Salina Kansas App News Center: The Vintage Spoke

The Vintage Spoke

By Lisa Eastman

Chad Chebultz never planned on ending up in Abilene. A missed turn or mistake reading a map led him to the town he now calls home.

Chebultz was driving through from Texas and thought he was on Highway 77 but had actually ended up on Highway 15. Chebultz shared, “I came into the middle of Abilene and saw this town and thought, yeah man, this is 1950. This is ok. I went home and told my girlfriend about Abilene and we were looking over here within two weeks. Next thing, we’re here and it’s been a good place for us ever since.”

At the time, Chebultz was in the collections business. But motorcycles had been a part of his life in the past. He was a successful flat-track racer with three national championship wins under his belt. Then it all changed with an accident in Paducah, Kentucky. Chebultz suffered a head injury and decided that along with seeing two close friends injured, that was enough for him. He quit riding but still considered motorcycles art.

After losing his job a few years ago, Chebultz went back to his passion for the art of motorcycles and started a business. Chebultz explained, "My neighbor had a motorcycle for five hundred dollars and I had lost my job. My money was running out. So I thought, “ I wonder if I can buy that bike?” I knew it had to be worth more than that. So I bought it and I think it sold for $2100 and I had a $500 investment.” Chebultz reinvested his profits and the business took off from there.

Chebultz saw a need for parts for older motorcycles and found a way to manufacture these through partnerships with other companies. Chebultz has been very successful and has built his business to include nine full-time and two part-time employees. He sells both restored motorcycles as well as new parts for vintage motorcycles.