Hot wheels

Ed Biaggi has spent a great deal of his life around two wheels – either working on motorcycles or riding them. And to Biaggi, riding motorcycles involves a little more speed than most of us attain, willingly or otherwise. After years working in other people’s shops, Biaggi is now operating his own custom bike shop in Post Falls.

“I have been racing drag bikes now for about six years,” said Biaggi in his shop just off Seltice Way. “Before that, I worked on pit crews as a mechanic or crew chief. This year I’ll race all around the Northwest and farther out – places like Woodburn (Ore.) Seattle, Denver and many other tracks.”

Biaggi competes in All Harley Drag Racing Association events with his custom-built nitrous oxide and alcohol-injected Pro Gas category bike capable of 7-second runs at near 180 miles per hour in just a quarter of a mile drag strip.

You might think that speed would be enough for a racer, but for Biaggi, fast is never fast enough.

“I’m looking into building a top fuel bike down the road,” he said. “Those bikes can run even quicker, up to 250 miles per hour.”

The top fuel bikes run on nitromethane, an extremely volatile fuel that has a steroidal effect on supercharged engines, like those used in top fuel dragsters and funny cars in the National Hot Rod Association classes.

But for now Biaggi is focused on getting his new business running smoothly. His shop at 808 W. Mullan in Post Falls offers motorcycle welding, performance modifications, service, custom bike building and rebuilding.

Biaggi has been involved in bike shops since he was 14, and has held every position and done virtually everything involved with either production- or custom-made motorcycles. He has work lined up to install custom accessories for local motorcyclists.

“This bike is in for a whole new skin,” said Biaggi, pointing to a customer’s Harley-Davidson. The “skin” is biker talk for such parts as fenders and gas tanks. Biaggi said the bike’s owner wants a new set of handlebars as well.

“When it’s done, it’ll be a whole new bike, and that’s the idea.”

Biaggi explained that custom parts are available for all stock bikes sold today – domestic or imports. His plan is to do custom work on all of them.

“During the winter a bike shop will normally see bigger projects, as their owners are through riding them for the season,” Biaggi said. “During the riding season, most owners will only have their bike in the shop for something that is quick to change, because they don’t want to be without their bike for long. I haven’t really done much advertising, either. For the most part, shops like this run more on word-of-mouth and reputable work.”

Biaggi estimates about half of his work is coming from Eastern Washington customers and half from North Idaho.

“It’s (Post Falls) a good site, centrally located,” said Biaggi. “Having the Thursday Thunder (at the Road House and Hot Rod Cafe) and the Cruisers Bar (in Stateline) get-together locally doesn’t hurt either.”

Biaggi has no definite plans for branching out to other areas of motorcycle service and is just concentrating on getting the business and its services known to area riders.

“It really depends on the individual; there are so many things that can be done to a bike. There are high-performance cams available to make it go faster and millions of parts to make them look unique. But really turning wrenches is the easy part,” Biaggi said.

“Now I leave work at night wondering if the coffeepot was left on,and if all the paperwork was done.”