Dean Wright, Hernandez’s partner and owner of Wright Cycles in Moline, said scooter restoration is labor-intensive and pricey, so charging with profit in mind would drive customers away.
Wright met Hernandez through Wright’s father, who saw Hernandez’s wife’s scooter parked and stopped to talk to her about it.
“If you charge what you really needed to to make an actual profit nobody would spend that kind of money to get something restored,” Wright said.
The money doesn’t matter as much as the craft, though. Gran Sport Cycles is more of a hobby than a business, and Hernandez generally only works on vintage scooters because he enjoys them the most. He’ll occasionally also work on old motorcycles.
“I don’t know why I do this other than love,” Hernandez said.
Vintage scooters line the floor and wall of Gran Sport Cycles. Kris Hernandez works on two to three scooters at a time, with each taking months to restore.
Before Hernandez discovered scooters, his antique interests ran more towards hot rods and other cars. His wife wanted a Vespa, so Hernandez surprised her with one he built for her birthday. During the process of restoring the scooter Hernandez fell in love with their aesthetic and build.
When he’s working on a scooter, Hernandez said he thinks about the people who worked on it before him, and the passion they put into it.
“It’s more like being an artist, I suppose you can say,” he said.
