Published October 16, 2019
Motorcycle restoration
with Bryan Broaddrick
When Bryan Broaddrick needs to clear his head, he retreats to a dream project: restoring his motorcycle.
"Whenever I'm in the garage, with a wrench in my hand, everything else kinds of fades away," said this 32-year-old architect at Sparks Reed Architecture and Interiors.
His hobby began two years ago, when Broaddrick decided the time was right to dive into long-held motorhead ambitions. He started by searching online sales sites, seeking not a pristine set of wheels, but a fixer-upper.
"The intent was always to get a project," he said with a smile. "I've always liked tinkering with things, taking things apart and putting them back together."
With three options in mind, Broaddrick settled on a 1981 Suzuki GS850. His 843-cubic-centimeter, 542-pound motorcycle couldn't run but had a lot of potential.
"Cosmetically it was in pretty decent shape, but mechanically, it needed some work" said the fledgling grease monkey. "The valves needed to be re-shimmed, and the carburetor needed to be rejetted, so it was just a matter of tuning it back up."
Even so, this restoration process took a while, for besides joining the Sparks Reed staff in December 2017, Broaddrick soon found himself marrying his wife, Adriana. Son Isaac Lee will join the family in (what month again?).
"On average, I get to dedicate maybe two hours a week to it," he said of the bike. "But it is running, and running well. I'm just doing some minor electrical and cosmetic work to it."
This hands-on hobby proved a welcome addition to his professional chores.
"There are strong correlations in the way that you have to mentally approach a project like this, and an architectural project" he explained. "It helps to have an understanding of the way a system works. You don't need to be able to design it, but you need to understand it."
He enjoys the rush of riding, with dreams of escaping pavement for dirt trails.
"You get the joy of the speed that you get with the car, but you also feel connected with the environment," he said. "You can feel the temperature change when you ride over a lake. You can smell the fresh air when you head through the woods."
Broaddrick looks forward to introducing both Adriana and Isaac to motorcycling. She joined him on some rides before their pregnancy.
"When you spend so much time pondering and dreaming of something, finally accomplishing it makes it that much sweeter," Broaddrick said. "One interesting thing about owning the bike is, I've become a better driver. I'm more aware of what's going on around me. I'm paying more attention to the road."
