Meet Matthew Reihle | “Really” Good dude

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Reihle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I served 20 years in the USAF as a Helicopter Crew Chief. While I travelled many places learning all there is to know about helicopters. I was also buying and restoring all the motorcycles I could, in all the interesting places I was going. Now, I specialize in the full restoration of carbureted vintage motorcycles as well as custom work. My focus and knowledge base is on vintage British, European, and Japanese motorcycles. Robust classic engineering make these machines rebuildable. There is a great feeling attached to the history as well as the beauty of these old machines. At my shop, I can restore, customize, or just get a bike running and safe to ride. Once its complete I enjoy it for a while and then sell the bike on to begin the process over again. Over the years I’ve hustled to learn as many skills as possible. Wanting things done right, I learned to do them myself. I have a true addiction for things that make noise, smell like burnt dinosaurs, and are pieces of art in their own right. My dream has always been to combine my experiences in the AF, creativity and my lust for old machines.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always had more than a passion for vintage machines. The AF gave me the skills to understand engineering and solid maintenance principles. I was able to take that and apply it to the learning I was doing on the old bikes I was collecting. I am always fascinated by the design of vintage motorcycles and the hand-done work that went into these old machines. The engineering solutions are art, the look of the bike is art, and the sounds and smells make it functional art. The bad experiences inspired me to open my own shop. When I would send something out to be done the Items I had outsourced were often not done correctly. It is hard to meet level I want to see. It was these experiences that inspired me to get into the books, practice, and work with the craftsman that knew to gain the knowledge. I like learning new techniques and skills (without the use of YouTube). Having the space to make a thought become a fire breathing motorcycle, well, that’s living the dream.

Making that dream a reality has not been an easy move. A lot of time is spent planning and ensuring that each project is moving along and not stagnating. None of this happened over night. It has take over 20 years of planning, thinking, and gaining the knowledge. There are so many tool that are necessary to be able to work on a British Norton and a Japanese Kawasaki. Since I have owned most brands, I have accumulated a lot of special tooling needed along the way. Some other things that I needed to learn were the shop setup processes. There really is a method to the madness in my shop. Every tool has a specific home, I don’t have time to look for the MIA 10mm socket. One of the first lessons in welding is to make sure that you are comfortable. By being comfortable you are able to relax and focus. I applied this to my workspace. I wanted a place that I could be surrounded by the motorcycles and racing culture that has always inspired me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For me, that would be on some of my vintage, running!, motorcycles. A 1969 Triumph Tiger, and 1973 Suzuki GT550 2-stroke. Right now the weather (when the sun is out) is perfect for a morning ride to The Brunch Club in Downtown Dayton. They have that relaxed, real diner vibe. The food is good and coffee gets the job done. We could then hop on the bikes after hearing all the old dudes tell us how they used to have one just like one of these. You can tell they used to do way riskier stuff on these bikes. I would then ride up through some of the nice pricey neighborhoods in Oakwood before heading up to Yellow Springs by way of Bellbrook for the slow country/winding roads. Grab some pizza at Bentinos. There are a lot of nice little parks and roads in the area. From there, gas up and head South to Xenia for Dairy Station Ice Cream. You are not showing someone this part of Ohio if you don’t take them out for some Ice Cream…Also, you can sit out and look at the bikes. You will typically see people out in their vintage muscle cars going for a cruise or to a show. The Dairy Station has outdoor seating and is right there at the stop light. Riding through the smaller Ohio towns, they are full of band stands, old churches, cows, and always something to look at. A really great piece of Americana. I would also want to ride over to the Air Force Museum. It is always impressive and you could spend years looking at cool old planes and reading great stories. A nice late night ride over to either 5th Street Brewing or to Dublin pub, that way I could take pictures of the Triumph with the pub in the background. Both spots have great beer and great food. Then, before we ride home, ill make sure to take them for some more Ice Cream…

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to my ever supportive wife. For 15+ years I have never had less than 25 motorcycles. Do the math, its amazing she is with me. My mom, she is always in my corner.

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