Aside from being one rad guy, Sean and Grim Cycle are also sponsors for this years Chop Meet. We
had a chance to catch up with Sean and find out a little more about his
background and how Grim Cycle came to be…
First, tell us a
little about yourself Sean, where you're from, what you do, family, etc.
I'm originally from Atlanta, Georgia (well, south of
ATL). I moved "out west" when I was 19 to work for a Ski resort in
Colorado and I've been out here ever since. Most of my time is spent working.
When I'm not working I ride my FXR, my WR450, or my snowboard. I'm pretty
simple, and that stuff has always made me happy. One of my favorite things is
to take my wife and 2 boys camping and dirt biking. There is something very
cool about riding with my kids.
I'm not sure. I have always had a thing for them. My
parents weren't into them. My dad ripped his knee cap off when he was in is
20's and it turned him off of them. I rode my first dirt bike when I was 10 or
11. I had a friend who had a dr100 and then got a brand new Quadsport 230, I
think that was like 1984-85. So I rode his dr100, I couldn't touch the ground,
but in Georgia there are a lot of trees to use as a crutch. My mom didn't want
me to have a bike so I got my first street bike when I was 18. I have been
riding ever since.
What led you to
opening your first bike shop?
I
went to MMI in 1994. While I was in school I decided that I wanted to eventually have
my own shop. After I graduated I got a job at a custom shop here in Utah. After
working for several shops, I ended up working for Wild West Motorcycles. That
job was awesome. I was building frames, fenders, gas tanks, bars and doing all
sorts of prototype work. Then around 1998-99 the owner wanted to move to San Diego
and because of that and a few other reasons, I decided to stay in Utah. I ran
into an old customer who wanted a bike built. I sold the build but had no place
to build it. A few of my friends (who were also in the industry) had opened a
small custom shop, so I went to them and worked a deal for 33% partnership and
bam I was in business. I was 26 and looking back I knew nothing about business.
All I knew was I wanted to build custom shit.
Well,
needless to say my first business didn't work out. After we shut down I went to
work for Easyriders up in SLC. It’s really hard to go back to work for someone
after you've been self-employed. While I was there I started a fab company with
2 other friends. We would build handlebars and bikes at night and on weekends, then I would work on Harleys all day at my job, too. I had a large collection of
used parts and old inventory that I started selling on eBay around the same
time. I quit my real job and went full time into parts and bars sales. I
started to get low on Harley parts and started buying Japanese bikes and
realized a market there as well. I dissolved the partnership and went
full time into parts sales. I decided to expand and moved into a new building
and shortly after bought out a big yard in SLC. Now we do new and used parts
for all makes and models as well as full service, repair, fab, custom builds
for American bikes. I still make the handlebars too.
What has been your
favorite part of being involved in the motorcycle industry?
Hard
to say, there is a lot I like. First I guess is riding. If I didn't like riding I
wouldn't be doing this. I like helping to keep people on the road. I meet a lot
of people. I have been able to meet a lot of great builders, industry icons,
and a ton of really talented mechanics.
Well
if you've ever broken something you know it blows. I have broken a lot of shit
and have a lot of metal in my body to prove it. So I knew what I was up against
when I clipped the tree snowboarding. The real shitty part was the piss poor medical
treatment and the series of events that led up to me having a broken arm for 13
days before surgery. Then we found the TOSH center in SLC and they took great
care of me. Now I am about 3 months out, riding again, and building my
strength. It set me back a lot at the shop, I am super behind, but I'm catching up every
day. We are the busiest we have ever been right now. I also had a lot of support
from friends, family, and total strangers and I can't thank everyone
enough.
What bikes are in
your personal collection? Which one is your favorite?
I
have a 1992 FXR, 2004 Yamaha wr450, a little custom Panhead project, and a 1996
Buell S1. My favorite bike is my FXR. I bought it in 97' and I love that bike.
I also really dig my WR, it's fast, nimble, and great for the desert or single
tracks in the mountains.
I
ride to work most days. I ride tons of other people’s bikes all week on test
rides. For me, single tracking in American Fork Canyon on my WR450 is my total
blank out and think about nothing but riding ride. I try to go out early Sunday
mornings with a few good friends and go have a ton of fun. Utah has a huge
amount of awesome roads to ride. Pretty much any canyon road along the Wasatch
front will not disappoint.
What is the best way
to get a hold of you for bike parts or custom fab work?
If
you need parts call or email us, and be sure to check out our web site, there are only about 4,000 items on there right now but we add inventory regularly. If
you don't see what you need, call or e-mail us. Also, if you are a repair shop
we offer dealer discounts on our used parts. We totally get how it's hard to
find some parts for these older Japanese bikes and we do our best to help keep
people on the road.
instagram
- @sean_jordan
Anyone who has helped
you along the way or inspired you in some way, which you would like to thank?
First,
my wife who has always been there, no matter what, from the very beginning. My
Family and friends, I get a lot of support from them. Terry Burt, the first
guy I worked under when I got out of MMI. He was ex-military, total biker, and
hardcore asshole who kept me inline as far as making sure everything was right,
100% of the time, no exceptions. Also, all of the old builders: Dave
Perewitz, Don Hotop, Gasoline Alley, Arlen Ness, Ron Simms, Sugarbear, and the
rest. All those dudes have been in it forever. I used to pour through Easyrider
mags and Backstreet chopper mags looking at their stuff getting ideas and
seeing how things were done. Even if you don't like the style, you've got to admire
and respect their work. Those dudes paved the way and were doing it way before
most guys in it were born. Oh, and they're still doing it. Lastly, my
customers, I really appreciate my customers and do as much as I can to get
people what they need.
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