I want to start this column with the fact that I have never once failed to give credit to my partner/ boyfriend, RT. I bring that up because he is as much about my shop as I am. We started North Hills Cycle with the pennies in our pockets. There is no silent partner or investor to financially back us, so it's not financially possible for us to attend every bike show. Unfortunately, there are misconceptions about bike builders. TV has glorified this way of life, but let me tell you this is not an easy gig-and not for the self-supporters. We build some of the coolest machines, yet we still can't afford to build one for ourselves. Any income my shop brings in goes right back into the shop for equipment, utility bills, rent, or the newly designed spray booth we finally completed. I know what it is like to work out of a garage and eat ramen noodles three times a day. Shops like mine keep this industry running. People come in my shop to get the next best aftermarket part, to pick up a copy of the latest motorcycle magazine, to have a sick paintjob adorn their bike, or to have a truly unique bike built to their specifications.
When we first opened North Hills Cycle, Ron still kept his job at an auto parts store so we could have a steady income rolling in. I worked the whole deal myself, selling parts, changing oil, and whatever else it took. I spent the first two years changing tires by hand with a bead breaker and spoons because we couldn't afford a tire machine. We have one now and let me tell you that it was the best investment North Hills Cycle has made. What I would like to show the public is how I struggle daily to keep the bills paid. I have customers fighting me over prices and how they can go to the Internet, and I end up having to spend an hour of my time for them to learn the part they bought won't even fit their model. That hour I lost won't bring any money in to pay the phone or electric bill.
I don't feel I have to prove anything to anyone, but I would still love to have you come out to Pennsylvania and visit my shop so you can see firsthand how we bust our asses daily. As far as whether or not a chick can really do this job-sure dropping a 124ci motor in a chassis requires some muscle, but anyone can turn wrenches. Why they would want to is the question! Wrenching is frustrating, hard, and annoying. Have you ever screwed with one bolt for an hour? Yeah, you'll be throwing wrenches across the floor and swearing in no time. We do this because we love it, we are craftsmen, and the final outcome is what makes you forget about all the aggravation that went into it. There are plenty of assemblers out there but having the ability to pull a bike together that looks good and built right is the tricky part. That's what determines the craftsmen from the salesmen and assemblers. My next photo series "Builder and Machine" explores the real craftsmen; make sure to keep an eye open for it.
Trust me, I'm not the only girl working this hard. I know many other working-class girls in this industry. They may not all be builders and run a shop like me, but they are blue-collar workers making a living around their passion-motorcycles. Take, for instance, the Motorcycle Femme Fatales, which is a collaboration of myself, Goth Girl, Morgan Storm, and JoAnn Bortels. We're just a group of friends looking to show that we work hard in this male-dominated industry. We want to show that we are craftsmen too, between the bikes I build and design and my art work, Morgan's craft of riding her antique Indian up on a 90-degree wall, (The Wall of Death), JoAnn's talent of laying paint down with an airbrush, and Goth's musical talent and hard riding. Girls can do more in this motorcycle world than sit pretty on a bike. We are out there; most of us are still too "blue collar" to afford to bring our work out in the open for all to see. We are most certainly not the first women to work hard in this field but that's another topic. As for giving credit to those women before us that paved the way, that's something we are dedicated to. We're hoping the media will give us a hand and bring out our work to share with all the readers and enthusiasts and hopefully inspire the next generation of young ladies interested in making a life in motorcycling.
As far as addressing the questions: Am I qualified, or am I legit? I believe if you take a look at my Web site (www.northhillscycle.com) and see my work, you will have your answer. You will also see a few books I have been featured in, such as Ridin' Hard Livin' Free by Ralph Sonny Barger and Techno-Chop by Mike Seate. Motorbooks International just released my book, How To Repair and Maintain American V-Twin Motorcycles. One thing I do know is that I'm not selling out. All I have accomplished over the last seven years of running North Hills Cycle with RT is our own. All our hard work and crazy hours has gotten us to where we are today. Am I missing out on building the next best chopper? Maybe, but at least I'm not going into debt trying to prove something to the world. I know my work is good and as long as I have clients paying me to design and build them what they want and I'm able to make them happy, then life is good!Sara Liberte, North Hills Cycle www.northhillscycle.com