As far as not making pipes for profit, I do make them for profit! I started out making them so I could afford to build my own bikes and pay for tools. But as time went on I had more and more biz and turned into more then supporting a hobby. Belive it or not with time spent doing this there is little dollars per hour to be made when all is said and done. I could work at home depot and make more per hour with benifits! But I love motorcycles and do enjoy fabricating, so as long as I can afford to do it I will
If you can make your own you should! That is part of building a bike, doing as much as you can. For those without the tools or skills for a particular part of a build get someone who can do it for you. I don't paint my own stuff anymore because I suck at it
As for compition, that's just the nature of the beast 
McDonalds/Burger King, Coke/Pepsi, Good/Evil etc... 
I'm a better fabricator then business man but I'm trying 
I have to learn how to maximize buying power and increase profit while keeping prices reasonable, tough balancing act to master 
I might be coming down to Mooresville again this year and if I do I am going to come by and say hi 
