DOTR Podcast Ep. 006 - HazeyyAlexx

Join us for an incredible conversation with our talented guest, Alexis "Alex", a certified Harley-Davidson technician who's deeply immersed in the motorsports culture. In this episode, Alex takes us on a journey through her experiences at Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI), working at a dealership, and now testing the latest innovations at Harley-Davidson's proving grounds in Yucca Valley. Together, we explore the importance of preserving the art of boring and honing and pass on this lost knowledge to the next generation of motorcyclists. We also dive into the thrilling world of motorcycle racing, where Alex shares her extraordinary family legacy and her early introduction to riding motorcycles at the age of three. We discuss her journey through motocross and drag racing, while celebrating the joy of watching our kids learn to ride and the importance of following our passions while providing for our children. Lastly, we have an open and honest conversation about mechanic life and work culture, comparing the differences between working in a dealership and an aftermarket shop, and discussing resources available for aspiring motorcyclists. Listen as we share personal experiences about the rituals of the shop and how coffee became a cherished part of our workdays. Don't miss this insightful and inspiring episode with the amazing Alex!

Follow Alex on Instagram: @hazeyyalexx

This episode was fueled by SPEED-KINGSCYCLE! Check out their extensive online platform for your motorcycle needs, and even UTV's now! They even have a hand-crafted, made in USA line of parts and accessories available. Use our code "DOTR10" for 10% off of your order at checkout. Get to shopping for your motorcycle here: www.Speed-KingsCycle.com

Speed-Kings Cycle YouTube: @speed-kingscycle7390

Speed-Kings Cycle Instagram: @speedkings_cycle

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DOTR Podcast Ep. 005 - Sity

We were referred to our guest, Sity, by a Cristian Sosa of Sosa Metalworks. If you know of his work, you would understand how you don't take his referrals lightly. Sity is a machinist based out of Globe, Arizona. She builds motorcycles out of her living room that she transformed into a shop. Lift, toolboxes and all. Sity was in Vegas to take her third metal-shaping class with Sosa and Japhands Kustoms and then top it off with some dirt bike riding all while continuing her fast-paced education in engineering. We're stoked to have had the opportunity to catch up with her.

This episode was powered by Sosa Metalworks. He is a local Las Vegas metal-shaper and motorcycle builder. His shop breathes life into everyone that steps foot into it. There’s soul in everything that is built there that you can feel. If you’re seeking to start or sharpen your metal-shaping skills, Cristian and Japhands Kustoms hold multiple day classes and you can sign up for these on their website.

Sosa Metalworks Website: https://www.sosametalworks.com/

Sosa Metalworks YouTube: @sosametalworks

Sosa Metalworks Instagram: @sosametalworks

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Anna Kaia

Some people endure circumstances in their lives that grace them with a vast understanding of the world that surpasses the minutiae of the day-to-day. Anna Kaia, at the young age of 24, bursts at the seams with an insatiable thirst for cultivating a life fulfilled. Driven face to face with her own mortality, Anna blossomed to take on her next chapter of life as a rider and a burgeoning physical therapist.

With a humble and shy nature blanketing her personality, Anna exudes an ethereal spirit that makes one wonder about the gold that she infuses in her daily life. From climbing rocks to dancing with fire, or washing herself in the tides of the Gulf, she surrounds herself with the elements of the world. It is only natural that she craves to discover its treasures through the intimate lens that only two-wheels possesses.

The stars aligned when Anna’s father went against the pleas of his wife and purchased his first motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson Wide Glide, two years ago. Her childlike wonder manifested alongside her father’s until she decided that it was time to take reins herself.

We all have circumstances in our lives that are meant to teach us a valuable lesson in whatever shape or form necessary. It is our reactions to the inevitable that have the potential to develop us into a more-aware and fruitful being. These fruits, even if born from adversity, can be tended to in order to grow and nurture societies.

I was at a beachside restaurant in my hometown chatting with Anna when I inevitably asked about her motorcycle beginnings. With a light and honest heart, she showed me a scar that scaled behind her ear. She described to me her ultimate circumstance that allowed her own fruits to grow.

Last year, a fresh resident to Atlanta, Anna had dreams of pursuing her new career of public relations and advertising. A disruption occurred in her daily life as she began to experience sudden bursts of pain throughout her head. Bouts of seizure-like symptoms began to take over, causing simple activities such as eating or talking to become nearly impossible.

She was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, better-known as the “suicide disease”. I dug deep into the research when I got back home. Unfortunately, the research is limited, as so few people suffer from this rare disease. Essentially, pain is rooted from the trigeminal nerve beginning behind the ear on either side of the face and spreads across the cheeks, jaw, lips, and nose. The pain inflicted can occur from just the slightest touch, making normal activities debilitating. The pain is cited by patients to be the worst pain one can experience, surpassing limb amputation and childbirth. Being a rare disease with a typical onset after age 50, the inexplicable nature of its manifestation within a vibrant 23 year-old girl was enough to cause for alarm.

The experimental surgery promised slim chances of success, and a probable outcome of paralysis, brain damage, or continuation of the same symptoms. Anna faced the daunting fact that her way of living was unbearable and proceeded with the surgery, even against her mother’s pleas to just take medicine for the pain and go about living life “normally”.

The very same day that she scheduled her brain surgery, she bought a vintage KZ550 and decided that would be her prize to keep her going through the tough road ahead. She spent her time in the hospital daydreaming about how she would rebuild it and modify it.

“I distinctly remember my nurses in the ICU catching me sneaking on my phone at 2 am trying to order motorcycle parts on eBay. The anticipation of getting to learn how to work on that bike and actually getting to ride it after my surgery was the main driving force that got me through the post-surgery agony.”

After she was released from the hospital, the first thing she did was visit her motorcycle.

“My mortality kind of smacked me in the face and I realized that if I really wanted to do something, I needed to go ahead and do it because my time might be limited,” she reflected. Three months after recovery, as soon as her staples had been removed from her head, she threw on her helmet and went on the first liberating ride of her life.

The shift in her paradigm of living allowed a liberation from social stigmas. It allowed her to shed everything that ever held her back and she is now working with a guidance and purpose each and every day. As I chatted with her over coffee a few months later, her bright and infectious energy still shines past those scars and stories.

A typical day in her life today includes going to school to become a Physical Therapist (inspired through her recovery process). She aims to energize and motivate people who have gone through similar traumas, and guide them to regain their functions to pursue everything of which they’ve dreamed. Outside of school, she is adamant about learning the intricacies of her motorcycle to keep it on the road and to boost her self-sufficiency.

When asked to leave a parting piece of advice with DOTR, she responded with this, “My advice is to never be afraid to do something simply because of fear of the unknown or because of social stigmas like ‘girls aren't tough enough to handle a motorcycle.’ If you've always wanted to learn how to ride or to build a bike, then don't waste any more time and just go do it, because you never know when your circumstances might change or how long you'll have to pursue your dreams. It sounds cliche but life changes in an instant, so you gotta take advantage of the present moment.”

What I feel all of us can learn from Anna’s story is how to prioritize what little time we are given on this earth. We owe it to ourselves to seize each opportunity to pursue what best and most vividly colors our personal happiness.

We would like to thank Anna for spending some time to share her story with us all and for having the courage to persevere through everything thrown at her.

To follow her journey, follow @anna_kaia on Instagram!

 

J Shia of MADHOUSE MOTORS

With humility and an unwavering diligence, J. Shia of Madhouse Motors represents an elite caliber of people who grind - both literally and figuratively. As a motorcycle mechanic and builder, she brings unique talents molded with skill to the forefront. As a business owner, she shelters a plethora of bare bones motorcycles and the people willing to breathe new life to them. J and her team have restored and built a multitude of motorcycles over the years and continue to deliver pieces that stand the test of time.

Camaraderie has always been a pillar of the motorcycle community. It is the foundation upon which we build riding clubs, it is the basis for the subtle wave we send to passing riders, and it is what binds us together as a subculture and separates us from the masses. When Kristen first introduced me to J. Shia and the work of the Madhouse Motors team, what shined through amidst my fervent scrolling of their photos (which depict many powerful, yet beautifully-crafted machines) were the intangibles: family, passion, artistry and soul. It is the unique recipe of these ingredients that this team has mastered, and continues to replicate time and again, that qualifies J. Shia and her entire Madhouse team as legends in the making.

Attempting to be diligent in my preparation for this interview, I attempted to locate some background information on J.’s life and her many accomplishments. I was perplexed to find that this woman, who at this point I have grown to worship, is essentially “off the grid” and relatively absent from internet coverage. Upon admitting this discovery to J., ever so humbly, she replied:

I guess I stay low-key because I’d rather be a part of the community than stand out under a limelight. I have to brand myself as it is, and I’d rather only do it as much as necessary to get new customers or projects in the door. I’d rather focus on building momentum for the shop and showing off the projects we do.

It is this humility and grounded-nature that sets J. apart from many of the icons being broadcast within the industry today. Madhouse’s focus is always on the machines and the craftsmanship, not the pomp and circumstance of being a part of a growing clique within the biker community.

Upon inspection of both J.’s personal Instagram and that of Madhouse, one may notice the simple beauty reflected in the photography of the images. J. began her formal education in art school studying to be a travelling documentary photographer. Her artistic vision is evident in the attention she pays to the minute details of both the photographs and the machines depicted therein.

Tracing the roots of the motorcycle bug - mounira shia in lebanon

Tracing the roots of the motorcycle bug - mounira shia in lebanon

One can trace J. Shia’s mechanical roots back to skilled metal workers in Syria and Lebanon. With the rust and grit coursing through her veins, it is easy to assume that J. has been wrenching with her immediate family from day one. Much to our surprise, she told us that, while a majority of her immediate family are riders and mechanics, her mentor in the moto community is Sayre Anthony (Head Mechanic at both Madhouse Motors and Nova Motorcycles). To “whom I credit for most of my personal growth as a mechanic and the growth of the shop as a whole,” she shared.

As most often happens when we get to speak to people whom one finds inspirational, we were eager to know what inspires J. Shia. What are her aesthetics? What motorcycles get her blood pumping? In the realm of photography, J. aspires to channel legends like Bruce Davidson and Shelby Lee Adams. When it comes to bikes, she admits that her inspiration is dependent upon the nature of the build and the customer themselves. She implies that inspiration is easy to find in an industry “with so many talented folks out there.”

She did share that she’s in love with all things vintage, specifically pre- and mid-WWII era machines. “I’m most proud of a few restorations we did over the past winter on some bikes from the 1920s and 1930s. I’m a bit of a history geek, so I was super happy when we got the jobs,” J. said.

There is neither a bike too obscure, nor an engine too small for J. and her Madhouse family. Pride in true craftsmanship and the heart of each hand that touches it is left imprinted on every build Madhouse puts out. Everything they produce seems to acquire its own identity before it leaves their shop: from a beautiful little Honda Dream (cb77) to a rugged and historic 1951 Gillet Herstal (Belgian military bike), the perfection of each machine stands as evidence of the kind of dedication that can only be dredged up from a special place of the soul, one that is devoted only to truly passionate endeavors. It seems that J. and her cohort have harnessed this passion (one that many spend their whole lives chasing) and reproduce it again and again for each of their builds, making them unique in a scene where words like vintage and custom often become trite.

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Ironically, what makes J. herself so unique, are some of the very qualities that many consider “normal”. She endures the standard daily grind: Waking up early, getting her “kiddo” ready for his day, loading her truck, opening shop, and depending on caffeine as the lubrication that keeps that machine running. She never subscribes to the idea that she is a pioneer in the women’s scene, insisting that what she and the Madhouse “family” have built is more of a community accomplishment than a singular effort. That community not only holds the employees of the shop, but the customers and the greater Boston riding community.

J. shared a bit of what makes Boston a haven for riders:

“...the people in Boston who ride are unbelievably supportive of each other. I’m not sure if that’s unique—I hope other city riding scenes are the same—but Boston riders are really fond of helping each other out and supporting each other with everything from builds to breakdowns.”

Images of lively barbeques coupled with video clips of bikes ripping through dirt prove to us that this Madhouse family has found a way to make their passions their livelihoods.
 

 

I think what sets Madhouse Motors apart from other shops is that we’re not in it for the competition; we just want to make and fix bikes so that people can enjoy them. The shop is a place where my friends and family can hang out and enjoy each other’s company. The Madhouse outfit is a ‘family’ business, but most of the people who make the whole thing work aren’t related by blood.

Ever-clinging to her cool demeanor, J.’s most valuable advice, characteristically, is also the most simple: “Do it because you love it, share your knowledge and keep the competition to a minimum.”

If presented with an album of their work, one can see that the Madhouse Motors credo of ignoring the instinct to compete, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: In the commitment of the Madhouse team to ignore competition, they have achieved a level of their craft that has made them a force to be reckoned with within the builder community, therefore putting them in a class all of their own.

Yet, what I love most about what J. and Madhouse Motors have built is neither held together by bolts, nor powered by fuel, but is an abstract. They carry an unpretentious image that concerns itself solely with family, motorcycles and community. There is beauty in simplicity and J. and the team at Madhouse Motors have become the champions of that ideal.


To drool over their raddest of creations and to follow J. and the team in action, check out www.madhousemotors.com or follow @madhousemotors and @jshia on Instagram.

Sofi Tsingos of GT-MOTO

He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.
— Francis of Assisi
PhOTO BY BRANDON LAJOIE

PhOTO BY BRANDON LAJOIE

A coalescence of craftswoman, artisan, and philanthropist - Sofi Tsingos is  what one might call an modern Renaissance woman. She is known for her cafe racer builds, which echo the aesthetics of art deco, paired with her own twist on science fiction. Alongside her father and the GT-Moto family, Sofi has built over a dozen custom motorcycles since 2010 ranging from her first, a 1977 Honda CB550, to her latest, a 2013 MV Agusta Brutale 800.

It all began with some duct tape and a motorcycle. Sofi light-heartedly recounts in her interviews of a tale in which she, as an infant, was strapped with duct tape to her father’s motorcycle gas tank. It is no wonder that this blue-eyed baby would grow up to crave the smell of fuel and the symphony of turning ratchets. George Tsingos, a prior aircraft mechanic, became the first superhero in Sofi’s world. The due diligence and countless requirements for quality control that he practiced in his craft molded the habits and priorities that Sofi has adopted in her building routine.

Having also grown up under the wing of an aircraft mechanic, I, too, appreciate the knack for patience and the “getting-the-job-done-right-the-first-time” mentality that has been hard-hammered into my working routine. There is a certain finesse that is acquired when one is aware of the potential for damage if even the finest of details is overlooked. When a person flies, his/her life is dependent on how well the plane has been built and maintained. There is no margin for error when lives are at stake. Thus, it seems natural that aircraft mechanics gravitate towards the world of motorcycles where they know their skills will be put to the very same test. Two wings in the air and two wheels on concrete demand the same type of care and respect.

photo by brandon lajoie

photo by brandon lajoie

I don't care how much you know or how long you have been doing it, you get your work checked,”  Sofi states in her interview. The devil is in the details, yet Sofi has been practicing the drill of hyper-attention, and the evidence of this has materialized in her unique custom builds. A decade ago, Sofi became a testimony to the importance of those details. While owning a Ducati 996 race bike and 748 street bike, the maintenance performed by shops that she thought she could trust ended up being more of a detriment to her bikes than she had expected. Fed up with sub-par work, she decided to attend a technical school so that she may learn how to work on the motorcycles herself. Through this, she gained the comfort and peace of mind in knowing that the work would be done right if done by her own two hands.

From then on, she’s been continuously expanding her skill set, namely by taking fabrication classes at night and practicing by day. After working in dealerships, aftermarket shops, custom chop shops, and performance shops, Sofi still attests that her most invaluable skill is the ability to learn. She dives headfirst into what fancies her curiosity and stands as a testament of patience and hard work. It is because of these things that she has become a force to be reckoned with - she is ever-flourishing in her talents and will continue growing, and therefore, rising.

When asked why she chose to start GT-Moto rather than build on her skills in a dealership environment, Sofi replied that she chose to work alongside her father because he “never tied his employee’s hands.” Working in a multitude of areas in the car and motorcycle industry opened her eyes to the many possibilities, but working with her specific team allowed their individual creative passions to thrive. Herein lies the mission of GT-Moto, the desire to create a family that employees and customers will enjoy, thus, creating a home. In her ever-humble nature, she prescribes to the notion that there isn’t much that hasn’t been done before. So with open doors, Sofi hands off her knowledge to those who are eager and ready to absorb, with the intent to create more well-informed riders and wrenchers. Such a willingness to “spread the love,” so to speak, creates a positive, infectious attitude within the people GT-Moto affects.

Even more than developing a space in which people may cultivate their creativity, Sofi holds her fist in the air for a cause that’s beyond her own work. After several personal experiences with cancer, Sofi has found herself deeply rooted in the fight to find a cure for the disease. “I am not book smart and will never be able to find the cure for cancer. I will never be a doctor. I feel like if we can all put what we are good at to use, then we can change the world for the better,” she avows. Several of her motorcycle builds have been focused with that cause in mind and proceeds have been raffled off benefiting people directly inflicted by cancer (See: Bethany’s Build), or research institutions such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Armed with a passion, a cause, and a work ethic beyond that of many people we know - Sofi Tsingos exemplifies the core values that should always put on a pedestal. She works without fear, but rather, with a mission to leave a lasting positive impact on the things that fuel her daily. We believe that she is readily equipped to create change whether it be in inspiring women to dabble where their curiosity leads them, or helping in the quest to discover the cure to cancer.

 

To see more of Sofi Tsingos and support the efforts and artistry of GT-Moto, check them out at www.gt-moto.com.