Our top 10 questions to Giovanni Van Laecke of the ‘ The Old Garage’

“If you can dream it, We can build it, “this powerful thought can be seen on The Old Garage website, and that talks about the way Gio and his team believe in.

It also very well talks about what value add’ The Old Garage’ team can bring in.

He has also been awarded Best Custom at the “‘ The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride ’18 Ghent’.

We caught hold of Gio to understand more from him about himself as well as his thoughts about various other things that revolve around the motorcycles.

What more he is building a Turbocharge motorcycle that will weigh around 100kgs.

Giovanni Van Laecke

1. Do let us know a bit about yourself?
Gio: Born in Ghent ’87 and raised in Aalst, known as the Carnaval-city in Belgium. In the same city,’ The Old Garage’ is based.

From a young age, I’ve been obsessed with motorcycles, the feeling to change motorcycles, change the lines to match my ideas like no one owns another. 

Years go by, and passion makes me self-learn rebuilding engines, English-wheel, metal-fabricating, and of course, excellent design. Soon it became ‘the sky is the limit’ when building motorcycles.

The name ‘The Old Garage’ became a thing when I was working myself up building and creating Cafe-racers in an old tiny garage-box.It was only natural to name my business to where it all began.

Many years go by, Cafe-racers are born, and my style in building Cafe-racers becomes a concept, a ‘The Old Garage Motorcycles’ concept.

I’ve built many Cafe-racers of my own that I decided to make it a business and make people happy with creating their dream with my hands and knowledge. You could say I’m kind of a Santa-Claus making some dreams happen.

2. What are the current motorcycles that you are building?
Gio: At this moment, I’m building a Moto Guzzi for a customer and the crazy bike named ‘The Dwarf.’ It is a turbocharged beast being build to kill all competitors next ‘Glemseck 101’ event in Germany (you can find the info on my site). To see more on ‘The Dwarf ‘ click here.

3. What’s the most important factor as per you when it comes to a custom motorcycle?
Gio: When it comes to building unique custom motorcycles, it’s all-important to create something that has never build before.
Everything has been done before, but just not the way I do it.

I want a bike to look appealing, a new design with mechanical use. Not just for the show. I build bikes to ride and make people feel external feelings produced by this beautiful placed and formed metal.

4. Which was the most challenging motorcycle that you had built to date?
Gio: Actually, this Ducati (The Dwarf) is right up there! But in the sense of finished bike, the Yamaha Tmax (moto scooter which I transformed into a Caferacer with the dual exhaust system and many more shizzle) was the most difficult one because I had to cram everything together in the small frame.

5. Do you think electric motorcycles can take over the standard motorcycles?
Gio: I think they can and probably will when I am no longer walking this planet. I also do believe they won’t give us the experience of how petrol bikes make us feel. For example, step into a Tesla, which competes with a robust V8 muscle car with a manual gearbox. I’ll choose the V8 any day. 

6. What would you like yourself to be called? Designer, Innovator, or Builder?
Gio: Hmm, I sometimes have difficulties with people that call themselves motorcycle builders and don’t do the work. They let the work done by someone else or more and end up claiming the credits for the bike, and it’s craftsmanship. I proudly call myself a ‘Motorcycle-Designer/Builder.’

7. Who are your idols in the custom motorcycle industry?
Gio: My number one idol is Maxwell Hazan from Hazan Motorworks! He’s such a down to real earth craftsman, he builds motorcycles with a baroque style using the English wheel like me, but I feel he’s light years ahead of me! 

8. Do you plan to export your custom motorcycles?
Gio: I have built motorcycles for customers in my neighbor country Holland before, but if I ever get the question to export further and oversees, hell yes! It could only be an honor as a motorcycle builder. 

9. How do you see yourself five years down the line?
Gio: I can’t see in the future, but I hope with a beer in hand and the gain of absolute respect in the custom bike world. I am hopefully building excellent bikes for cool people all around the world. 

10. What do you in your leisure time?
Gio: Free time is something I don’t have much on hand, I’ve got another little company I’m running which is all kinds of metal design (metal tables, doors, and windows ) I’ll probably use the time to be with my girlfriend to make her feel she’s with someone.

To see more of Gio’s work click here .

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