Grease, Grit, and Grace: Building More Than a Bike
Motorcycle Mentorship: Week One Recap from the YFC Shop
On April 29, 2025, YFC in Hillyard officially kicked off a bold and exciting summer project: rebuilding a 1980 Yamaha XS850 Special motorcycle from the ground up. The bike was purchased for $350 in non-running condition, and with it, we opened the door to hands-on learning, deep mentorship, and real-life problem-solving for some of the students at our Hillyard youth center. Read on to see the progress we made!
Tuesday, April 29
Two of our students, Jayden and Calum, jumped right into the mechanical side, removing the carburetors, draining the oil, taking off the gas tank, and starting the engine removal process. Calum is a certified mechanical whiz and was beaming the entire time while carefully explaining the steps to Jayden as he got his first taste of motorcycle grease.
Wednesday, April 30
With Jayden and Calum continuing their mechanical work, we made more progress. We removed the cams, dropped the exhaust, and began to strip some of the electrical wiring, turn signals, and tail light. The team hit a temporary wall when we got stuck trying to remove the cam chain. Meanwhile, Kayden and Zeke also helped remove the fender and label some of the wiring harnesses.
Thursday, April 31
By the end of our ministry week, the students had removed the engine head and pistons, cut the cam chain, and removed the front fender. We placed parts orders for new gaskets, piston rings, and front brake calipers and took a team field trip to O’Reilly Auto Parts. Zeke, Jayden, and Calum picked up rust remover, a kill switch, brake cleaner, wire brushes, and a drain pan.
Zeke took the lead, draining fuel from the tank, and the crew started attacking rust on the tank interior and the exhaust pipes. Neveah, Zeke, and Jaden spent the end of the afternoon scrubbing down the metal and making steady progress. Work also began on removing the stator.
Reflections From the Week
What we are doing here is far beyond simply wrenching and getting covered in motorcycle oil and grease; we are helping students learn valuable problem-solving skills, build community, and excel in their talents.
While some of the students were excited to take initiative, others were hesitant to do anything without expressed and explicit permission, which allowed for great conversations about trust and autonomy regarding some of the projects on this motorcycle. I received questions like: “How do I find which bolt to take off?” Questions like these were an excellent opportunity to help build problem-solving by encouraging the student to trace the part and find where it was bolted to the frame.
One of the most encouraging parts of this week was seeing how this project immediately invited and spurred on community building. I had a mix of students in the shop this week, some who hang out regularly and some who may have never spoken a word to one another. Some students often struggle to get along with others, but when surrounded by this massive project, they were kind, answered each other’s questions, and encouraged each other. I saw high-fives, heard “heck yeahs”, and watched the students give each other a helping hand when needed. One of our students even invited a new friend from school he had met that day, who said he likes motors, and showed him around our youth center, which interested him in the project.
I had one particular student in mind when starting this project; his mechanical aptitude is sky high, and he truly understands the inner workings of motors better than many adults I have met. He has taken on a leadership role in the shop, when in other circumstances he would often rather sit back and let other people take charge while he goofs off. However, he steps up in the shop and teaches other students (and staff). I told him he had complete control over the motor and transmission rebuild, and he has taken that responsibility and run full steam ahead. He has built us a project timeline and is already looking for our next project.
My biggest takeaway of the week is this: sometimes students just need to see that they can do big things and be entrusted with big things to accomplish things greater than they imagined. Everyone needs someone on their team.