The Art of Giving Young People a Go: How Art Shokai Garage is Building More Than Just Motorcycles

When Robert Stenberg moved into his Kirrawee workshop in 2023, he probably didn't expect to become a mentor to the next generation of motorcycle mechanics. His Art Shokai Garage, named after the Tokyo workshop where Honda founder Soichiro Honda started his apprenticeship, has become something special: a place where vintage Honda motorcycles from the 1960s and 70s get a second chance at life, and where young people discover skills that modern mechanics courses simply don't teach anymore.

 

Passion Meets Opportunity

Tom was just shy of 17 when he walked into Art Shokai Garage almost two years ago. Like many young people, he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do with his life, but he had two things going for him: a love of motorbikes and a willingness to learn. What he didn't have was any mechanical experience.

"I knew absolutely nothing," Tom admits. "I couldn’t even take a wheel off my mountain bike."

 

 

Fast forward to today, and Tom can completely rebuild a multi-cylinder motorcycle engine, restore an entire motorcycle from the ground up, and has even completed his first solo project – a 1972 SL125 that now sits proudly out the front of the workshop, which he considers "the best looking one here now.”  For the record, we tend to agree.

 

Robert saw something in Tom that perhaps the young bloke didn't even see in himself. "Tom was a guy when he came in here, he didn't talk too much and he didn't say too much. But you know, his eyes started to sparkle every time he mentioned anything mechanical."

What makes Art Shokai Garage special isn't just the quality of their restorations, it’s the knowledge being passed down. These aren't modern fuel-injected machines with computer diagnostics. These are motorcycles that require an understanding of carburettors, timing and mechanical systems that are becoming a lost art.

The workshop operates like a production line, with every motorcycle stripped down to its frame, every part examined, refurbished, and catalogued. It's meticulous work that requires patience, attention to detail, and a genuine appreciation for craftsmanship, qualities that can't be rushed or faked.

Building Community, One Bike at a Time

Art Shokai Garage has become more than just a restoration workshop; it's become a hub for the local community. Robert has discovered that Kirrawee and the surrounding Sutherland area is home to a surprising number of engineers, fabricators, and painters who contribute their expertise to various projects.

"We've got a great community of guys all around us in this area who work on some aspect of a bike," Robert notes. "We've got a guy who's a Qantas retired engineer. We've got a few older guys who know how to wrench properly and enjoy dealing with old school machines."

This intergenerational knowledge transfer is invaluable. While Tom brings youthful enthusiasm and fresh eyes to problems, the older generation brings decades of experience and wisdom about how things were done when quality and durability were paramount.

The Philosophy Behind the Metal

There's something almost philosophical about Robert's approach to restoration. Each motorcycle that comes through the doors has a story, they were once brand new, someone's pride and joy, before being forgotten in garages or left to rust outside. The goal isn't just to make them run again, but to honour their history while giving them a new lease on life.

"I like to think that we can give them a regeneration and a rebirth at some point," Robert reflects. "I often think about the draftsmen that were drafting up how to create a Honda set of headers back in the early 60s and 70s. They didn't have CAD design, they didn't have computers, they basically were able to design a bike purely out of what they had in their head."

This appreciation for craftsmanship extends to the restoration process itself. Rather than replacing everything with new parts, Art Shokai Garage aims to keep at least 95% of each bike original, using their in-house zinc processing, vapour blasting, and fabrication capabilities to bring old parts back to life.

Looking to the Future

Tom's journey at Art Shokai Garage is coming to a crossroads. He's applied to join the Air Force and should be starting basic training around March next year. While Robert will miss his protégé, he's genuinely excited about Tom's future prospects.

"I think that's fantastic that he's moving on," Robert says. "He's leaving a bike here, so he'll come back from time to time and do his own work on his own bike, which I encourage."

The skills Tom has learned, problem-solving, attention to detail, working with his hands, and understanding mechanical systems will serve him well regardless of where his career takes him. More importantly, he's gained confidence and discovered capabilities he never knew he had.

 

The Bigger Picture

Art Shokai Garage represents something increasingly rare in our modern world: a place where traditional skills are valued, where young people are given genuine opportunities to learn and grow, and where the focus is on quality and craftsmanship rather than speed and profit.

Robert's willingness to take a chance on a young person with no experience speaks to a broader truth about mentorship and community. Sometimes all someone needs is an opportunity and someone who believes in them. Tom's transformation from a quiet teenager who couldn't remove a bicycle wheel to a skilled mechanic capable of rebuilding entire motorcycles is testament to what's possible when passion meets opportunity.

As Robert approaches his later years (he'll be 70 in a couple of years), he knows that eventually his collection of restored Hondas will need to find new homes. But perhaps his greatest legacy won't be the beautiful motorcycles he's restored, it will be the young people he's helped discover their potential and the skills he's passed on to the next generation.

In a world that often seems to have forgotten the value of traditional trades and mentorship, Art Shokai Garage stands as a reminder that some of the most important stuff happens not in boardrooms or lecture halls, but in workshops where experienced hands guide eager minds, and where the rumble of a perfectly tuned vintage Honda engine signals not just mechanical success, but the continuation of knowledge, passion, and community from one generation to the next.

 

 

Art Shokai Garage is located in Kirrawee, Sydney. While they primarily work on their own collection of vintage Hondas, they occasionally take on special projects for fellow enthusiasts who share their passion for these classic machines.