| Why Moto Rapido? You'll find several motorcycle shops in most towns, a few welding and metalworking shops, and maybe a machine shop. You might find a custom shop that offers all those services. So why work with Moto Rapido if you're from out of town? You've probably found that most shops aren't very interested in your bike unless they sold it to you or think they have a chance of selling another bike to you. In particular, if you ride an unusual two-stroke machine -- a vintage lightweight European or Japanese bike, or a motorscooter -- you'll be treated like a fool. You're the goofball who doesn't understand that motorcycling doesn't have to mean riding the same cookie-cutter monster cruisers or choppers that all the posers ride. You love your machine, and you want the people who you hire to work on it to respect it and you. Mechanics who don't respect your bike, or worse, who don't respect you, won't give their best service. Corners get cut, because in their mind, they're wasting time on a goofy little old toy for some oddball customer. You and your bike deserve respect. What do I ride? The 1968 Aermacchi Rapido on the homepage of this site. What a marvellous lightweight two-stroke street racer. Fantastic power, nimble handling. Beautiful design. If I took it to any of my town's shops, they'd laugh at the idiot riding the little ring-ding two-stroke. My other favorite bike is a 1964 Vespa motorscooter, tuned from its mild original 4 hp to 13hp -- a blast at just 165 pounds. Accelerates like lightning to 55mph, in case you feel like doing 55 on 10 inch tires. Next in line is an Aermacchi m50 and a Leggero. Find me a Benelli Fireball 50 and I'll be in heaven (call me if you find one that's complete and worthy of restoring). I work in a corporate office by day. I love that job, but at the end of the day and on weekends, I need a break. My workshop is my therapy, like the golf course is to some. I don't run Moto Rapido for the money. I do it as a passion. I love the work. I love the opportunity to work on bikes with character. I'm not running a fast-production shop, so I don't cut corners. I take the time to do everything to perfection. This means when I divide my fees by the hours I put in, it's a good thing I don't depend on Moto Rapido money to put food on the table. I'm not one to solve problems by applying a blowtorch or bashing with a huge hammer. I use my mind, and the proper tools. If I don't have the right factory tool to do the job properly, I make it on my lathe and milling machine. It takes more time, but it means my jobs are done right, without damaging people's precious vintage bikes. Want convenience and fast turn-around? Maybe try your local shops. Want somebody to respect you and your vintage two-stroke bike, and the security of knowing the job will be done with precision? Then Moto Rapido is for you. Home |