Rachel Gray (Shop Manager), Don Weburg (Technician),
Jeff 'JT' Tobin (Technician),
Roger Kirkpatrick (Owner/Head Technician)
Roger Kirkpatrick (Owner/Head Technician)
| Times-Standard Article (Eureka, CA) |
| Published: April 30, 2008 |
| Motorcycle shop opens next to Mill Yard |
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At this point, Humboldt Motorsports is not much to look at. Located along U.S. Hwy. 101 in a dingy outbuilding next to the Mill Yard, it's surrounded by potholes and stacks of weathered lumber. The name is spray-painted in stencil lettering above the door. In fact, the only indication that it's a new business rather than a long-defunct one is the 40-odd motorcycles and quads parked outside. ”As you can see, I have no signs. I've done no advertising. And this is all the work that I got already,” said owner Roger Kirkpatrick, gesturing at the line of bikes. He lifted a day-planner, revealing pages covered in pen marks. “This is my appointment book for this week,” he said. “It's all word of mouth.” In a cammo Carhartt cap and black hoodie, Kirkpatrick is surprisingly laid-back for someone who opened his first business just three weeks ago. Then again, he's been doing this kind of work for a long time. While attending high school in Garberville in the late 1980s, Kirkpatrick entered a work-study program that allowed him to leave class at 1 p.m. each day to go work with his dad, who owned an automotive shop. By 1992, he was employed at Rooster's Motorcycle and Four-by-four Performance Shop in Redway, where he worked six years as a motorcycle mechanic. When he left the North Coast to attend the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Arizona, his reasons went beyond the professional. When Kirkpatrick was 17, his father was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Shortly thereafter, his mother was killed in a car accident. Within a year, both of his parents had died. He moved out-of-state and threw himself into his education, taking night classes at the University of Arizona in addition to his courses at MMI, and he joined the Honda Plano racing team as a race mechanic. When he came back to Humboldt County he worked as a serviceman at Richard Miller Motorcycles for five years, earning certification from Honda and Yamaha. He then helped Mike Billington establish Eureka Motorsports Center and served as that company's general manager for three-and-a-half years. With all that experience -- and certification to service Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki bikes -- Kirkpatrick decided it was time to establish his own business. ”I'm at the point in my life where I need to do this,” Kirkpatrick said. “It was just time for me to start doing my own thing.” As Humboldt Motorsports, he services motorcycles and quads, sells used ones and builds custom bikes. His customer base is built around locals who know he's an expert at what he does. Walking through his garage Tuesday morning, he pointed to a bike in the corner. ”This is my pride and joy,” he said of the unusual-looking motorcycle, which he said represents about a year's worth of work. “It's got a Triumph rear end, Suzuki frame, Kawi (Kawasaki) motor and Ducati front end.” It's a custom job for a customer, and it shows how much Kirkpatrick loves his work. But he said that he didn't start the business for himself.”I did this mostly for my family's sake -- to spend more time with my son,” Kirkpatrick said. At four-and-a-half years old, his son, Daniel, loves riding his BMX bike around the shop and occasionally hopping onto an XR50 bike or a 50cc quad. Just like Kirkpatrick used to, Daniel gets to leave school -- or pre-school, anyway -- at 1 p.m. to hang out with his dad at work -- though at his age, it's more play than work. ”He's extremely good for his age,” Kirkpatrick said with pride. Author Ryan Burns can be reached at (707) 441-0563 or rburns@times-standard.com |
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