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Local garage offers 'the werks' for vintage motorcycles "Most restoration projects never get finished," said Stephen Pate in his newly opened garage, Restoration Werks. Pate said he felt like a project manager as he tried to restore his own vintage motorcycles. He would have to send parts to 10 different shops that specialize - restorations could take years. "I've spent a lot of money with a lot of people restoring bikes in the past," he said. "The majority of people are exceptionally difficult to deal with. "I don't understand why it is that way." He said his first customers are "just happy to talk to someone who's excited to work on their bikes." "I saw a real void in the market," Pate said. He said most other motorcycle shops won't touch a bike if it's over 10 years old - "or they charge an arm and a leg to do simple work." Pate said the first motorcycle he bought was a 1958 Triumph, which he later sold to a collector in Texas. He said on the day he opened his full-service motorcycle shop, "Restoration Werks" in Eden Prairie, he found out that his bike had been sold to Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama, which bills itself as "the largest and most amazing collection in America." "I think that was a good sign," he said. Pate was born in Indianapolis and raised around race car drivers. He said he has always worked on bikes, and has formal training as well, but this is a new career move for him. His journey from studio musician to motorcycle mechanic included founding and selling an agency in Chicago that specialized in new media. He also served as a consultant and specialist for upper-bracket, fine and rare motorcycle auctions, according to a news release. "I got really interested in it," Pate said. "There's a lot of money in some of these bikes." He said he took an interest in the history, and started doing restorations at the hobby level. Then he spent a year making a film about motorcycle enthusiasts, "99 Percent," traveling almost 70,000 miles in North America and interviewing hundreds of motorcyclists. The title goes back to an American Motorcycle Association advertisement that said 99 percent of riders were clean-cut, upstanding citizens, and only 1 percent were giving the rest a bad name. Of people he interviewed, some are characters, some don't own cars, some are neurosurgeons. He talked with people about the politics of motorcycling and helmet use. He quotes one person from his movie, "If you're not going to wear a helmet, pick out the next husband that's going to take care of your wife and children." He said he's working to find an editor for the film. One of the last locations he visited was Minnesota. He met another motorcycle enthusiast here, Molly Gilbert, and moved here to be with her, he said. "The Twin Cities has the best motorcycle scene in the States, bar none." He said the area is also conducive to restoration projects - and expects his shop to fill up for the long winter. And he knows he will need extra help for the spring rush. "It's like mosquitoes in Alaska - They've got six weeks to live and they're going to want to enjoy every minute of it." Pate said most work can be done on-site. He said he has developed vendor relationships, as well, so if he has to send something from his garage out now, "They know I'm not a hobbyist that will wait for a year." "No matter whether they're brand new to it or somebody who does most of their own work, if someone wants to restore it, I'm here for them." The location next to Leighton's Garage, where he leases his garage, is also optimal, he said, offering him access to a full machine shop. "Just hearing the air wrenches go all day long - it makes me giggle like a little kid. It's a cool place," he said. For more information about Restoration Werks, 14301 1/2 W. 62nd St., visit their Web site at www.restorationwerks.com or call 612-729-1670. The Web site even lists "Werks in Progress," so you can see the types of bikes Pate's been working on. According to a news release, "One interesting project that he will begin in the fall is the ground up restoration of a Vincent Black Shadow, one of the most coveted and notorious motorbikes in the world." Content © 2006 Eden Prairie News
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