AKI SAKAMOTO - HOG KILLERS INTERVIEW Part 3

JAC: Who are the people who helped you learn or have been an influence in your career?

Aki: A lot of people.  Not just one person. Jesse is one of them.  He taught me what to do and not to do. I’m not sure if he was a big influence though.  At certain age’s I’ve always had someone to look up to.  He was one of them at the time.  I should say the people who worked at West Coast.  They taught me a lot of stuff.  All of the people I met when I was at West Coast are where I learned a lot of skills and of course Jesse too.  There are a lot of no name people that nobody knows that I look up to.

JAC: When did you start Hog Killers?

Aki: I started Hog Killers in the 2009.  Right after I quit West Coast on Dec 25^th.  I started my shop on January 1^st.  I already lived in my shop and worked on my own stuff back then.  I would do side jobs here and there. Mainly I had the shop because I had a Lincoln and other projects.  No landlord would like me working in their garages.  They kicked my out in Long Beach so I moved here.  It wasn’t my initial plan to have a shop here, but it was the only place I could live and work on my stuff.

A lot of my work comes through word of mouth.  I’m trying to take my bikes to more shows to get exposure.  Hopefully the economy catches up and people start spending more money.  I’m just trying to survive.  I’m doing ok though.  I do full customs, servicing and sell parts.  I have to work on my website though so I can start selling online.

JAC: Is there a favorite part of the bike building process you enjoy more than others?

Aki: I like everything.  I like doing electrical.  People can’t do wiring well and I know I can do it well.  I like to hide everything in tubing and try to keep everything clean.  I like working on the details. Like clips to hold the wiring, I never use zip ties. That’s one thing I learned from Jesse.  He never uses zip ties.

JAC: What are some of the projects you got going on now in your shop?

Aki:  I got a Goose Neck that I’m working on.  The ULH, 60’ Panhead, 76’ Shovelhead and an 84’ Shovelhead.  I’m trying to get them done for the Born Free 5 show.  Hopefully I can get the Goose Neck done soon so I can have Sonny (Boy) paint it.

 Go to www.hogkillers.com to check out more of Aki’s work and parts he has to offer.

AKI SAKAMOTO - HOG KILLERS INTERVIEW Part 2

JAC: What got you into working and building motorcycles?

Aki: I eventually got my first Harley when I was 18 years old.  It wasn’t even in good condition.  I was going to this bike shop, but they were kind of jerking me around because I was young and it really made me upset.  So I said, “Fuck it! I’m going to learn it myself.”  So I quit going to the bike shop and I started tearing the motor apart and working on it.  That’s how it got me started because I was dealing with that shitty motorcycle shop.

I went on to Motorcycle Mechanic Institute in Phoenix, Arizona in 1998 and graduated in 1999.  I went back to Japan and worked for a dealership for like a year.

I have been working on bikes since I was about 16 years old.  Back then we were borrowing scooters so you needed to hot wire them.  That’s how we all learned to work on bikes too. 

I worked at car shops early on. I was working in the car industry till I was 18.  Paint shops and stuff like that.  Then I worked out of my garage before I got hired at West Coast Choppers.  That’s when I moved back to the U.S. in 2002.  I wanted to work for Jesse James of West Coast Choppers so back in Japan I finished two bikes and sold them to make money to get here.  I showed up at West Coast and applied.  Fuck it. I got lucky. 

Tune in tomorrow for part 3.

AKI SAKAMOTO - HOG KILLERS INTERVIEW Part 1

Recently I went to Aki Sakamoto’s shop, Hog Killers in Hawaiian Gardens, Ca., to sit down for a quick interview and shoot some photos. 

We first met at a photography show I did a few years ago in the back room of a barbershop in Long Beach, Ca.  I kept up on what he was doing mostly from editorial coverage Aki would get from working at West Coast Choppers and later on at Hog Killers. 

He had  built a bike that really caught my eye and I wanted to do a photo shoot of it. By the time I got around to asking him about it he took the bike to Japan for a show and while it was there, it ended up getting sold.  So instead of shooting that bike I was able to shoot a Shovelhead that he built for another customer that was still at his shop waiting for pick up.  So not wasting anymore time, I headed over there and we talked about growing up in Japan and what motivated him to come to the States.  It is an interesting story of determination and survival in an industry flooded with tons of talented builders. 

JAC: Where were you born and raised?

Aki: I was born in Fukuoka City, Japan.  I moved to the U.S. when I was 21 back in 1995.  I came to the U.S. because I wanted to go to Sturgis, South Dakota.  Since I was going to be here I wanted to stay longer than just a week. I wanted to come here as a student and be able to get a visa and hopefully I could stay for at least 6 months.

I found a school to attend.  I was looking at a map and seeing where South Dakota was.  The closet school was in Utah.  I was just looking at the map and having a Japanese map in my mind I thought, “Oh that is pretty close. Maybe like an hour drive or something.”  So I went to Utah as a student and realized that South Dakota was not even close to Utah!  Yeah, that’s how I came here.  I didn’t even make it to Sturgis that year either.  My car broke down on the way!  I had a 77’ Nova that I bought for $500 bucks.  I thought I could go to Sturgis, but it was much further than I thought.  My car just broke down.  I had to hitch hike back home. That was fun.

JAC: What was your first motorcycle you owned?

Aki: It was a 400 Kawasaki back in Japan. My dad was into motorcycles. I think he was riding a Honda though.  I don’t think he ever had a Harley.  I don’t know how I got into Harley’s, but I always liked motorcycles.  That’s all we did back then. 12-13 years old, we would just go. That’s all we did as kids.  Once you ride a 50cc you want to go bigger and bigger.  

Part 2 of the interview and photos tomorrow.

AKI SAKAMOTO INTERVIEW/PHOTOS

Stop by tomorrow and read the interview and see the photos.

Aki Sakamoto-Hog Killers-The Interview

Putting the finishing touches on my interview with Aki Sakamoto.  Just finished editing the photos.  Will post it up on the blog soon.  

Hog Killers-Aki Sakamoto Photoshoot

Went down to Hog Killers to shoot with Aki Sakamoto today.  Spent a few hours over there checking out what he has got going and I actually sat down with him and did a quick 10 question interview.  I will post that up on the blog in the near future.  Hoping I can squeeze some time to sit down and type it out!  In the meantime go to his website and check his work out here.