Lynn Hodges is the founder of Pro Moto Billet and acquired Fastway Performance which he operates out of Nampa, Idaho.
As you might expect, the President of a company that builds aftermarket components for dirt bikes is pretty invested in the two-wheeled scene on a personal level as well as from the business end. Lynn Hodges owns
Pro Moto Billet/Fastway Performance and we first met the likable aluminum guru several years ago at an EnduroCross event.
Originally fabricating his own dual-sport rack out of personal necessity, Lynn has made his living by figuring out ways to make dirt bike riding more practical, fun and stylish. Many of his products lend versatility, like his top-selling Kick-It kickstand, spark arrestor endcaps and silent inserts, the aforementioned Rack-It racks and license plate holders. Also, since billet’s the name and motorcycles the game, his companies also offer a wide variety of anodized covers, caps and spacers to make your ride look trick.
We ran into him again in Nampa, Idaho, where his company is based, during a testing assignment on the
2Moto Snow Bikes. Not only were our test machines equipped with Fastway goodies like the F.I.T. Handguard Systems and F6 Footpegs, but Hodges had his own bike with the snow conversion and was ready to ride. Hodges offered up his own bike, an immaculately prepared
2009 Honda CRF450R, for Derek Mahoney to ride in the legends race. He had to put his money where his mouth was and claimed the former Honda development rider would best John Dowd and Mike Metzger on the podium. He wasn’t too far off with Dowd winning, Mahoney third, Metzger fourth and an unknown local, Richie Reynolds taking second.
After proving himself in front of our cameras, somewhere over the next few days Lynn figured he could give the Ground Zero snow bike race a whirl. Entering the fray at the last second, sans practice, the Idaho family man turned in a respectable finish. We like to think our guidance on proper goggle strap placement had something to do with it, but the truth of the matter is that he’s just a hard-working guy who’s willing to try new things. It’s no wonder his business has flourished over the past decade.
Lynn's personal 2009 Honda CRF450R was the envy of all during our ride with 2Moto.
Lynn touched base recently to remind us about the
2Moto race at the Schweitzer Ski Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho on April 18-19, so we pulled out the recorder to get a better understanding of this moto entrepreneur and find out why he associates with those snow bike yahoos.
MotoUSA: Tell us a little about what you’ve been up to in the past year or so.
Lynn Hodges: This past year we’ve been working really hard with our sponsored rider program, getting a lot of the younger-generation people hooked on our products so when they move up they want to run our product. We’ve also been doing a lot of improvements in our existing designs and trying to get marketing out there to keep selling parts.
MotoUSA: As we’re finding out, there’s a lot of stuff industry-wise out here in Nampa so tell us how you got hooked up with the
2Moto guys.
LH: Well, I’ve known Brett Blaser with 2Moto (V.P. Sales and Marketing) for a long time and he’s constantly talking about going snow bike riding so a couple years ago I took him up on it and it is just so much fun it had such great potential that I just fell in love with it. So now I’m on the advisory board with 2Moto and just give my input on what I think I see as possibilities for their future. I’ve been supporting and sponsoring their event and helping with their demo rides to get people out on them so they can get first-hand knowledge of how fun it is and how addictive it can be.
MotoUSA: So in your opinion, what is the future for 2Moto and snow bikes?
LH: I think it’s incredible. After this event (Ground Zero) and what I’ve seen with the level of riders they have in here and the reaction on their faces when they get back from a ride, it’s going to explode. It’s so much fun and it’s a brand new motorsport. It’s not just a new product; it’s a whole new motorsport event. It’s going to explode.
We're pleased to report that with every passing ride Lynn gets a little better and his goggle strap a little straighter.
To get back to your company a bit, you run Fastway handguards on these snow bikes because they kind of fit with this crowd, but are you going to make any products that tailor specifically to snow bikes? What’s the direction for Pro Moto Billet and Fastway in the future?
LH: We have some opportunities coming our way that add to our current line of product that we’re pretty excited about. Hopefully we’ll have that finalized soon and be able to do some press releases. It will add just the next level of product to tie into our existing line so we’re excited about that.
For the 2Moto stuff, we run handguards on their bikes and they work great for that application. There are other products that I can see that need to be made as aftermarket add-ons so there’s some product there that can definitely be very valuable.
MotoUSA: Well good luck with that and in the future.
LH: Thank you very much.
Check out
Pro Moto Billet and Fastway Performance online for more information.
