British American Motors is a motorcycle shop that as you walk in the feeling as if it has been in business for over a century can’t be missed. The air is rich with a past that seems to extend beyond the years that the shop has actually been open. The bikes from decades ago seem to feel right at home in this atmosphere and perhaps this is what ties it all together. From the vintage bar signs and the antiquated beer vending machine, people walk in and immediately say “this place reminds me of what shops USED to be like!”
It’s not by accident either. The owners Jamie Lundsford, David Hudson, Mike Wilke and Nate Hudson seem to all encapsulate a part of years gone by with their personalities and business tactics. “Let the work speak for itself” is a motto that they all seem to live by. It appears to be working for them too. You know that you can stop by on any given day and they will be working with each other late into the evening hours- giving suggestions and helping each other along with their close friends and their motorcycles.
This is actually how BA Moto came to be. It started as a hobby shop around 2006 for the brothers and friends to work on their own projects. By 2009 more friends started bringing their bikes by and with the work becoming busy enough they were able to leave their jobs at the multi-line motorcycle dealership to pursue British American Motors as a legitimate-stand-alone company full time. They work on all motorcycles. Not just British or American as their name may lead you to believe.
Nate Hudson took some time to answer a few of our questions.
What is the difference between BA Moto and British American Motors?
BA Moto is the club aspect. It a group of close friends that we consider ourselves a rider group because our long distant rides/campouts. British American Motors is the business/shop side of it. We did that so people could know that we do work full time on motorcycles. We have to make some money to afford our trips on 2 wheels!
To elaborate more on the club aspect, we ride. Most of our guys in our club have 50k plus miles on their motorcycles that most have owned since brand new from the factory. We do this because we love to camp and the sense of adventure of the open roads. Finding the back way to a destination that none of us have any idea what is going to happen. Bare minimums on our bikes. No windshield. No chase truck. Camping gear strapped on the bike with a spare pair set of clothing along with rain gear when you need to stay drive. Whiskey helps on those nights in the rain...
Do you only work on British and American bikes? What are your favorite projects to work on?
We work on all motorcycles. Our cup of tea are modern and vintage British bikes. Favorite thing I'd say about working on bikes is getting that 45+ year old Triumph to run for the first time in who knows how long. Or doing a custom build or restoration on a bike and being able to ride it around for the first time. It's a cool feeling.
What new projects and adventures are you guys planning on now?
Racing. We're getting into vintage motocross, flat track racing, and building a small fleet of Triumph's for road racing. We also have a lot of cool bikes leaving the shop soon that we're very excited about and looking forward to getting them out there along with maintaining our customers bikes as well. Fun times we still do our World Mini GP Bike races in our parking lot which is more of a run what ya brung style and is suppose to not be taken seriously. The next one is the Ides of March Togo Mini Bike Races. Riders are required to wear their proper riding gear...in a toga of course.
“We encourage people to come by whenever they can to check out the shop or pick our brains on any questions they have. One thing I really like is people walking in for the first time and seeing a bunch of old bikes, motorcycle parts, the smell of grease & gasoline in the air, and that old' timey feel that you use to get from shops from back in the day. Hell that's what inspired us to get here, so why not share the wealth with everyone else?”
Photography by Sinuhe Xavier :: Words by Jen McClain
Fin.