2003 Year in Review

KC'z Cycle Repairs Harley-Davidsons

KC Milnes opened his Harley-Davidson repair shop KC'z Cycle

There are two things you can say about KC Milnes. He is focused and picky. When he was just 17 years old, when asked him what he was going to do. He said, “Go to school to be a motorcycle mechanic.” Knowing his family, who are almost all involved in construction, the easy route would have been to work for dad in the family business, Color Star Painting. But KC knew what he wanted to do and was determined to accomplish it.

Now almost five years later he has just opened his own shop, KC’z Cycle, on the west end of Lincolnway in Morrison. KC knew he wanted to work with his hands and so he took auto mechanics at the Whiteside Area Vocational Center. While at the Center, a recruiter from UTI, a mechanics technical school, spoke to his class. At the end he said, “By the way we have the countries only certified Harley-Davidson school.” KC says it was like a “slap in the face”. He already had a ’71 Harley Sportster and a love for the machines. He knew then what he wanted to do. There was a second incident that convinced him to make the move. A mechanic he knew from Workman Harley-Davidson in Sterling was test-driving a bike on a cold winter day with the biggest grin on his face. That did it for KC.

Workman did not have any opening for mechanics then. So after high school KC started his own ceramic tile installation business. His customers knew he would do it right even if it took a little longer. He uses that same philosophy when working on bikes. If you want it slapped together in a hurry, KC is not your mechanic. He is thorough and “picky, picky, picky”.

KC attended MMI in Phoenix, Arizona. They also have a school in Orlando, Florida but he had a couple friends, Matt Warner and Nick Ivey who lived in Phoenix, and that helped him decide on Phoenix. He really liked MMI, it was clean, organized and had a large facility. But there is usually a one-year wait to get in. They were so impressed with KC’s background and that he had owned his own business, MMI wanted him to start right away. KC decided to wait and start in the fall. The program lasts about a year and he was able to finish in November 2002.

Almost half of the students were over 30 but the 20 year old earned his fellow students respect by not partying. He was always focused and at the top of the class. “I could only do school once,” KC acknowledged. The school was strict and he did not want to fail.

The last class he took was “Engine Rebuild and Performance” and after that class he was awarded Top Technician. Workman called about that time and told him he had a job at graduation but KC followed his heart to California to work at Orange County Harley-Davidson the largest dealership west of the Mississippi and 4th in the country. To get a job there, KC had a precision test in front of their top people then he demonstrated his knowledge on the showroom floor in front of the customers on a busy Saturday. At the age of 21, the dealership said he had done “98% better than any other mechanic”

The job was “awesome, an excellent place to work”. Unlike most shops, they had a full machine shop on site. He made friends with one of the service technicians with 26 years of experience who recently moved back to Louisiana but he keeps in touch and can call him anytime for advice.

But KC was lonely in California and wanted to move back home. Workman had filled the position so he decided to start his own shop. The front half of the old Morrison Implement business was available. You would think with a construction family he would have had lots of help but his dad and brothers were busy so he did all the new walls, paint and carpet by himself. It took him about 6 months to get ready. KC explained, “I needed to be happy with the way the place looks. It’s the first impression customers see. Presentation is half the sale.” And KC is picky.

KC’z Cycle has 2 lifts and racks of motorcycle parts. He is an authorized dealer for Custom Chrome, Drive Specialty, Midwest Motorcycle Supply, and Jim’s Machining. Even though KC is trained in all motorcycle repairs, he has decided to specialize in only Harley-Davidsons. So far it has paid off, he has one motorcycle on the lift, a custom cycle to build on the other and eight waiting to be worked on. And KC’z Cycle has only been open three weeks.

So what does this 22 year old think about Harleys being an “old man’s bike”? He loves to cruise in his own full-sized Harley but would like to custom build his own bike. Even though he loves Harleys, building custom bikes is another dream of his. “That’s something you can’t do in a dealership. And the anticipation of fabricating a bike that is totally unique is exciting,” admitted KC.

KC already has his own line of KC’z Cycle shirts. He is open 9:30 am – 6:30 pm Monday through Saturdays but is closed on Thursdays.

by Barb Benson, theCity1.com
December 19, 2003