Sentimental post incoming....
A throwback to those quiet afternoons with my Grandad at the kitchen table, with our heads buried in TMX and Dirt Bike Rider magazines. I’d sit there mesmerised by the factory bikes on those centre pages, tracing every detail and quietly wishing one day I’d have something even close.
He spent hours with me in the garage, calmly showing me how to fix the messes I’d made—cross-threaded bolts, stripped threads, the usual beginner disasters. Those moments, his patience, his stories… they’re the reason I fell in love with motocross and working on bikes in the first place.
Now, twenty-something years later, life is full with my own family, and the days I get to ride are few and far between. I can feel the riding chapter slowly drawing to a close. This winter I decided it was time to give that little kid in me something he’d always dreamed of: I’d build my own take on one of those magazine bikes Grandad and I used to stare at together.
I’m genuinely over the moon with how it’s turned out.
But more than the finished bike, the whole process has meant so much more. Late nights in the garage brought everything flooding back—his funny comments, the way he’d explain things, the smell of oil and the taste of endless cups of tea lovingly supplied by my grandma. It’s felt like sharing the shed with him again, even if we don't get the opportunity these days.
It’s funny how something made of metal, plastic, and rubber can pull you straight back to the person who taught you everything you know about it.
A huge thank you to
@factoryconstruct and
@factorycoating for the help in sourcing parts, suspension treatment, and those sexual custom coatings. And
@tbgraphics for the supply of the best stickers in the game. Without your help and expertise, this wouldn’t have been possible. Truly grateful.
Can’t wait to show you this one soon, Grandad. ❤️
#Motocross #BikeBuild #Family #Memories #Grandad #rmz #rmz250 #suzuki
