Help a fellow biker out?

http://www.gofundme.com/502v98 Not asking all us broke guys to donate, but maybe you guys with FB pages can help me out by sharing this? I am trying to get the shop up and running here in Hawaii, and despite frequent 16 hour days and working my ass off, I am no closer, it seems, to getting the money to ship my shop to Hawaii from Alaska. So a friend turned me on to gofundme, and I am giving it a whirl. I have had my Alaska property up for sale, and if it sells, I will probably take down the page, as it will cover me for the move. I am going to have my bro get into the storage unit and ship me some of my metal working tools ASAP- like my welder and such. I am hoping I can make some more side-dough to push this along. Any VFR members that donate, and if I get the shop going, with bikes, can always "borrow" a bike if they come to the big Island, as a small thanks. Right now, I am bike-less myself even, though maybe not for long, will post another topic on that once I get it in my hot little hands LOL.

 

Can you post up a pic of your new place in HI! Sounds like great place to live in HI!:beguiled: Good luck in your venture! I am dealing with some stuff too-glad I have a Nice vfr 800 that I am fixing up!

 

Then ya got the starving children in Nigeria that have a million gozintas they want to share.

 

Don't have a shop yet in Hawaii- you want pics of where I live? Got lots of those! Great place to live, let me tell you, and GREAT riding. got a couple new posts on it, got my first hundred dollar donation. Check it out- got pics there. http://www.gofundme.com/502v98 Including ones of my V4

 

can you do any custom work right now? Welding exhausts ect.? I would like to see some pics of where your going to set this shop up in HI!

 

I have this one place in mind down by the Hilo bay front that is totally empty and has been for some time- but dead smack in Tsunami zone as well- it is the boat launch, there used to be an iron works there- but you have inspired me to go and do some more digging and take pics! Will do- I can weld almost anything. tonight I will post up some welding pics- I have welded up engine cases, rear sets, exhausts, made parts from scratch, I was really branching out into international manufacturing when I ran into my problems. Will be diligent to post some welding pics tonight though.

 

Okay- went down to talk to the manager of the Hilo Ironworks building. It is rough- but it is a swingin deal, and they will waive the rent until the repairs are done and i actually move i- plus 6 months free! As you are driving down the bay-front- this is the main drag in town, there is a bridge, and it is the boat launch. There is the Hilo Iron works building. It is one of the few buildings to survive all the Tsunamis in the past 50 years, including the Alaska good Friday earthquake that killed quite a few people in Hilo. More people died in Hilo than Alaska, in fact.

Available office space in front currently if I wanted it:


The industrial section I want to be in, using 1-2000 feet, and available for expansion as needed, plus fenced bike covered parking:



Inside:



as you look from the parking lot to the bay front:

 

The back side of the building, bordering the docks:



The mouth of the Wialoa river, and boat slips just behind the building in the back of the parking lot. Can go for a swim on work breaks- water is crystal clean!

 

My Z1

My race car



My jeep



Just for some idea of stuff I have built in the past- my stuff is always viper red, if you didn't notice LOL

 

Z1 modded frame on frame jig, This bike is 90% done now, I don't have more current pics, because they are in storage.

Some random shop pics I still have in photobucket from the old shop:

 

Always had group rides and barbeques at the shop to promote the biz:











Average bike as it came to me:

 

As the KZ was in the show from pics above"



Random shop and welding pics:

 

Fixin' VFRs





Makin odd bits, this is a carb spacer for a 50cc chopper I made:





Random bike in shop pics:



Frames for 50cc choppers I built for Hawaii, I have a WMI and can write VIN numbers for the frames I build:





The 50cc bikes in Hawaii, street legal, only four were made and sold here.

 

So to be candid, this sounds no different than the people I see begging for money for this or that on the street corner. A lot of us have a been through tough times, and many of us still are. Personally, I think you should feel ashamed of yourself asking for money like this based on your situation which is NOT a life threatening emergency. Your post is sickening to say the least. I worked for 7 years, 12 hours days (or more), 6-7 days a week...it sucks, but I did it, and I am still alive thanks to my own blood, sweat and tears.

You really need to show some class and take your page down. Work out your problems like all of us harding working everyday people do. As it is now, you're just looking for a handout like the bums are. You mention that if you sell your Alaska shop it will fund the move, then do that....stop trying to take advantage of people's charity for your personal gain. Your charity ploy is but a sham.

rant over...

 

Those are all words written in English and I understand them individually.

 

ound:..........

 

I'm going through some hard times and really need some 16 year old single malt scotch and a fat bag of stinky herbs....Anyone here wanna donate to my worthy cause?? The cost of living in Hawaii is so cheap so you'll be swimming in money before you know it....NOT !!!



Rollin

 

You know- I thought the same when I was told by the small business association seminar about "raising capital" and turned on to that site. It started with a site called "Kickstarter" which is a site very similar to gofundme but for entertainment and food industry only. Slightly different format. It is based on the idea of small capital donations, that help small business get started when it is so much harder for small business to get loans or grants than corporate entities that basically destroyed out economy then got a bail out for their efforts, because all our economy was so tied into it that we couldn't afford to let them fail.

SBA grants and loans are the same tools as being used here, and just as a legitimate form of raising capital. Very, very few businesses nationwide are formed strictly out of pocket with the sole source of capital being the deep pockets of the business owner. It is how capitialism works, in fact, that is the definition of capitalism. In socialist countries, you have to save all your money and buy whatever you need cash outright- there is no such thing as a "loan" or "bills" or "financing".

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of small business looking for start up money or 'save me" money on that site, and many have done just that.

Most of the donations are from others in small business that have had similar problems and have been helped out of the crunch by friends and neighbors. One friend raised 10k after finding out she had been embezzled by her accountant from her Tax payment account on payroll, and was going to lose the business, and jobs for 3 employees, because of criminal behavior by another. Her business was saved and so were those jobs. As her business has thrived, she has donated on that site throughout the last year or so as she has been able.

You may not agree with this way to raise capital, but it is legitimate, and most of these people donating are paying it forward or paying back when they had help from the community or friends during a rough patch.

I am working 60 odd and plus hours a week, depending on the availability of OT.

Actually, I have property in Alaska I have had for sale for about 6 months, and hope that is sells during the "selling season" this year, but I can't count on that alone, eggs in one basket thing. If it happens, I end the account and either give money back, if the donator wants it, or I donate it to another small business.

I am alive, and yeah, blood sweat and tear etc.

If you don't want to donate- don't. No one is forcing you to do it. But websites like this are the new reality of capital raising, and it is working, big time, across the nation.

If my business takes off, and it happens, you can be damned sure I will be donating to other small businesses that are on that site.

It is nothing more than another tool for raising capital in a new economy.

If you're in trouble, or hurt or need - go to the poor people. They're the only ones that'll help - the only ones.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_steinbeck.html#Z75pq5sy4aIF6P8w.99

No rant at all.

 

You know when I first saw this thread I was thinking..."yeah right...New guy on here... could be a scam. Motorcycle repair guy in Alaska... Might as well be trying to sell beach sand in Saudi..." There was a time that I needed help but like as its been said before I busted my ass... But you know what I have a good heart... Ill take a gamble and donate 20$ to the cause....If I get burned, lesson learned and your name will be out there for all VFRW members to be wary of...If this is what you want to do and this works out for you then we can meet up for beers next time I visit HI and Ill look at it as a 20$ investment for drinks...


All that being said I went to the site and I don't feel comfortable giving out my CC # info on the thread (it asks for it on the site). If there was some other way, like paypal Ill continue that direction.

And for all you normal VFRW moochers.... My heart and wallet is only so big SO DONT ASK!!!! Ask Randy lol....(isn't there a thread by that name?????otstir

 

I already asked Randy for a 16 year old scotch donation and all I got from him was half a can of PBR.

Rollin