• PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER
• SHINY TWO WHEELED MACHINES: Surrounded by just some of SLO Motorsports stock of Yamahas, Moto Guzzis, Aprilias, Vespas and Piaggio, manager Lance Tanneris is ready to help you buy your next motorcycle.

Just around the corner from SLO’s historical railroad station is an up-and-coming hot spot for not just any thrill junkie. A sister store to L.A. Harley Davidson and Santa Maria Honda, SLO Motorsports is gearing up to open its doors fully to the public. Set to have its grand opening at the end of September, this little motorcycle shop is hoping to gain a steady flow of traffic at its location on Santa Barbara Street close to Broad

SLO Motorsports General Manager Chris Backs is trying to get everything settled in the new shop, which is mainly waiting on inventory to make the big kick-off.

“I am from L.A., so this whole area is pretty new to me,” Backs said. Although new to town, he knows the shop is in a prime location. He can see the amount of exposure the shop has simply from passersby on their daily commute. Backs is excited to fully open.

“We got pretty lucky,” Backs said. “Getting this spot wasn’t easy.”

Besides the busy location, the shop prides itself on being the only motorcycle shop in SLO selling new products. Carrying popular brands such as Yamaha, Moto Guzzi, and Vespa, SLO Motorsports wants to create a sanctuary for motorbike lovers. Not only do they sell top-of-the-line brands of motorcycles and motorbikes, but behind the store is a minor repair station for all brands of bikes. If the issue is too big for the technicians to take care of in-house, the company provides free bike transportation to their Santa Maria location, which offers full major repair services on all brands.

SLO Motorsports is currently in the process of putting up a store sign so their small shop is easily recognizable. Soon, the store will be impossible to miss with the Vespas and motorcycles they will begin to display outside.

Although waiting for the full inventory to arrive, SLO Motorsports is currently selling their products to the public. For more information, visit the shop at 2140 Santa Barbara St. by Miner’s Ace Hardware, call 439-3210, or keep an eye out for their new website at sanluisobispomotorsports.com.

Fast fact

In an effort to save the ever growing population of cats in the SLO community, Woods Humane Society has dubbed September Free Kitty Month. For the entire month of September, this nonprofit organization is making all feline adoptions free of charge. For those who wish to adopt one of the hundreds of adoptable homeless cats or kittens, the adoption fee will be waived in addition to other free services. Every feline will be spayed or neutered, fully vaccinated, personality profiled through the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program, and micro-chipped upon departure. Adoptions not only help a cat in need of a loving home, but will create more space for other adoptable homeless felines. To see all of the available cats and kittens, visit the Woods Humane Society at 875 Oklahoma Ave, visit their website at woodshumane.org, or call 543-9316.

Intern Tally Meyers compiled this week’s Strokes&Plugs. Send your business and nonprofit news to [email protected].