Article By: Xavier Muriel
Originally Published In The October 2016 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
Hello there from Baltimore where it’s HOT!!!!! We’ve dam near crossed the entire United States and it’s hot everywhere!!! We’ve played some amazing bike events lately and I’m always surprised at the turnout. I mean we’re talking 90’ plus degrees and there you all are dressed in black, among your mighty steeds and in full support. For a guy who gets to live the dream every day I can’t say THANK YOU enough. YOU are what keeps ROCK-N-ROLL ALIVE AND KICKING!!!!! The passion you show for music is the passion you show for all things motorcycle, and that is EXACTLY what sets us apart from the rest. I still walk around at every event like it’s my first event, looking at H every single bike wondering what was going through that persons’ head during the build. Now granted some of them aren’t my cup of joe, but that’s what makes it so bitchin’. It’s so cool to see all of the different styles that collectively make up our way of life.
Let’s face it if we all had the same style of sled it would be pretty dam boring. I guess that’s what my point is, NEVER be afraid to stretch the limit, push the envelope, think completely outside the box. At least you can say you didn’t conform and did what “YOU” wanted even if others look at you like you have 4 heads. As long as you stay true to yourself, that’s all that matters in this messed up world. Speaking of just that, let me tell you as a person who meets thousands of people every year, yes there are some really really bad ones in the world, but trust me there are way more great ones to offset it! I see it at every event; one brother helping another who dropped his bike or needed a new coil to get home. You’d be surprised at the kindness and generosity you find all around you. You just have to look for it – it doesn’t slap you in the face like all the bad shit does… I had a day off in Cleveland OH not too long ago and I was fortunate enough to have some dear friends run me up to New Brunswick to pay a visit to the guys at LowBrow Customs, and so glad I did. If you’re not hip to this company well then let me introduce you! Brothers Tyler and Kyle Malinky have created the American Dream come true. Now before I go any further let me say, they like many others did this with a lot of hard work! No Cinderella stories here! Ok back to biz, the brothers literally started out in their garage, both working different jobs to pay the bills, all the while working and chopping bikes.
They didn’t just do Harley’s but British bikes as well. Like most builder stories, they started out helping some buddies who were down on their luck, and just doing what they loved. One said to the other those words that would change their lives forever. “ Hey bro what if we” and the rest is history! Remember my rant earlier about there are NICE people out there, well here’s your example. Tyler and Kyle are two of the nicest dudes I’ve met in this industry and trust me when I say that. Just like the music industry the bike world has its own share of A-holes. These guys were super gracious with their time and showed me around the shop. When I was standing in their new modern facility all I could think of was “Wow” from a garage to this huge warehouse full of great workers and awesome parts (man I wanted to take a shopping cart through there so bad). All of this came from a dream and a shit load of late nights and sacrifices beyond measure. Tyler was very up front in saying “ There’s no handbook to this, we just did what we thought was right and through lots of trial and error, we’ve managed to get this far”. I applaud you guys for having the balls to go for it. Your passion and patience has paid off and I wish you many more years of success!!!! This is the part of this job that I love, meeting new people who have great stories. I always manage to learn something new from someone whether an old timer or a young up and coming builder entrepreneur type. As for my build I hope to have it ready to shoot by next issue (if the boss says yes). It’s been a year in the making and I’m so ready to ride… Well my Cycle Source family as always, I wish you lots of Happy and Safe riding… Be kind to one another and God Bless.
