Business: Win Racing
Address: 10S187 Schoger Drive, Naperville
Phone: 630-978-8856
Owner: Brian Westphal, 62, of Bolingbrook
Years in business: 25
What does your business do? “Custom motorcycles. Add a turbo on that one, on this one. I also do repairs,” Westphal said.
What does a turbo do? “The turbo brings in more air to the engine. You’re using more fuel. Boosts up the horsepower. Makes the bike go faster.”
How fast? “Some of the customers can go 200 mph. One of the customers hit 240, 250. They do this at salt flats, special events at airports on the runways. There’s some in Indiana.”
What about the motorcycles we hear of topping 100 mph on highways? “There are idiots everywhere. Back in the day, street racing was super popular. They actually had a course near here, just before the railroad tracks. There was a little quarter-mile setup there. … But these bikes you can’t run out there. There’s too much power for the street so most of the guys go to the tracks.”
Why did you start this business? “I started out of the house. … I used to road race a long time ago, back in the ’80s and early ’90s. I raced on tracks. Daytona. Elkhart Lake. Ohio. Used to travel around. Then we had kids. It’s just harder and it’s not inexpensive. … Racing is fun.”
What happens when someone comes in? “Generally, most everybody is familiar with it. You don’t get anybody brand new who wants something like this. They’ll want an exhaust system put on it, get it tuned, get a little more horsepower. Make it run better. Then, over time, if they get into the speed part of it, (they’ll say) ‘I need more power.’
“They’ll start with a basic bike and make it a little bit better. They’ll go out have fun and get comfortable with it. Then they’ll want another small thing and another small thing. Most people build up over time.”
What is your favorite? “If it was a street bike it would probably be a Ducati Panigale.
“I’m not too much of a Harley fan. For the most part, people who get the import bikes want to ride. People who get the Harleys, they get the girls. It’s like a truck and a Ferrari. The truck may cost as much as a Ferrari but nobody is looking at the truck. Import bikes and Harleys are the same way. You can have 15 imports, one Harley guy comes by, everybody is looking at the Harley.”
What about pricing? “You can spend $10,000 to $20,000 on a bike and make it 400 horsepower. Or you can spend that same money on a 600 cc bike and make it 220 horsepower. To me, it doesn’t make financial sense.”
What’s your business philosophy? “I always tell people I like making money not taking money. But I’m only going to say ‘no’ so much. If you want that and you fully understand moneywise. … Why do people do any of the things they do? A bike might have sentimental value to them. Or they want something different from what other people have.”
Can drive turbo bikes on city streets? “You can and you can’t. It depends on what mood the police are in that day. You can have an import bike with an open exhaust and it can be obnoxiously loud. And they’ll pull you over every block. You can have a Harley that’s twice as loud and (the police) let them keep riding. … Turbo bikes, they’re really not that loud if you’re just riding around. The full-on drag bikes? You can’t. We don’t have a radiator on them. They’re so low to the ground, on some streets they’ll bottom out.”
More men or women customers? “Ninety-eight percent men.”
Did you ride a mini bike as a kid? “No. My dad had bikes. My mom had a bike. I got a bike when I was 19. I got a KZ 1000R. … That thing was a blast.”
Is this a good location for business? “I can use more (space) but I can manage what I have. A lot of times, when I have space, all of a sudden I get a ton more bikes.”
Are you the only employee? “Yes. I’ve tried working with others. I just don’t have the patience. … I’ll turn away work I don’t like. A ratty looking bike.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Know and believe in what you’re doing and the rest will work itself out. … There’s always issues and problems that come up. But as long as you know what you are doing, you’ll be fine.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
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