3 Things I Learnt from the Great Bobby Haas
Last month, the custom motorcycle world lost the most influential man in the industry. I lost a friend.
I met Bobby 6 years ago. He shared his vision of creating the first museum dedicated to custom motorcycles; I thought he was crazy. And that’s one of the most important things I learnt from Bobby:
CRAZY WORKS.
A Wall Street man, a photographer, an author, a motorcycle gang member under the moniker “Shakespeare,” and now he wants to be a custom motorcycle museum founder/curator/collector? Sounded implausible.
Today, "the Haas Moto Museum & Sculpture Gallery” is considered the Mecca of custom motorcycles. If your work is there, you know you’ve made it. Custom motorcycles have always been an art form; Bobby made it official.
I’ve tried to live my life the way Bobby lived his - full speed and crazy.
Thanks to him, I've got Bandit9, my own art gallery: VAN DARYL , and “Godspeed” - a book that's been years in the making.
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT WELL.
In many ways, Bobby was like Yoda. I can hear him telling me “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” This is all about DECIDING to achieve excellence. And sticking to it.
Technology makes many career paths accessible but it also makes it easy to give up and try something else, or have us believe that greatness can be “hacked.” “Professional photography from your iPhone,” or “make Michelin Star dishes made in minutes, and with no training or experience at all.”
No. Just no.
Bobby demonstrated that achieving greatness is a life-long pursuit. And it starts with a DECISION.
HELP OTHERS BUILD THEIR DREAMS.
Our creations sit next to the best there is: the Rodsmiths, Hazans, Donovans and more. Bobby literally turned my dream into a reality.
Now I know that if you really want to make an impact, you have to help others achieve their dreams too. So go ahead, build yours but don’t forget to lift others up along the way.
——
The day I received the news of Bobby's passing, I was heartbroken. Heartbroken that I never got to personally deliver a bike to him. Heartbroken that I cannot share with him our greatest achievements yet to come, made possible because of his generosity.
Fortunately, I was able to show Bobby one last project: the Supermarine. Here’s what he said to us:
“It’s great to hear from you and to note that your creative genius continues to flourish. The Supermarine has certainly taken the Bandit9 standard of excellence up a notch or two (although I would have thought that to be impossible!). It is a concept of stunning cutting-edge beauty … congrats to everyone involved, most notably the Chief Bandit.”
There will never be another Bobby Haas.
Daryl Villanueva
Chief
