sarah came in last night while i was gone.  thankfully, dani was here to help her.  when i came back, he had just left.  they somehow got her exhaust pieces separated - which i was unable to accomplish.  i was afraid of breaking shit.  she started stripping the paint off her tank, too.

i kinda feel guilty with sarah.  i kinda feel like i got her in over her head - i think she's feeling overwhelmed and maybe panicking.  she confessed she doesn't know what she's doing.  her and dani got the carbs together, so i think we can start attempting to get it running.  i think that will make her feel better.  it'll make me happy to see it running.  i hope she doesn't end up resenting me and thinking i pushed her into something she was not prepared to deal with.  i know it'll all be good in the end, but since this is her first foray into this madness, she might not see that light, yet - hence her anxiousness.  i get it.

how do i avoid this, next time?  how do i set proper expectations for the next person that falls into this same situation?  i know i told sarah that it was gonna take her at least a month of playing around to get it going, but just saying it like that is obviously not stressing that reality enough.  but i don't wanna stress it so much that i scare anyone away from doing something so damned rewarding, either.

geoff stopped in this morning!  a great surprise!  he dropped off the carbs for his cb350 and plans on coming in next week to do some jetting and testing.  can't wait - he's creative as fuck and a blast to have around.

the flies in this place are DRIVING ME CRAZY.  the sticky strips don't seem to be enough.  i gotta get some legit fly shit from home depot.

zuba grabbed my truck and took his bike (formally an out-of-stater) to the bmv for the VIN inspection.  after a few hours in line, he was finally victorious.  he's new york bound in only a few days, i think.  sucks for the garage, but good for him.

i'm picking up sohail's cb360 friday morning - he just let me know he's ready to join.  pumped.  seems like a super nice dude.

wilson brought in his xs650 today to do some charging system tests.  he can't seem to get enough power to the starter for it to work, properly.  and his turn signals will cease to work halfway into a ride.  that thing is so nice looking, i can't stand it.  quite jealous of my friend, actually.  and it's cool to see him learning how to fix shit on his own.  wish he lived closer so he could be here more often.

dani is on his way over for the call with the tv production company.  this should be interesting.  it's being referred to as a creative call - so i'm thinking we're gonna discuss ideas that will be shopped to the networks.  it's in 8 minutes...and i gotta take a dump.  i'd never make it out in 8 minutes.  gonna have to clench for a while, i guess.

i wish geoff would come back to work on his cb175 and cb350.  he designed my killer logo and came in once to play around with his stuff and hasn't made it back, yet.  dude's a riot.

tim is hopefully gonna buy geoff's other cb175 and work on getting it road-worthy with his son, tyler.  that bike is SO damned cool.  i was kinda hoping nobody would want it so i could buy it from geoff and restore it, myself.  so funny that it has a big windshield on it...  quite rusty, but really, really cool.

3 minutes...  really gotta poop.

amid my current, and hopefully short, bout of pessimism and doubt about this place, came some positive encouragement from a close friend.  "be patient.  you knew this wouldn't be easy."  lo and behold, a total stranger strolled in this morning after reading about disowned customs and skidmark garage.  he has an old cb360 that he wants to get running - and even more he wants to learn and have help.  i told him the current pricing structure, adding that there is an hourly rate for dani's help and also for mine (if he wants someone standing over his shoulder for extended periods of time.  he was all in.  totally not phased by the costs (of which i'm terrified to share with people).  he LOVED the place and i will hopefully be picking up his bike at his house this friday.  the dude owns a gym - he was of formidable size.  definitely too tall for a 360, and was asking about buying one of the 750s in my possession.  i'd sell him mine, i think.  but i'd have to get it running, first.  maybe i can do that over the winter.

but another new member!  i'm really excited.  word is leaking out - i just need to bust open that hole so the dripping leak becomes a torrent.

zuba is having difficulty getting his cb750 titled, registered, etc...  looks like he'll have to borrow the truck to bring it to some government office, tomorrow.

busy day at the garage, today.  marketing machine dani scored us an interview with crain's cleveland business.  super nice woman named rachel came and hung out at the garage for about an hour listening to us babble on about shit that she probably didn't care about.  she was extremely gracious and if she truly didn't care, she fooled my ass.  she asked some cool questions that really enabled me to explain my passion for this dream.  i came out of that feeling pretty good.  i hope dani did, as well.  he's got a great story to tell, and i think much of it will be told in rachel's article.  they're coming back next wednesday to do a photo shoot and hopefully even talk to some of the members.  it'd be fantastic if every member could be here for it, but that's not realistic.  i've gotta take what i can get.

but to me, crain's cleveland business is THE write up.  it alone almost makes me believe that this is actually gonna work, cuz i'm having my doubts.  it seems the addition of dani to skidmark is precisely what was needed.  he's a social media madman and has tons of connections that he'd never had the opportunity to take advantage of when he was working out of his driveway.  so he's getting in contact with all these people that showed massive interest in the recent past.  really, if he'll let me ride his coattails for a few months, i think it'd be enough to get the word out for real - and connect with my demographic.  but it's all so exciting that i'm super anxious and my nervous shits have resurfaced for the first time in a LONG time.  for the first time since january, i don't feel like i'm in control.  in the distant past, this would have subconsciously pushed me to get a tattoo.  but fuck that shit.

dani was here all day (he often is on mondays) and worked on at least 4 different bikes by the time he left.  he took el chapo out for its maiden voyage and we found him pushing it back up the driveway after a few minutes.  we all smelled something burning.  i truly feel like it's the brand new paint on the engine.  or maybe it's the brand new brakes?  but it was strong enough to make any rider turn the damned thing off.  MAN does it sound badass.  sounds WAY cooler than i thought a 400 could sound.  it's a beautiful bike with an interesting story - which i won't get into.  hopefully just making note of it will cause us to never forget the story.  the first bobber he worked on here came back tonight cuz the fender was starting to rub on the tire or something.  so he had to deal with that.  AND this is soon after he picked up his cousin and that kid's new/old 1980 xj550.  dani spent a lot of time cleaning pretty dirty carbs and then we wrestled the bank of carbs back in - holy shit that sucked.  the air cleaner is NOT REMOVABLE unless you take the exhaust off, take out the front engine mount bolts, and then tilt the engine forward/down!  that's absurd.  so we truly had to wrestle those things in.  we had to use a come-along!!  wtf!  dani and his cousin got it started and it seemed to run alright.  i dunno.  and then bruce came in and dani did some quick welding on his harley frame.  this was followed by helping zuba get his cb750 running.  -which WAS running previous to tonight.  nothing a squirt of starter fluid in the air intake won't fix.  started and ran like it was new.  great sound to it, too.  it's only headers, i think.

wilson came over - first trip on the freeway for him.  his bike is so gorgeous.  he ran out of gas and didn't know that's why the bike was stalling till he pulled over and opened the tank.  so he threw it on reserve and rode to a gas station.  but he went through the same thoughts i always do, "is the wind slowing me down more than normal?  am i running out of gas?  should i throw it on reserve?  should i now put it back to the ON position, cuz it doesn't really feel any different?  or is it different?  i can't tell."  nich came to play with electricity some more.  he's putting LEDs on in place of the turn signals.  LED strips, mind you.  and i must admit that it looks kinda cool.

i'm working on terry's suzuki.  i can't get both cylinders to fire.  i have to take effing carb off!  this is gonna take FOREVER, and i have a feeling he's not gonna pay me for the time i'm spending.  i'm not doing any more favors for neighbors like this.  i tell them that i don't work on bikes, but it's like i'm not even saying anything.  and since i melted the first battery, i'm gonna be out an additional 80 bucks at the get-go.  damnit.  lesson learned, don't guess when it comes to the battery; the terminal set up is on purpose; don't try to make a different set-up work.  it doesn't.

looks like the cb500 rings and carb kit are gonna be here soon!  dude, i can't WAIT to get that together and to hake.  i'm such a douche for promising shit in any sort of timeline.  i keep thinking i'm gonna finally be able to do something on a specific timeline and i continue to fail.  piss me off.  so assuming there's no other hurdles with it, i COULD have it together and ready in a few weeks.  -why did i even say any of that?

so rachel made the comment about how affordable it is for someone to use the garage.  and she stressed affordable.  i just raised my prices a bit, and that's likely what she saw.  frankly, i'm terrified to raise them, again.

good talk...good talk.

a quick summary from january till july 19th

it was suggested by another business owner that starting a diary of sorts would be beneficial.  this seems as good a place as any to attempt something like this.

starting from the beginning...
i began moving into the hildebrandt building in early january of 2015.  many friends and family assisted in the process of building the tool benches and bike benches, general set-up, and the tedious hanging of tools on the pegboards.  but none helped more than wilson and shel.  i owe a lifetime of gratitude to both for the sheer amount of hours of manual labor they put in.

by march, i announced (via facebook) that i was ready to start welcoming in customers to come work on their bikes.  the first person to use my garage was fred.  fred works as a handyman here at the building and had just bought an old school minibike (probably from the 70s) and a pocket-rocket.  neither were running.  i wasn't much help to fred, unfortunately.  but then nickgyver, a guy that lived across the street and RODE ALL WINTER, came in to do some needed maintenance on his old kawasaki and he immediately took up the task of also helping out fred.  his ability to solve problems in the true macgyver sense became evident quite quickly.  it took a good month or so, but fred finally got his little bikes running (mostly for his kids), and nick has since moved to the other side of town.  but nick has been back a few times to change tires (a disaster because his old kawi has those damned rim locks, with which neither of us had any experience).  i didn't charge fred or nick for the time they spent in the garage.  nick did throw me a 20 here and there without my asking, which was nice.  and being that fred works here at the hildebrandt, he's done me countless favors and has more than paid for the time he spent here.

mark and amanda found me via facebook months and months before i actually opened.  i had been talking about getting this garage open for quite a while, and he connected with me through a mutual friend.  interestingly, mark has his own garage and his own tools and enough knowledge to do the work he came here to do.  i believe he just wants to help support a local business that has interests similar to his own.  we changed the tires on amanda's suzuki, changed the oil, bled the brakes, and surely a few other things that i don't remember.  mark and amanda are my first membership buying customers that used the garage (i have a few VERY gracious friends that bought memberships at the onset mainly because they are good friends and want to see me succeed - but they have yet to come in and wrench on their bikes).

i had my official grand opening early may, and although 350 people were in attendance, it did not result in many new customers.  i hired lauren to plan the event, and she hit a home-run.  she will forever plan future events for me.

however, a few days before the grand opening, nich (pronounced nick) called me after stumbling across my website.  he came to the grand opening and a week later i went to his house to pick up his 78 cb750 - the only bike i know inside and out, thankfully.  nich is very much into knowledge, and he knows his shit regarding electricity.  he removed and took apart just about everything on his bike save the engine.  he paid me up front for a year membership and then some.  he has religiously come to the garage at least two or three times a week since early may.  he has learned how to do many tasks, and simultaneously taught me about electricity.  he has brought his friends in with him to help, and has consistently offered to help anyone else working in the garage.  his bike is running well and ready to go, but he wants to do little customizations here and there.  so thankfully, he still comes in once or twice a week.

zuba called me one day and had me come to his flat to pick up two 30 year old cb750s.  he lived on the 2nd or 3rd floor, so we had to roll them to the elevator, down a flight of stairs, and into my truck.  he has been hanging out here making one solid rider out of two almost-solid bikes.  the dude's an artist and has crazy vision and unique taste.  he took the forks from one and put them on the other.  he cleaned out and maybe even switched carbs.  he installed a new chain and sprockets.  he even chopped his seat to make it a single - hand sewing the back of the seat to complete it.  he uses this space to make some of his art, beyond just working on the motorcycles - which i love.  he bought a month up front, and then had to buy a second month when things didn't get finished as quickly as he had hoped.  sadly, zuba is moving to new york in a few minutes - not sure when i'll see that cat again after he bails.

joe found me and brought in yet another cb750 - this time a 1975.  he has dismantled the entire thing, down to bare frame, and is heading toward the restoration with minor modifications direction.  we encountered stuck bolts like i've never experienced on a motorcycle.  heat, hammers, and pb did zero for these.  these were engine mount bolts, too.  lots of dremel time and drilling time ensued.  joe is an accountant and a bartender at a happening joint around the corner from the hildebrandt.  he doesn't get the opportunity to spend time in here like he would prefer.  but when he comes in, he goes to town.  i may just buy him a dremel for his birthday.  we got the valve cover off the top of the engine the other night.  he's gonna take the frame to get powder-coated, soon.  he bought a three month membership - and since he's a vet, he got a discount.

sarah cuts my hair and has been talking about getting a motorcycle for about a year.  she got her temps and was holding off on buying a bike till a great deal came along.  i found an old cm400 for 300 bucks and just transferred it over to her.  she has taken much of it apart, cleaned, and de-spidered her bike.  she's painting parts as she sees fit while she waits for the correct parts to arrive.  sarah has big plans for the appearance of this perfect starter bike - i can't wait to see it when it's done.  she bought a month, but it looks like she'll need to buy another.  she is more than willing to get dirty and takes directions well.  sarah also has two jobs, and can't get in here more than once or twice a week, but she is always down to stay super late, which fits perfectly with my schedule.  she often doesn't leave till 2am on a school night.

by chance, i met dani of disowned customs working out of his driveway - and winning bike building awards while doing so.  he took a look at the garage and decided to move his operation into skidmark - thank zeus.  he has been here about a month and builds/welds/helps non-stop.  he is a social media force and has gotten the two of us plenty of media attention.  i hope he stays for a long time - or at least as long as he can before growing too large for skidmark.  i'm not charging him dick for rent because he's so willing to help all the skidmark members, and also because having him here means i don't have to be here 18 hours a day.  his presence is not quantifiable - how do i measure the fact that having him here allows me to have an iota of a social life?  and it's not like he's drinking all my beer...

there have been a few other dudes that came in and paid by the hour to get some quick things taken care of - but because i was not keeping a "diary", i don't have their names.  one was a rear shock change on harley as i was about to lock up for the night, the other was some carb work on a 72 cb350.  both were fun and fast and i hope to see those guys, again.

the lounge has turned into exactly what i envisioned.  guys from all over the building come here to chill and have a beer on a daily basis.  but i think i will need to add more bays soon - effectively killing the lounge area.  we'll see.