The Pub Life Motor Co

The Pub Life Motor Co. ME & MY SIDEKICK

By The Mag Man, Randy Gracy

Randall Hopkins has had motorcycles in his blood since he was 13 years old in 1986. He has a passion for building bikes, the Old School way. Some of his friends even stated that he should have been born in the 50s & 60s to correlate with his style of building bikes. After his first divorce (back in the day), he wanted a custom bike he could afford. He wanted it to be different. He found an old Honda Rebel 250 for $400, tore it down and began to create his first bike in his first shop… his carport with only a 3-drawer Stanley toolbox. Friends came by looking at what he could do and began bringing

their bikes to him to build and service. He had no idea what direction it would eventually take him. As time progressed, he moved into 8x12 storage shed and later into a 20x20 metal building. He just recently moved and upgraded to Holiday Hills Lake on the water and into an oversized garage with his new paint room upstairs. Joy is what I saw on his and his wife Cindy’s face about their new home. Randall’s enjoyment with his new shop could only be topped by his love for his Sidekick (granddaughter), six-year-old Carley. She is definitely the joy that drives him each day. Randall said she is becoming so much like him that it’s scary sometimes (especially when she quotes his sayings to Nanna… Eeeks!) While interviewing Randall, Carley posed for photos and played with my puppy, Gracie. She went from being a quiet child to a very active and talkative one, with her own love of motorcycles. Randall is also in the process of building her a rat rod. Carley told me Randall would be helping her build it. “Self-taught and driven to get better with each motorcycle I build”, is what Randall says about himself. He can fabricate, weld, paint, customize…the whole works. “I look forward to each bike, making it better than the last one and learning new techniques in the process. If you don’t keep up with the times, the new techniques… if you don’t keep learning, then you just don’t have the passion to love what you do” He also said that all the net money he makes goes directly back into the shop to make it better with new products and tools needed to get to that next level. His talents can definitely be seen with him buying inexpensive metric motorcycles and turning them into a custom build the owner can be proud of, just as he has done with his own latest bike build for himself, his Irish Anger motorcycle. “If you can get a truly custom bike you love for under $10,000, I figure I’ve found my niche to make those riders happy”, he said. He also never intended to get into the service side of motorcycles, but it just took off with each new contact he made riding. Seeing what he could do and the talent he has, I gave Randall my dream bike. He is currently finishing up my 1986 Yamaha 920 Custom. I gave him my build (my first motorcycle build) and he went in a few different directions. His direction is making this creation OFF THE CHAIN! Look for it in the next issue. Got an idea for your dream bike? Randall is getting into American made bikes too. He’s located in Crossville, TN and you can usually reach him at the shop in the evenings or weekends (931-410-0578). You can also find him on Facebook. I’ve not seen passion like this since back in the day meeting the likes of Jesse James or Billy Lane. Randall has that same passion and wants his builds to be the best they can be for each and every person that brings him their dream idea. His Sidekick Carley keeps him grounded and keeps his joy in life full. Eventually, Carley will take over the business when she is ready and Randall said, “That will give me the biggest joy of all.”