ZEN & THE ART OF COMMUNAL WRENCHING
Metro’s affordable housing crisis and thirst for bike knowledge gives rise to opportunity
“I want to buy a bike, but I don’t know how to work on it. And even if I did I don’t have anywhere to work on it.”
The just-launched Vancouver Motorcycle Collective hopes to solve those two issues for both prospective and longtime riders. And in the process create a non-intimidating, inclusive and supportive environment for the city’s diverse group of riding enthusiasts.
The brainchild of Rising Sun Motorcycles owner Samson Lang, the VMC is essentially a shared garage space concept where you can come work on your bike alongside like-minded people. Members get access to a shop full of tools, a bookcase and database full of service manuals dating back decades and a Powersports online training program.
While Lang is stoked about using the former retail space of his Vancouver-based service shop as a place where bike owners can come turn wrenches and make new friends, it is this education aspect of the collective that the Red Seal mechanic and BCIT instructor is most proud of.
“When you become a member of the collective, the annual and semi-annual memberships includes an online training program that takes most people 12 to 16 weeks to complete,” Lang explains, adding once successfully completed, participants get a certificate. “The content is fairly comprehensive, but it doesn’t go into deep theory, the kind of stuff you’ll get when pursuing a Red Seal certification. What you’ll come away with is a fairly good understanding of general mechanics.”
This technical education aspect, according to Lang, is what sets the collective apart from a group of enthusiasts getting together to rent a two-car garage to work on their motorcycles. With Vancouver’s affordable housing crisis, that’s a scenario that is becoming all too common, and not just for motorcyclists.
“Whether we’re talking about a baking collective, a woodworking group or a shared art space, this style of business is going to become mainstream,” he figures. “Most apartment rental units don’t have parking spaces, and if you do try and do work in the parking garage, you’ll get a fine.”
Similar motorcycle collectives are found in many large U.S. cities, places like L.A. and San Francisco.
“Here in Metro Vancouver we’re just starting to get to that point. And as the area gets more dense, you’re just going to see more of these kind of collectives.”
While the VMC only came into being less than a month ago, Lang says that since “I quit my day job in 2010 and opened Rising Sun Motorcycles, almost from day one people were coming in saying they want to do their own work on their motorcycles and they want to buy the parts. Then they’d do the work in our back alley and come in and ask, ‘can I borrow a wrench?’”
Not an ideal situation to be sure, but one that planted the seed in Lang ’s mind that there was a growing demand for something like the VMC. Mix in the escalating housing crisis and the time was right.
And they didn’t need to look far from Rising Sun’s shop floor to find the perfect person to manage the collective.
“Tori worked for Rising Sun for over a year as a junior shop helper, doing basic mechanics, tire changes, parts ordering, detail work,” he says of Tori Tucker, a proud owner of four older bikes, a volunteer with Bikers for Autism and an active member of a Vancouver-based women’s riding group.
“The motorcycle community in Vancouver is a really strong tribe, a tight group of people. And hopefully (the collective) can help that spread,” says Tucker, noting that if she wasn’t the manager she’d definitely be a member as the concept ticks a couple of boxes for her motorcycling needs. “Whenever I had to move into a new place, a parking space to put my stuff on was my must-have list, and as far as the education program, like most people I just don’t have the time to take night classes. As a single parent that was my draw to this concept.”
As to setting membership dues, Lang used his Rising Sun ledger as a guide.
“Anyone with a modern motorcycle, on average, a good budget is $800 a year on general service. Oil changes, brakes, tires, that kind of thing,” he explains. “But the thing is most if not all of that work is quite simple to do once you are shown how. It’s not rocket science.”
So, he set the collective’s annual membership at $700 (plus tax); semi-annual is $400; and there are day and half-day rates. Those daily rates, however, do not include the training education program. Price of membership also includes a VIN decoder for your bike model, allowing you to access an online database featuring service manuals for your bike, any manufacturer recall notices and service bulletins. According to Lang, this access alone is worth in the neighbourhood of $300.
The collective’s shop features four benches, and members reserve bench time online with their username and password.
“The idea behind the collective is to attract enough of a diverse crowd that everyone can help each other. Someone’s going to be really good at wiring; someone is really good at carbs,” says Tucker. “We’ve got alternative lifestyle females working alongside 60-year-old retired guys. The most interesting thing about the moto community is that diversity. You will talk and hang out with people you would otherwise never meet.”
Membership is limited for the first year — Lang estimates somewhere in the 75 range — so that everyone has enough space and enough time to feel comfortable.
“The mandate in this first year is not about revenue. It’s about building a community and getting people involved.”
To that end every month the collective will host an education seminar, beginning with a spring tune-up session in the near future. This Monday, Tucker is hosting a free Ladies Wrench Night, with a focus on getting ready for the upcoming riding season. For more information visit vanmotocoop.ca