With cold winter weather on the horizon, many local bikers may be looking to hang up their helmets and stow their bikes for the duration of the winter. But those hogs still need to be kept up throughout the winter, and one local shop is prepared to keep your bike in good condition so you can hit the road again come spring.

Bret Kelly is the owner and mechanic at Twin Performance Tuners in Garner. The shop is celebrating its first year in business this month, but the idea was in the making long before that. Kelly has been around motorcycles all his life, riding on the back of his dad’s bike since he was a kid. He began riding on his own at age 17 before deciding to make the hobby his way of life. In 2003, Kelly attended the Motorcycle Mechanic Institute in Orlando before returning to North Carolina. He worked at Ray Price Harley Davidson as a technician in the service department for four years. But he dreamed of owning his own shop, and when the stars aligned with an opportunity and a location, Kelly decided to go for it.

“Working at the dealership, I didn’t get to meet any of my customers,” he said. “I only knew names and bikes, not faces. I wanted to offer service that was a little more personal. I don’t think people just want to drop their bike off and not know who’s going to be working on it. Since I’ve been here, I’ve met ten times as many people in one year as I did in the four years working there.”

Over the past year, he’s been steadily building up a regular clientele mostly through word of mouth. Kelly says it’s not easy to attract new business in the motorcycle industry, but he hopes his work will speak for itself.

“I’m very picky when it comes to working on bikes, and it’s important to me that the bike doesn’t leave until I’m happy with it. And if I’m happy with it, chances are the customer will be happy with it, too,” he said. “It’s my business and my reputation on the line, and as small as I am, a couple of negative words out there could kill me.”

Local business owner Rick Humphries can certainly relate. He too built a business from scratch, starting Diamond Towing back in 2003. An avid motorcyclist since the ‘70s, Humphries is also a regular at Locked and Loaded, where he first spotted an advertisement for TPT. He decided to check the place out this past spring and hasn’t looked back since.

“I was real impressed with his knowledge of motorcycles and figured I’d give him a chance,” said Humphries. “He’s just a super nice guy to talk to, and he’ll spend time with you and not try to push you out the door. He’s got good prices and does good work.”

Humphries, who owns a Harley Davidson, has since had engine work done and custom wheels put on at TPT. He’s also sent over several of his friends who have needed their bikes serviced or repaired.

Kelly specializes in Harleys but can work on nearly any make and model. He does everything from tire changes to engine builds, performance work, installing accessories, fuel injection tuning and more. He also has a Dyno tuning machine on site, the ideal machinery for maximizing the power of your bike.

Motorcycles can run on the Dyno starting at $20. Kelly’s shop rate is $55 an hour, a price he says is lower than or comparable to other local shops.

“I try to keep it simple here. I focus on attention to detail, being personal with the customers and getting to know them and have them feel comfortable with me,” he said. “It’s not my goal to have people come here just because I’m cheaper – that’s great, but I want them to come here because they trust me and because I do good work.”

Be sure to check out the shop for winter performance work and ask about the specials going on. Kelly can complete most jobs within a few days, but since some services can take up to a few weeks, he encourages bikers to get maintenance work done during the winter when they’re not riding so that their bikes will be ready to hit the road when warm weather returns in the spring.

Kelly also offers discounts for first responders in gratitude for what they do and the realization that he could very possibly need their services someday.

“I try to take care of them because they take care of me,” he said.

And Humphries is one of those who will keep coming back to be taken care of.

“People should definitely give him a try – I think they’ll be well satisfied,” said Humphries. “I tell my wife, a motorcycle is a blank canvas. There’s a lot you can do to it, and Bret can work on just about anything for you.”

Twin Performance Tuners is located at 132 Rand Park Drive in Garner. The shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kelly said he’s also interested in participating in local motorcycle events or being a stop for an organized ride, like a Poker Run, so if you have an event coming up and are looking for a stop or venue, give him a call.

For more information, check out TPT’s web site at www.twinperftuners.com, or call 919-779-5890.