Garage Company in SoCal

I had the opportunity to visit the place that rebuilt my '38U engine. The place is called the "Garage Company", and they are very famous all over the Southern California area.



I met the owner, Yoshi. I then mentioned to Yoshi that the previous owner of my bike had told me my engine was rebuilt here, and I was wondering if they might be able to furnish any further information about what was done to it. Yoshi remembered the work.

They were amazingly cool. Yoshi took me back into the shop to meet Kiyo, who I gather is his lead mechanic. Kiyo pulled a notebook off of a shelf, and flipped through it until he found a couple pages of notes, all written in Japanese. He proceeded to translate them for me, first verbally, and then he wrote down some details so I could remember.

It was apparently in twice, first time the bottom end developed trouble (another mechanic at Garage Co did it the first time) and it had to be completely re-rebuilt. Kiyo also gave me a copy of the parts list to see what was replaced (flywheels, main and rod bearings, valves and guides, ...). Apparently someone assembled the lower end the first time with ball bearings, and Kiyo converted it back to caged rollers, as stock. The cylinders are .080" over.

When I mentioned that I ride it a lot, Kiyo told me his daily driver is a '47 Knuck bobber.




Turns out that this particular bike is pretty legendary in the area. I know that the term "old school" is overused, but this bike exuded cool from every pore. It is amazingly narrow. Look at the bars, the footpegs, and the grips! Good for splitting lanes in L.A. traffic.

For more pictures of Garage Company, and some old Harleys on display at Anaheim Harley, take a look here...

Kiyo was very friendly, and, considering the celebrity status he has apparently earned from what I have since read online, incredibly humble.

I actually felt guilty that he and Yoshi had spent so much time with me for free, but they didn't have any parts for sale that I needed. I couldn't leave without spending some $$$, so I bought BitMonkey a couple of T-shirts. That way I don't have to find room for them in my drawer.

This place is a must see for any old motorcycle geek in the L.A. area. Skip Disneyland, and go here instead. Actually, it's only a 20-25 minute drive (through BitMonkey's old stomping grounds) from Universal Studios Hollywood.