"Cycles N Rodz of Hot Springs is well on its way of becoming Hot Springs' premier rod shop and motorcycle repair facility," according to the release. Owner's Tim Winston, Kevin Coakley and John Brown are proud of how things are going at their fairly new shop. "We feel like we are making a dent in the Hot Springs and surrounding market and attracting buyers from as far away as St. Louis," says General Manager Phil Dowden.
"The best part is, we are building a great team of folks to restore vehicles and work on motorcycles. As a matter of fact, we get calls all the time wanting to know who is working on our motorcycles and answering that question is by far one of our best attractions." Lanny Plummer, formerly from Lanny's Cycle on Airport Road, came out of retirement to help on the front parts counter and to work on metric/Asian motorcycles. When Lander's Harley-Davidson closed, Chris Conrad made the trip to Little Rock for a short time and decided the commute was not for him. So, he is the trained Harley technician, with some 10 years of experience.
"We just completed our motorcycle hauling trailer and look forward to helping our cycle friends in the event they need their bike repaired and have no way of getting it to the shop," Dowden continued. There is a small charge for the service unless the consumer is part of a motorcycle club in the Hot Springs and surrounding area, then it's "free." In addition to the motorcycle repair and hauling, Cycles N Rodz sells bikes on a consignment basis. So, if in the process of selling or buying, check them out.
As for automotive restoration, Cycles N Rodz is getting into some interesting stuff. It just started a 1951 Ford F1 pickup and has plans of installing a 2014 Mustang engine and many of the components, such as the rear axle, dash and seats. The motor is a stock 302/412 horse, with a 6-speed transmission. They partially restored a 1975 bronco and sold it to a gentleman in St. Louis and have a 1967 El Camino, which was their first restoration, that the owner is selling. He is planning to start another project. The staff is about to begin work on a 1965 Mustang Fastback and another Bronco, 1970 model. Some welding has been done on a 1929 Model A and employees have no problem doing partial work, such as welding, sanding and painting.
"The business is definitely an exciting one and the calls we get for work performed is not for your usual water pump and filter change. We had a call the other day to install a power steering set up on a 1965 Corvette and a L88 hood installed on a '69 Corvette. We just completed a dash, with all new gauges and a dash pad on a '69 Camaro. We are very versatile on the work we can perform, so call us with your project and I promise we can help," said Dowden.
Dowden has been in the automotive business his whole life and says that talking about old muscle cars, antique automobiles and motorcycles is by far the best way to spend a day at work.
Cycles N Rodz has put together a calendar, scheduling all the upcoming car and bike shows in the area, as well as all the poker runs scheduled. So, if you have an upcoming function, please let us know and we will put it on the website. There are several builds in the shop and posting pictures that the staff calls "follow this build." Lastly, Cycles N Rodz is in the process of scheduling its annual car show in June. Along with the car show, it has tentatively scheduled a "flag day ceremony" on June 14. A local Scout troop is going to be a part of this and a memorial veterans ride is being considered.
There is so much going on in this industry and the owners want to do everything in their power to give back as well. Anyone who has a charitable idea or veterans organization, please call so Cycles N Rodz may help by getting involved.
"The owners, as well as the employees, of Cycles N Rodz would like to thank you for your patronage and look forward to working with you in the future" Dowden said in the release.
"The passion is in the people and the ideas behind some of these builds," says owner Tim Winston. "This has been a dream of mine for a long time and you can tell by the way the shop is laid out."
Come by Cycles N Rodz, at the corner of Airport Road and the expressway, atop Hot Rod Hill, or call 501-760-7639.
Business on 02/16/2015