for men and women of all ages who live some of their lives on two wheels. Custom designs, all as unique as the talented teams of mechanics and painters who put them jointly, told stories with fender-to-fender flare. General Lee, one of the five finalists for the impressive prize, is a bold orange and blue invitation for the Dukes to hazard to go away that souped-up Dodge Charger parked, while Ice Time chronicled hockey history on a Harley.
First-place champ at the 2005 TSN Canadian Chopper Challenge and for the past year owned by Niagara-on-the-Lake mechanic Anthony Napolitano, the concluding masterpiece masquerading as a motorcycle features a portrait of Gordie Howe on the gas tank so life-like that the rider would be sure to elbow his or her way through some traffic jam. The rear fender features a painting of news clipping detailing
At the same time as the Niagara Regional Exhibition grounds looks like the inventory yard of a motorcycle factory -custom-built two-wheelers simply outnumbered cars and trucks parked in the lot at the Welland 150th anniversary occasion - only five passed muster with the International Motorcycle Builders Association and were in the running for the event's impressive prize. Since organizers looks upon beauty as in the eyes of all beholders, the public was requested to make the closing selection by depositing ballots in a drum beside their favourite. Alain Touriany, of St. Louis de Blandford, Que., won bragging rights as
Source: wellandtribune.ca
posted by xtremetexaschoppers
@ 11:04 PM
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