We ought to get together for a ride! ATM, however, my XS is undergoing a full electrical makeover and a few (small) fabrications. Due to work, and upcoming off-road riding, no idea when I will finish.
When the Garage Company was in Culver City I used to stop by every month just to look at the vintage motos. They had an amazing shop, and, sadly, I have not made it to their new shop in the South Bay yet. However, their customer service was lacking.
Yoshi, at the Garage Company (GC), is a really smart guy who knows a lot about classic motos and UJM, however I was never comfortable taking my bike there. His labor was expensive and he was much more interested in selling their motos to rich celebrities. On several occasions I saw actors/musicians in there talking to him about custom bikes. I can't blame Yoshi- he probably makes some good scratch selling refurbished/customized Triumphs/BSA/Nortons/HD (old school) to musicians, etc- but I want a mechanic who isn't too busy to talk to me. Also, from what he told me, a lot of his business was exporting American and British motos to Japan, where I'm sure he made a killing (when the economy was pumping and not like now when it is dumping). None of his mechanics and fabricators spoke English, and, from what I could tell, they were all fresh from Japan. They seemed really nice, but the language barrier was too much. Several also had that rocker (v. mods) thing going on- pretty cool cats!
Before Yoshi moved his shop from Culver City, I was in there placing an order for Mikuni carbs and needles. The order would have been about $400 or more, not too big but not trivial. Half way into it, some B-list celebrity walked into the store, and Yoshi literally walked away from me mid sentence and started kissing this guys ass. Of course, this is just sour grapes on my part, but I was looking for better customer service. On several previous occasions the same vibe was present- very aloof. The GC staff seems to be catering to a different clientele.
All the independent Brit bike mechanics I knew in Venice are gone- replaced by crotch rocket shops and HD guys. Sad- b/c Venice, CA, has a lot of Brit ex-patriots who also dig out XS's due to the obvious UJM style connection btw the two.
Jon