News

A new home for Chopperdaddy!! Yep, that's right Jackman Custom Cycle moved to Frederick MD! The construction is finished, we have closed the old shop and have everything set up in the new shop. Jerry and Paul are hard at work in our new state of art facility. (Mel has no work area, I'm trying for the closet.) 

Bingo from Garageboyz Magazine came by bearing gifts and checked out the shop. So click the link and see what GarageBoyz.com has to say about Jackman's. Plus it's a totally cool online Kulture magazine. (Larry, thats not a typo)  Come by and check out The Hottest Custom Bike Shop on the East Coast! 

Jackman Custom Cycle    1539 Tilco Dr. Unit 103    Frederick, MD 21704   301-620-0064

From GarageBoyz.com         Bingo's View   Winter Edition  2010      Reprinted with permission         

It's a New Dawn, It's a New Day....  
With a new year beginning, it's a time to reflect on what was, what is, and what shall be. Its a time to think about the project car or bike sitting in the garage waiting to be finished.

I know it has been a tough year on the money side of things, and the "toys" are usually the first to suffer, but what if this is the wrong approach?
Do you remember how good it felt to steal an hour here or there, or even just a few minutes, so you could just twist one more nut or bolt? Doesn't  it feel good to not think about the boss, or the job or the bills for just a little bit while your immersed in your hobby or passion?

Sure, you may not have the money to have the new crate motor show up at the door, but be honest, aren't there still a million other little things you can do. A little sanding here or a little priming there, or a rebuild of the carb, so that it's ready to go. It may not be as glamorous as dropping that shiny new motor in the chassis, but was it ever really about the glamour? Isn't part of why we do what we do just about forgetting the everday, having a few buddies over the garage and twisting wrenches and maybe tipping a brew or two.

Yes, we all have New Years Resolutions for self improvement, but how about giving ourselves a resolution of self enjoyment. By just taking that few minutes  a day to spend some quality time with the machines we love, and getting that much closer to having the car or bike complete

for the cruise-in and car shows, we not only do something for the car, but for ourselves as well.

From Hot Bike Magazine May 5- June 2, 2009. Reprinted by permission.

As I See It

What Will Happen?

It has been a long time since I have been given a page to rant a bit, and it’s good to be here. Most of the time this page is for us to talk about anything going on, or anything we need to vent about. One thing on my mind has to do with Wal-Mart. When Wal-Mart moves into town it forces the smaller, “mom and pop” shops to scale down, if not close their doors. Having been across this country and at as many shops as I’ve visited, I can’t help but hear and see the same thing going on with all of them. I always ask to find out how they are doing and if there’s anything new going on and it’s usually the same story, “times are hard right now and the business is just not there.” Some of them feel that they are not getting the needed support of their customers. More guys are doing the work at home like the oil changes, which is a good thing but not if you are ordering your parts online to save a couple of bucks. Even if they are not doing the service, selling the parts still brings money in.

Everyone wants and needs to save a buck and eBay can be a good thing, but if you don’t support the little shop owners, soon they might be gone and then what are you going to do? The only places that will be available are the big dealerships, which can be costly. Which brings me to my next point about the big dealerships and the small shops. Sure the big dealerships are good for certain things, but most of the time many of them won’t even touch a pre-Evo motor, which is what a lot of the smaller shops specialize in. So if all that’s left is the large corporate dealerships, you vintage bike guys, probably won’t be able to get the help you’d need from them. So show your support to the smaller shops and keep them in business.

Thanks,

Ernie “B.W.F.”
ernie.lopez@sorc.com

www.hotbikeweb.com