Dun Roamin, I feel your pain. It's up to those of us as parents (or mentors, like Johnzgz) of some of this "next gen" to pass along our love for things noisy, greasy, and mechanical. With my children, it started with them watching daddy struggle with his track bikes, helping to hold wrenches and lights. When old enough, we built and raced RC cars, then duning quads. Now, my girls love to help daddy work on his bikes. Interestingly enough the boys, not so much. They'd rather write code or gain grand master online status or something. Oh well.

 

It's about teaching the younger folks about RESPECT. Respect for your job (the guy that pays you), the customers (the folks that pay the guy that pays you), and other people in general. I banished cell phones from our dinner table a long time ago.....I think its very disrespectful when someone is looking at their phone when they are talking to someone. I guess I'm too old to care that much about social media.

 

Seems most stores carry pretty much the same brands of cheap chit, want anything quality you have to find it online, order it from a specialty shop several states away. Other than groceries and shoes ('cause sometimes a size 12 is tighter than a 10...), I get most stuff off the internet. As far as shop work, having someone fix something of mine, not if there's any way I can do it myself. I had a thing going for a while, fixing business computers that usually were screwed up by "pros", but it got frustrating and too time consuming with a day job, too. Hard to get new business if you're honest, trying to compete with the frauds and incompetents; word gets around if you're good, but it can be lean till that happens, most people just look for the best "deal".

 

I get that part of it. I guess it's just frustrating when I know of at least three shops in the Houston area that stock engine gaskets and common items of the sort from knuckle to Twinkie years.

 

Man guys, I sooo get what you're all saying.

My car guy is giving up and closing shop come the first of the year. He can't get decent help, the county is ragging on him with all kinds of new rules and regulations, the state is slapping outrageous stuff on him and it's just a never ending battle for the poor guy. 20 some years, ran a great shop, always by the book and he's done. I won't just miss the quality of his work, I'll miss the fact that I trust him completely. You can't drop your ride off to just anyone, hand over a signed blank check and say "do whatever needs to be done when you've got time and call me in a few weeks". Damn shame.

 

im going to blame some of it on the greedy store/shop owners my day job boss threatens to fire me every day and has fired me because "I take food out of his mouth" his words. by working at home. so instead of paying me what I deserve so I don't have to work at home. he hired 3 MMI grads and fired me then called me back 2 days later with a small bump in pay. he found out the hard way without my Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki certificate he will loses his certified warranty repair status.
I figure if he fires me 5 more times I might be up to a real wage.

 

Move to Tallahassee... we got an indy out here that stocks plenty of evo ****.

If you didn't live in New Jersey I would come ask you for a job tomorrow. I'm a welder... I know how to go 12+ hours without a phone.

 

Wow too much to contemplate here concerning employees and the business of operating a business...Schools teach our kids that anything less than a 4 year degree is a failure, that all things white collar and nothing less is their target. Some people do not belong in an office setting nor is a 4 year degree the ideal situation for many, trade schools for some is the better route, but is looked down upon by our educators. Also the value of time and attendance is not stressed enough, your best employee not there is no employee, and the best one is an employee stating that they are doing work I would not do....or haven't, yeah right, if I have to do the work I do not need you, period. Oh my god your rant got me started and I haven't started on the government regulations and taxes that impede business growth or for that matter success. That being said I am not a good employee (I am too bossy?) hence the business chasing for the last 20 years. To answer your question stay small..and I would guess the midwest is still the place to be less regulated, or boxed in.

 

What's happening with the auto/motorcycle industry in general? We all hear about how Detroit has gone.

I mean, Silicon Valley have the sense to focus all their attentions into well defined areas and have "incubators" etc ... is there no place left for the motor industry, or have all the dirty industries really been moved/outsourced overseas?

You'd think it made a little sense to have the like centralised. Are no cities or States promoting enterprise zones? I tell you, support networks of service suppliers are falling apart and, yes, they are also being crushed by bureaucracy. Being "legit" turns you into a sitting target.

In Europe, specifically the Netherland and Scandinavia, there was a time when bike clubs constituted what was required to be a "community group" and opened them up to receive grants for properties and re-manufacturing equipment ... I don't know any that have a similar focus.


Still looking for trailer in a yard somewhere ... !

 

this all has to do with the political bull in this country by the self serving

the ones who want to teach the masses the ones who want to regulate the masses the ones who tell you you need unions or you will starve its all politcal dude

look what has happened in our country when a guy was elected because of the color of his skin and not his abilitys