The last year has seen a huge change. I opened up my own shop along with one of my best friends, Chris Lisk. Because I set the rules, I’m not limiting myself to just a couple types of bikes. Of course my loves are Moto Guzzi and Ducati, but anything European is welcome, Vintage Japanese stuff as well as dirt bikes all keep it lively and interesting for us. We’ve been open for 2 months, and luckily I have enough previous customers and many new ones to keep us busy!! I hope to keep this updated more frequently, I still have so much of my past material to add. The website www.rtlmoto.com is being built as I write this, so for now we have these ways of keeping up with us:
RTL Pics
RTL Facebook
RTL on Google Maps

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I entered my first race in 2004 when I was 29. It was the Adelanto Grand Prix, and I rode a tricked out 1974 Honda CR125 Elsinore. My 2nd race was an AHRMA Vintage MX in which I rode the same bike. I realized I wasn’t very good at MX, and didn’t have the time to learn. I was always more of a flat-out top-gear desert rider and asphalt canyon carver. After that though I was hooked on racing and started building my own road bikes. I now race regularly with Willow Springs Motorcycle Club and occasionally with American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association.

This bike came in completely stock, and at first was supposed to be an EFI Tune/Diagnosis. Well, it left the shop like this instead. See the video to the right.

This was a very stock Falco that was crashed. Michael had me do a quick and dirty street fighter job to it.

This little guy came in as the worst pile ever!! We re-did it back to as close to original as we could.

My buddy Efrain built this bike with my help. Started out as an ‘82 SP1000 touring bike. Ended up an ass-kicking street burner!!

This was an 850T3 that he had me rebuild into the bike he wanted.

This was a Sport that I converted into a Street Fighter for a fellow employee. 1997 Centauro headlight and dash assemblies, short Euro bars, CRG mirrors, a Marsee exhaust crossover and Carbon Fiber mufflers. Airbox removed with K&N filters added. Paint done by Bobby Keith.

This bike got every hard to find Police part you could put on. As well as a 950cc Big Bore kit, a custom made a 2 leading shoe rear brake to match that of a V7 Sport type, extra polished bits, original Police spot lights, rebuilt original shocks, and MAC Slashback mufflers. I built this in 1997 or so for a customer.

So after 2 weeks of very little sleep, staying at the shop until 1am various nights or helping my racing buddy Ryan with his bike, I oversleep an hour then drive 120 miles to the track at 530am after a year and a half off. It’s fucking cold as heck above Lancaster too. I miss the first (of 2) practice, get my shit on and head out for the 2nd practice. So I’m doing a front brake check (tap the brakes to warm them up a bit) 5mph right out of my pit and BAM ‘m on the ground!!! So I stand up and think “There is no fuckin way that just happened!! I must still be asleep!!” Then I look back at Ryan who almost ran into me, he shrugs then 4 guys come help me and I’m like WTF happened? and this Aussie dude points to a 1 inch thick extension cord that isn’t supposed to be there going across the lot exit to some asshole’s RV. So of course my fricken terrible luck, I just happened to brake check across the cord which with brand new cold tires (slippery) and racing brakes that = wipe out. Fuckin lame.
So I roll it back, fix the broken stuff and get freaked that I have to go race with absolutely NO practice laps around the track. Awesome. (basically that means I’ll be averaging 90mph riding up to 120mph on new cold tires after not being there for 18 months and just have to remember it all “like riding a bicycle” I got reminded) Great.
Then at the rider’s meeting I randomly win a free track day. Ok? I haven’t been there forever and I win a free something? RAD.
Then I check my grid and I’m the only guy entered in my class today hahahahahahahaha which means I’ll be riding around by myself, I automatically win just for showing up hahahahaha, and get 16 points even tho I beat nobody!! lame. But, I did race against another class, of which I got 3rd place which was cool.

I really thought today I was going to scare the shit out of myself cuz it’s been so long, but Ed was right it was like riding a bicycle so I ended up having fun which is the whole reason I put myself thru such misery the week prior.