Meet Chris Elliott of Aspire Cycle Motorcycles in Tempe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Elliott.

Chris, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been mechanically inclined and eager to learn how things work. Ever since I was a kid, my Dad and I have worked on our family cars together. When I was in college, I decided to purchase my first motorcycle. It was a 1973 Honda Cb360. At this time, about 10 years ago, there were not many places you could go to find parts or to get your classic motorcycles serviced. I had to learn how to do most everything myself, using eBay and Craig’s List for locating parts.

About five years ago, I was looking for a partner to help me rebuild and transform a 1982 Kawasaki KZ750 twin I had bought. Not many shops in the area were willing to let me work with them due to liability reasons. A friend of mine recommended that I reach out to Marc Dehoux, owner of Build Rad Stuff Fabrication and Welding. Marc and I worked on the bike together over the next year or so and became close friends.

We decided to start sharing shop space so that I could have a better place to work on projects rather than my garage. This is how we got to where we are today! Now I’ve got about four or five different projects I’m working on, mostly personal projects, but I do have a couple motorcycles I’m working on for some friends as well.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It hasn’t always been easy. I still work another full-time job and most of my paychecks go towards this business. I love what I do and I’m glad I have the opportunity to hone my skills and create amazing motorcycles for myself and other people to enjoy.

Please tell us about Aspire Cycle Motorcycles.
I love finding broken down and forgotten motorcycles and giving them a new life. Part of my business name is “recycle”, Aspi(recycle). I just think that these classic bikes have so much character and I hate seeing them rusting away in someone’s backyard. I specialize in 70’s and 80’s Japanese bikes, but I do take on an occasional European or American project. What I’m most proud of is the fact that I can take the time to turn nothing into something. I can turn worn out old motorcycle into something new and exciting.

I also love to let the owners work alongside me if they desire to learn about their bike. I have an open door policy, whenever I’m at the shop, anyone is welcome to come down and chat with me! One thing I am going to focus on for the future is creating a “community garage” where anyone can come work on their projects and use the tools I have here. I feel like Arizona needs that type of space and we have the community to make it happen.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
To be honest, there’s not really much I could have done differently! I love how things are going and I’m having a great time! One thing I would like to change for the future is to have more of a social media presence.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aspirecycle.co
• Phone: 480 326 1937
• Email: aspirecycle@gmail.com
• Instagram: @aspirecycle
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/aspirecycle

Image Credit:
Joy Goddard, Zachariah Beam, Zach Iddings, Solomon Kanode

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.