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DIY motorcycle shop gives bikers tools, tips – and a chance to save money

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Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014

By Michael Gordon

PHOENIX -

MEGAN GUTHRIE/CRONKITE NEWS: They say if you want something done right, do it yourself. Well, a motorcycle garage in Phoenix functions around this idea, letting customers get their hands dirty and fix their own bikes. Michael Gordon takes a look at the MotorCycle Hideout.

MICHAEL GORDON/CRONKITE NEWS: At the MotorCycle Hideout, owner Steve Kaloczi has only two rules for customers, be ready to get your hands dirty and don’t be afraid of making mistakes.

STEVE KALOCZI/OWNER, MOTORCYCLE HIDEOUT: Many people suspect they can do certain things of maintenance, repairs and upkeep, but it just seems daunting.

MICHAEL GORDON/CRONKITE NEWS: When Steve and his family first opened the shop in 2012, he wanted a place where riders could mend their bikes themselves. Christopher Stubbs has brought his bike in for repairs many times, by his estimate saving…

CHRISTOPHER STUBBS/MOTORCYCLE HIDEOUT CUSTOMER: A couple thousand dollars easily.

MICHAEL GORDON/CRONKITE NEWS: Customers are charged one flat-rate fee, including tools, work space and professional guidance, if needed. Working on the bikes that they love with their own hands is important to Steve’s customers, but so is avoiding the high expenses that can accompany full-service garages.

CHRISTOPHER STUBBS/MOTORCYCLE HIDEOUT CUSTOMER: It’s far more expensive to take your bike to a shop. Second is time, a lot of shops are really really busy, they schedule, they over-schedule so you don’t know when you’re going to get your bike back.

MICHAEL GORDON/CRONKITE NEWS: Many shops end up basing much of their repair charges solely on labor fees.

STEVE KALOCZI/OWNER, MOTORCYCLE HIDEOUT: Shops charge anywhere in the neighborhood of $80 to $150 an hour for labor, so the labor costs alone can be astronomical.

MICHAEL GORDON/CRONKITE NEWS:
And riders are often uncomfortable leaving their motorcycles to be worked on by someone they don’t know.

CHRISTOPHER STUBBS/MOTORCYCLE HIDEOUT CUSTOMER: With another shop doing it you don’t get that intimate feeling you have with your bike.

MICHAEL GORDON/CRONKITE NEWS: These days, the MotorCycle Hideout gets customers from all over the state, people who have heard that Steve’s shop is a place where they can work on their engines, without wearing down their wallets.

MEGAN GUTHRIE/CRONKITE NEWS: For customers worried that they don’t have the experience to fix their own bikes, the MotorCycle Hideout offers maintenance clinics, teaching basic repair techniques.