Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 7, 1 Iulai 1994 — Bike shop entrepreneur finds owning Harleys a "vicious cycle" [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Bike shop entrepreneur finds owning Harleys a "vicious cycle"

by Patrick Johnston For motorcycle enthusiast Brian Ah Sam, getting into Harleys is a vicious cycle: as soon as you buy one it's impossi-

ble to stop customizing and improving it. When Ah Sam decided to start up a motorcycle shop he named it accordingly. Vicious Cycle began operation in February '94 with a loan from O H A ' s N a t i v e Ha waiian

Revolving Loan Fund. Run by Ah Sam and his wife Barbara, with added help from friends and family, the store specializes in Harley Davidson motorcycles, providing parts and service. Ah Sam, a certified bike meehanie, also builds customized bikes. "We're fully equipped," explains Ah Sam. "We ean do everything." "Everything" means not only servicing bikes and selling parts but also making parts. Vicious Cycle has machinists and welders that ean custommake an assortment of parts to satisfy his image-conscious Harley clients. Like many others who have ridden Harleys, Ah Sam and Vicious Cycle customers have been caught up in the bike's mystique. "It's like being in a cult," he says.

A typical Harley driver is never satisfied with just a factory bike. Customization is almost as mueh fun as driving for Harley owners and.Ah Sam has a keen sense for providing clients what they want. Examples of customizing work he does include aesthetic work like paint jobs, and engine work like head and exhaust modifications. More than 20 years

of working with bikes has given Ah Sam a vast knowledge of how they work and he uses that knowledge to provide services that most other shops avoid.

Barbara Ah Sam explains, "A lot of what is known as 'bottom end' work, stuff like transmission repairs, other shops will send to the Mainland. But Brian will do it here and he stands by his work."

"Some people go in thinking OHA is just handing out money. This isn't the case. The loan fund staff and board screen applicants very carefully and you have to have a solid business plan if they are going to accept you." - Brian Ah Sam

Vicious Cycle specializes in what are called "evolution"

Harleys, bikes built in the past 10 years after Harley Davidson underwent a major restructuring and began producing more technically sophisticated and expensive motorcycles. According to Ah Sam, these bikes attract a different rider - bikers he defines as rich urban professionals (RUPs) - not the stereotypical Hell's Angels crowd. Ah Sam explains, "Most of the people I work with are professional. Many own their own businesses." More complex machinery and affluent riders also means there is less maintenance the owner wants to do and more business for Vicious Cycle. "With the old bikes," Ah Sam points out, "the owner would do things like eheek the 011 and the brakes but with these bikes they eome here to

get that work done." If Ah Sam wants to draw in customers with his focus on new Harleys, he plans to keep them coming with strong attention paid to service and customer satisfaction. He keeps his shop spotless, works

well into the evening and sometimes the early morning to get jobs done, and tries to create a family atmosphere where all customers feel at home. The family atmosphere is helped by the fact that both his brother - and

I mother - ehip in with the servicing. "I taught my Mom how to change the oil and my brother how to eheek the brakes," Ah Sam explains. "Now they both help out servicing the bikes." For others interested in starting up a business with a loan from OHA's Native Hawaiian I Revolving Loan Fund, Ah Sam

stresses the importance of putting together a strong business plan. "Be prepared," he urges potential Hawaiian entrepreneurs. "Some people go in thinking OHA is just handing out money. This isn't the case. The loan fund staff and board screen applicants very carefully and you have to have a solid plan if they are going to accept you." Vicious Cycle is located in Kalihi at 1708-A 'Auiki St. (842-5530). The service section of his store is open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to midnight on weekends. The parts section is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to midnight on weekends. Customers ean either eall to make an appointment or eome by during business hours.

Brian Ah Sam shows off a Harley in his new shop. Phoio by Patrick Johnston

Fixing bikes in the Vicious Cycle repair shop. Phoio by Patrick Johnston