ABOUT US
KICK ONLY
Our shop name harks back to the generations of motorcycles built with manual kick starters. Nikola kick starts his Shovelhead to get to work every morning and to get back home every evening. Those who know old bikes and bikes with kick starters know they are a labor of love.
KICK ONLY Motorcycles is about a true love for the mechanics, aesthetics, and history of motorcycles. And we are family-owned and operated, which means our love for motorcycles and the hard work we put into the shop (and all of your bikes) begin with the teamwork and love in our family. Whether you ride or not, and whether your motorcycle has a kick starter or not, KICK ONLY Motorcycles represents an aesthetic and lifestyle that are grounded in a deep love / appreciation / respect for things old school.
WAIPAHU
Our shop is located off Farrington Highway in the industrial district of the sugar plantation town of Waipahu. The horizon of our town is marked by the 175-foot smokestack of the old sugar plantation--an economic, geographical, and historical reference point of our community. KICK ONLY Motorcycles is a haven in the bustle of industry, business, and a hardworking working-class neighborhood, with little barefoot kids running around. If you burn out on your way to the shop, make sure there are no kids in the street, because this is their playground.
NIKOLA
Nikola is a Hawai’i certified and licensed mechanic. His area of expertise is on old, finicky Harley Davidson engines, but he works on all makes and models. He spent all of his free time on basketball courts while growing up in Las Vegas, which earned him scholarships at Hartnell College in Salinas and Hawai'i Pacific University in Honolulu. A son of immigrants, basketball funded his education. After working in the Honolulu finance sector for all of one year, Nikola took a huge leap of faith to pursue his heart’s desire: a career filled with motorcycle wrenching, blue-collar Dickies uniforms, and lots of engine grease. After graduating at the top of his class at AMI, he returned to Hawai’i to work in the local motorcycle industry, later opening up shop in his wife's hometown of Waipahu. Since then, Nikola has brought to life (in the sense of repairs, modifications, and ground-up builds) countless motorcycles, making many bikes and their owners very happy.
Reasons why you should bring your bike to our shop: Nikola loves motorcycles. Nikola does good work. Nikola is an honest, creative, and hardworking guy.
If you want to support small business, and you want a proficient mechanic who you can trust to do excellent work for all of your motorcycle needs, come to KICK ONLY Motorcycles.
BUDDHI
Buddhi is KICK ONLY Motorcycles official shop dog and greeter. He is a rescue dog, adopted at four mos by Nikola and Trish in 2012 and has been greeting customers with his fangy grin ever since. He goes on parts runs and other shop errands all over O'ahu with his mama and is a friend to many in the industry. His favorite leisure activity is to swim/play ocean fetch in Waikīkī, where scores of tourists snap photos of him and cheer him on. Some days, he wears his official uniform, a bowtie.