The Little Men

Motorcycling's Small Business Owners

(Melton's Trike & Cycle Works)

I recently needed a rear tire on my big Royal Star, and planned on taking it to a local Yamaha dealership I’ve used before. I happened upon a small privately owned shop behind a trophy store, called Melton’s Trike & Cycle Works, and dropped in to check it out. Turned out, David Melton, the “proprietor”, has been receiving our magazine for several months now, and I enjoyed a brief conversation with him. I decided to bring my bike to David, and let him do my tire mount and balance. He installed it while I waited, chatting me up all the while, and at a price better than the local dealership would have done. I’ve been recommending Melton’s Trike & Cycle Works to my riding friends ever since.

(David's shop)

I also picked up an old project bike to restore, a 1986 Yamaha Radian 600, which had sat in the back of a machine shop collecting dust and rust for over 12 years. The tank was among the worst I’d ever seen, full of caked-in rust and corrosion. Upon discovering Craig Skiver’s “Craig Paints Tanks” ad in our mag, I shipped it off to him, to see what he could do that local radiator shops could not. He promised a three-day turnaround from reception, and sure enough, within days, I got an email from Craig declaring the tank complete and on its way back to me. When I unpacked it, I was astounded at the job he’d done. The tank looked nearly new inside, scoured clean and shiny again, with a thick aircraft tank-grade clear coat throughout. Craig has my tank (and paint) work from now on. See my article in this month’s Born to Ride Southeast edition- www.borntoride.com

(Craig's handiwork)

While the large dealerships have so much to offer, not only in bikes, but in apparel, accessories, parts, and great service, I admire and applaud the small shops, the family and individually owned establishments, for their passion, dedication, and personalized attention to detail. The big enterprises get all the attention, but these “Little Men” as Alan Jackson once immortalized in song, are in many respects the backbone of American motorcycling, and certainly of our national economy. My father still rides at 78, and carries his ’03 H-D Heritage to a small one-man shop in Sparta, Georgia, owned by Mike, a retired H-D mechanic, when he needs service or parts. They’ve become friends, and Pops completely trusts his bike to Mike. “I’ll never take my Harley to anyone but Mike,” Pops declares.

With the American economy rebounding, unemployment dropping, and wages inching back up, optimism is returning for many of America’s small business owners. The motorcycle industry has suffered in recent years as well, yet hope abounds for the future of our sport, our passion. The older generation of riders is passing on the love of motorcycles to a new generation, and they are already shaping the future of motorcycling (see my article on Brother Moto, September BTR Southeast edition). This is especially good for the “privateers”, the small shops like David Melton’s and Craig Skiver’s, and the countless other repair, paint, custom, and restoration shops dotting our great land. I have many friends at large, established brand dealerships, and everyone I know at these are passionate motorcycle enthusiasts themselves. But the private “mom & pop shops” hold a special place in my heart, and I plan to encourage and support them with my business whenever I can. My grandfather ran a garage in Boston, Mass. throughout the 30s-60s, wrenching on everything from early motorcycles to boat motors to automobiles and diesels. I guess it’s in my blood, however unskilled I personally I might be with a wrench.

So here’s a shout-out and salute to “The Little Men”, those small business owners, the backbone, heart and soul of American motorcycling. May you grow and prosper in 2018.