Spirit Lake Motorcycles is True To The Spirit

What began as building motorcycles in his kitchen became a full-time gig for Brian Sloma. After listing one of his creations on Craigslist, and things just spiralled from there. “You see a car for nothing but a car,” says Brian Sloma, “…even if it has rims, is wrapped, and has wings—it’s still the same car. But you take a bike, you change the tank and the seat…what is it?” Finding bikes they like, fixing them up, and updating them is perhaps not as well-known as the firm’s now-flagship creation, a BMW R 90/6 that’s been heavily modified—from its Honda fuel tank on down. “Some people thought it was cool, some people thought it was awesome, some people thought it was just…ridiculous, and, like, that it shouldn’t belong,” says Ken Chan. Using many custom tricks that have since fallen by the wayside, the Spirit Lake duo says they’re still small enough to not have a ton of pressure on their shoulders if something doesn’t quite turn out the way they’d envisioned. “We don’t have a distinct style, but we have a distinct method,” says Sloma. “It’s cleanliness, when we put something together, it looks factory—or, it’s functional—it can be beat on, dropped…there’s different mindsets for where you want to go.” For those who don’t have a motorcycle yet, don’t worry, Sloma’s advice is simple: “…try it, and if you like it, you like it. If you don’t you don’t…but you probably will!” Drive Tastefully® http://Petrolicious.com http://facebook.com/Petrolicious