Unfortunately I didn’t have an alternative (pride will do that) so this sidewalk/street garage of mine stayed randomly open as necessary for five years until I had enough and moved back to the country. Today there are some alternatives in big cities I would have killed for like the unpretentiously cool Lowside Garage in Baltimore, Maryland. There are so many things right about what the Lowside Garage offers for a mechanically-addicted city freak that I might still be a happy city dweller if these types of services had been offered during my semi-hip city stay.

 

  From what I can gather, Lowside Garage is my kind of place on so many levels. Here’s an explanation of what they offer direct from their web site.

   “The Lowside Garage is a different kind of motorcycle shop. In fact, it’s not a motorcycle shop at all. Our shop is 8,000 square feet of pure motorcycle heaven. It’s a place where anyone can come and work on a bike, with or without help. We offer the space and the tools, you bring the ideas.

Asides from basic storage, we also offer a garage membership which gives you a 4′ x 10′ work area and access to work stations with bike lifts and tools to perform maintenance and repair to your bike. Beyond that, you can also rent a full on Bike Build Station. Here you will have your own 8′ x 10′ workspace to keep your tools and parts close at hand and also a work box to keep your bike at proper height.

In the garage, the possibilities are endless: suspension upgrade, oil change, carburetor rebuild, exhaust install, engine swap, chain replacement – you name it, you can do it. This really is a DIY Community for builders, but have no fear, if you have questions, there will always be someone on staff or in the garage to offer advice.

Additionally, once we are fully set up, we will be offering workshops ranging from basic motorcycle maintenance to introduction to welding. Class schedules should be up this winter. Hell, when you’re not working on your bike, or just need to step away for a few minutes, head over to the lounge area. We have some magazines you can look through for inspiration, a vending machine to grab a drink from and a Flat Screen TV on the wall to watch the game.”

  Just to prove that this is not just some kind of hang-out club, take a look at our feature bike which is a ‘graduate’ of Lowside Garage and see if that little beauty just doesn’t grab you where it hurts. I can’t pin down exactly why I absolutely adore this old Sporty powered board tracker/bobber/chop, but there’s something simple, straightforward, street raw, yet highly thought out and finished perfectly. Matter of fact, there’s nothing, absolutely nothing I don’t like about it as it sits other than my preference for brakes at both ends of the bike. That’s it. It’s an absolute freakin’ stunner in red and black with an absolutely perfecto stance and not one stinking line out of place. To me, it’s the distilled essence of a truly rideable custom motorcycle that made my blood pressure spike with unadulterated excitement when I saw it.

  Unfortunately I have no idea who actually built it (you know who you are) but I am wicked jealous that it’s not me. I just love, love, love this Sporty and I can only say to the mysterious person(s) behind it you did a thoughtful, skilled, and stunner of a build. I’m warning you now because I lust after this Sporty so much I’m keeping the photos of so I can steal all your wonderfully and cleanly executed ideas (except the no-front-brake) for a future build of my own. This bike just looks like fun, fun, fun and I’m all about fun.

  If this is an indication of the caliber of work to pass through Lowside’s old, but totally 24hr/secure industrial doors, I can’t wait to see what else might end up rolling out into the Baltimore sunlight. Patrons and tenants of Lowside, send me your photos of your completed projects please!

  To find out more about Lowside Garage, punch up http://www.lowsidegarage.com/ and check it out for yourself. I got a feeling there’s a pretty eclectic and cool bunch of builders and riders that could make living and riding in the ‘Crab Cake Capital of the World’ fun, fun, fun. And, you know where I stand on fun.