Meet Aki Sakamoto | Harley Davidson Mechanic

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

Hi Aki, how do you think about risk?
Some might say that moving to America without knowing any English or not having Family members around is a risky move. Starting my own business can be risky too.
If you feel risk as fear and that scares you. You don’t want it that bad.
Not doing what I love gives me more anxiety and frustration, than worrying about failure. Failing doesn’t scare me. I am scared of living in regret, stress and fear if I didn’t honor what I wanted to do in life. That would kill me… I didn’t want to settle.
You do what you gotta do.
Sometimes I see the word “Risk” more as “Making Choices” Everyday is about making choices, you can’t focus too much about the right or wrong choice, sometimes you have to just make a choice.
When I really want to eat steak tonight, I am not thinking about missing out on eating sushi.

What should our readers know about your business?
I own an independent Harley Davidson repair shop HOG KILLERS in Hawaiian Gardens CA since 2009 .At my shop I do general repair and service work, on top of that, I do engine machining in house. Quite frequently my clients are local repair shop owners because of all the machine work that I can do within my shop. Also, my specialty is with older Harley’s which are not usually able to be repaired at the larger franchise shops.
This makes my business in a niche market.
Motorcycles are always part of my life. My dad was a rider, and I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was a kid. I don’t really consider my job as “work” as much as it is a lifstyle. Doing what you love can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes my perfection is killing my business I need to remind myself not to get carried away. I need to run a business.

I am thankful that my clients see my dedication that goes into all of the repair work and they spread the word. It really goes to show, if you do what you love and you do it well, the business will come to you.

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?
There are so many things you can do in SoCal. If I were to take a friend around, you know it has to be on a motorcycle ride. Some of the best places to stop are along some of the best routes while you are on your motorcycle while crusing through SoCal: The Rock Store in Aguroa Hills, Neptues Net in Malibu, Cooks Corner in Trabuco Canyon, The Lookout Road House in Lake Elesenore, Deuce Ex Machina in Venice, Carbon Canyon Coffee Co. in Brea and Cold Spring Tavern in Santa Barbara.
There are so many great places you can stop at, I wish I could list them all. But all of them are a great ride with some great roads. As we all need to remember: life is about the journey, not the destination.

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?
I’d like to start off with one of the books I read, although I am not a big reader in general, this one has always stuck out. Written word can be so insperational but the author doesn’t get the chance to know how impactful they were, and sometimes they never will. I can’t remember how many times I have read “Evel Ways” By Evel Knievel. This was my Bible when I was struggling to come back to America for the 2nd time – but what stuck the most and gave me the push was the idea of “You’re never a failure until you fail to get up”
Then there are the people who inspired me, so many who inspired me over the years: but here are few that impacted my life tremendously.

Firstly my MMI (Motorcycle Mechanics Institute) instructor the late Ron Bull. I was one of his students in 1999 and remained friends with him until he passed this year. He is the most knowledgeable Harley technician I have known. He lived the 70s biker lifestyle, which I had always dreamed of.

Next, Take Inoue, he was not only the senior mechanic who taught me the skills sets at the Harley Davidson dealership that I worked at in Japan, he was like a big brother to me. He is the most straightforward man with strong conviction. He has owns an independent Harley shop called “Aspen Grow” in Japan for over 20 years now. We don’t connect often but when we do, we talk just like 25 years ago when we worked together, like we never skipped a beat.

I can’t be thankful enough to the Sund Family in Utah, They were my host family when I was an exchange student the first time I came to the States. Specifically, my dearest friend Karla, she treated me as her own son and we often chatted for hours and hours until early morning. I missed school quite often, but I had personal English lessons with our hours long chats. I am glad that she has the ears for my FOB broken “Engrish”. The whole family treated me as one of their own, and that meant a lot.
There was even a time I was wrongfully handcuffed by local police, I thought it was funny. Karla didn’t take it too well, next thing I knew she was yelling and screaming at the police officers over the phone. She was the Mama Bear I didn’t know I needed. Even now we are still connected. Now my daughter is friends with Karla’s grandkids.

Also, A big thanks to my former employer Jesse He is the one who opened the door for me to my dream of “Custom Motorcycle life in America”. He trusted my work and talent. He shared with me so many amazing opportunities that you just can’t imagine having, not just as someone who was born in the US, but as someone trying to make the American Dream happen. During my 6 plus years I was working at West Coast Choppers, I met so many talented people and learned how to create and build anything you can imagine. That was also the most exciting place anyone could have worked at, there was always something new. If I could do it all over again, I would.

Last but not least… My wife Natalie Sakamoto. She is my home.I can’t do what I do without her love and support.
She always checks my blind spots and gives me wings with a looong leash! We both are business owners and entrepreneurs, we both make a living doing what we love.She knows me more than myself. I know that I can be stubborn and strong headed ,also sometimes a pain in the ass. . But she manages me so well, the best partner that I can dream of. I don’t know how I got this lucky.

Website: https://www.hogkillers.com

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