For The Love Of Motorcycles
As I sit here and write this on a Sunday evening, I’ll have just spent about four days at home after being on the road for two weeks and I’m due back on the road for another two weeks (for the Sturgis rally) in a little less than 48 hours. While the traveling can get a little taxing, especially when extenuating circumstances beyond your control come into play such as cancelled flights and missed connections (which happened on my outgoing and return flights on this last trip) it’s become one part of the job I enjoy most as it allows me to meet new people and return with some awesome experiences and stories. I am very grateful for everything working on HOT BIKE has afforded me, but the one thing I value most is the friendships I’ve made along the way. I have met some wonderful, interesting, and very generous people who not only have a deep passion for motorcycles but love to share their passion with others.
This last road trip I just took was with Matt Olsen of Carl’s Cycle Supply (carlscyclesupply.com, oldbikesinsd.blogspot.com) in Aberdeen, South Dakota. If you’re not familiar with Matt and his father Carl, they focus primarily on restoring and building vintage Harleys (mostly Knuckles and Panheads) along with offering a line of parts; and are some of the most knowledgeable, reputable, and well-respected people I’ve met in this industry.
I met Matt several years ago when we had both stopped in at Brian Klock’s Klock Werks shop in Mitchell, South Dakota. I was on my way out to Sturgis with a group people and Matt was returning from attempting a 1,000-mile/24-hour Iron Butt run on a Knucklehead he had restored. There were quite a few people at the Klock Werks shop that day and when Matt rolled up on that Knuck everyone swarmed to ogle over the bike. Within minutes of pulling off his helmet and settling in a bit, I experienced just how generous Matt can be. I’m not sure that Matt knew more than three or four people in the group of 10 or so that were standing there but without hesitation he offered to teach anyone and everyone there how to kick start an old bike, and even teach them how to operate a foot-clutch/hand-shift motorcycle. Here was a group of people drooling over this bike that was about 70 years old and a dream bike for many, and this kid (I think Matt was around 22 at the time) who had just rode the bike some 1,000 miles immediately offers it up to strangers, who does that? But I quickly learned that’s just Matt’s personality. His generosity and enthusiasm for motorcycles is obviously part of his DNA which he got from his father Carl, as his father is just the same way.
Over the years Matt has asked me to come out and ride old bikes with him, and while I had to pass on his offers more times than I’d like to admit, the stars finally aligned and I was able to take him up on his offer of riding some of his and his dad’s bikes. I always knew that Matt was a sharp guy and very knowledgeable about vintage Harley’s but after spending a week with him riding some 1,600 miles on 1936 and 1939 Knuckleheads, and a 1953 Panhead I walked away with much deeper respect and regard for Matt and his knowledge and love of these bikes. Over the course of our trip we met up with many of Matt’s friends who have the same affinity for old Harleys as he does; however, the majority of these guys were some 30 years his senior. But age didn’t matter; they all treated him as if he was a lifelong friend. As I sat back and observed the conversations between Matt and whoever he was talking with, on more than one occasion I heard Matt rattle off a fact about some part that was maybe only a one-year part on some vintage bike, and the person would just stop and stare at Matt. I could almost see these guys trying to recall if they knew that fact already or if they’d just learned something new from their young friend. Most of the time I think it was a new fact that they had just learned, and that’s part of the reason why all of these guys enjoyed talking with Matt. For all of the years of knowledge and experience these guys had with these old bikes, Matt knew just as much and could often drop a bit of knowledge on them as well. It was definitely fun to watch and was evident that there was a deep mutual respect amongst Matt and all of his acquaintances I met.
And yet again just like when I first met Matt, every time he was speaking with someone, it didn’t seem to matter if he’d known them for 10 years or 10 minutes he always offered to let them ride his bikes. I know what you are probably thinking “Of course he wants people to ride his bikes, that’s the best form of marketing Carl’s Cycle Supply.” And that would make sense, but it never happened. I never heard Matt offer up his bike and then throw in a pitch about buying parts from him and his dad or offering to build the person a bike. It had nothing to do with business, it was all pleasure.
Matt is just one of many people I have met in this industry that have a true devotion to motorcycles and aren’t just in it to make a buck. These people take pleasure in sharing their love and passion for bikes with people and if they can pass on just a little bit of their enthusiasm and appreciation to someone else, then that puts a smile on their face. I know, I have seen it first hand many times. And to me that’s one of the things that makes this community so special. Most of these industry veterans, business owners, and personalities are true enthusiasts and just want to share their affinity for motorcycles with others. So even if you were to take the money out of the equation, most of these guys would (and often do) do it for free, just for the love of motorcycles.
Until next time,
