INTERVIEW: CAROLINA PAREDES

Mar 29

Co-founder of the Litas Houston, Carolina is also the creator of the non-profit organization The Full Throttle, hosts the annual Yeehaw Campout, and regularly brings together the moto community in Texas through various Litas events. We chatted with Carolina about her first motorcycle build, affectionately named “Brad”. She recently brought Brad to Mama Tried Show in Milwaukee to show him off.

Read on to hear about she transformed her first bike with the help of the moto community.

Tell us about yourself: why and when did you start riding?

Carolina: I started riding quads and ATVs at the ranch, riding my neighbors Vespa, then on the back… and then one day, I just decided out loud that I wasn’t going to ride in the back anymore. I began riding my friends’ bikes and finally I bought my first motorcycle, “Brad” - the Honda CL350 that I used for my build.

Tell us about building your motorcycle:

Carolina: It’s been a project that started years ago, when I began learning how to wrench on Brad. One day, I asked a friend if it was possible to put on some dirt bike shocks on my cafe racer, and he replied with a big smile: “Anything is possible.” And it was! So I merged a Honda CL 350 frame (modified) with the suspension of a 1980 Yamaha YZ, converting the bike from 2 shocks to a mono shock. I also added new LED lights, new Shinko tires, a new seat, and I fabricated the seat frame.

What was your inspiration for the look of your motorcycle?

Carolina: Brad needed some new shoes. I love dirt bikes, but I also love long rides; I wanted something that could combine them both! I wanted to honor the cafe racer vintage look by retaining some key pieces like the side pipes and mufflers, as well as the shape of the tank (first aluminum tank I’ve ever shaped!!!) , all the while making him street and dirt friendly. I also used some inspo from old dirt bike styles, like the penny light bracket.

How long have you been working on your build?

Carolina: On and off two years, but more in depth the last four months. The build started when I bought Brad from its first owner. He was under a tarp in Ocean Park, CA. I am his second owner and took him to a shop. Since Brad is an old guy (1970), his old frame had to get some tender loving throughout the years, inspiring me to start some motorcycle apprenticeships and work as a shop monkey; I ultimately started wrenching on my own.

What was the most exciting aspect of this construction, and the most challenging?

Carolina: Learning to shape metal, watching the fabrication of pieces with the lathe, and understanding the physics and geometry of bikes. It was so humbling to allow the tools do the work; it was both physically exhausting and painful in my hands, but also super rewarding.

Do you have any advice for others who want to start building and riding their own motorcycles?

JUST DO IT!

I cannot tell you enough how much motorcycles have impacted my life in the most positive ways, and how I have built a beautiful community in it. You will regret more not doing it that the fear of doing it.

Carolina: This was truly one of my favorite experiences ever in my life. I am beyond grateful for all my mentors, my community, the supporters and the people that inspired me to keep growing. I stayed laser focused with the eye on the prize- and I cant’ wait to keep building bikes that I love and I’m proud of riding.