Sometimes I can go months without turning up at the shop,
other times I spend days on end there.
Because that's what I feel like doing,
you do what you do because you love it.
So when I feel like going to the shop
I come to the shop,
we have loads of free time.
People spend it differently
some watch TV,
others play on their tablets or computers,
others have beers with friends,
others like to sleep.
In my free time,
if I have a couple extra hours,
and I feel like working at the shop, I come to the shop.
For a few years I didn't have any motorcycles
then I decided to get a bike
just like the one I had a while back.
I found one, got it and only had the one for several years,
when I got it, it was in a disastrous state.
99% probability of it being scrapped.
You have to realize you're reviving something
that's been sitting for 30 years
with no special training.
The upside with the Russian mechanics
is that lots of newer parts still fit the old gear
and you can find ways of using newer engine parts.
When there got to be almost ten of them
there wasn't any room in the yard ,
and I had to start parking the cars in the street
because I couldn't fit the bikes.
It's a passion, so it has no other dimension,
no commercial project behind it,
no side activities,
I do it because I love it.
It has no other purpose,
I never add up the costs
but it's certainly cheaper and more pleasant
than going to a therapist.
On several occasions I was fortunate
to uncover veritable treasures
in attics,
for example, we got various parts
for the bike we're doing now
that were sitting for 50 years
in their wooden crates,
waiting for a time to be given a new lease of life.
I always loved mechanical things
so all my time in school and at night
I would sketch and draw.
However, my parents insisted and were convincing
about me studying medicine and
So I didn't become a designer
but I became a doctor and
still ended up practicing the kind of medicine
that has to do with mechanics.
I did my residency in Traumatology and Orthopedics
where you have the same tools
that you have in your garage.
You've got your drill
and your 10mm wrench,
you always have them in the pocket of your white coat.
I think it has to do with those first special emotions
when 25 years ago I got my first bike
and that feeling of freedom.
These are motorcycles that present no special collectible value
but all this old gear
you realize each has behind it
somebody's life story.
So when you get a bike from someone
you also get those memories from their youth
and that's phenomenal.
So beside the mechanical side of things
you buy those positive emotions
that the person passes on to you.
For the sidecar bikes
I think there are two reasons:
first of all my earliest childhood memories
of riding in the sidecar
hiding under the cover,
and second with the kids, when they got a little older
there was no better solution.
So that's how the sidecars came about.
In my plans and collection
look, when this process of assembly starts,
to me it's like a revelation
you want to get to that point when
you push the kickstarter
and the engine starts.
Don't think that it starts the first time,
these being old bikes
that are part of a different era,
you can end up having some technical issues on your trip
and you might have to work on it 5 -10 minutes.
Push the kickstarter until it starts
They have their own personality, if you will.
Those were the times,
it's part of history
that's how they need to be,
not perfect.
People used them to travel.
they used them every day.
it wasn't just for special occasions
or good weather and great spirits.
So when you push the kickstarter for the 10th or 100th time
and you get it to come back to life
it's phenomenal.
Still this engine sound
where you can hear the bearings spin
and the crank turning
probably also linked to my memories.
This was the only engine sound around
I still have those moments lodged in my memories.
The motorcycles I own
aren't just mine,
with my friends
I allow and insist that they ride one of my bikes,
because I want to share this joy I'm living,
this sensation of riding an old motorcycle
I want to share this with people
and friends that are dear to my heart.
When you go alone on a trip,
that's one thing
however when there's several bikes together
it's a different sensation and feeling
and a way for things to happen.
I would be the happiest
if I donated them to the city or museum
so they would go on to live a decent life
and not end up in a deplorable state
like I found them once.
So that not only me and my friends have this privilege
but those who come after us can enjoy them too