Since I was 14 years old, I've been into modifying vehicles. Since the age of 20 I've turned to modifying and restoring/repairing motorcycles. More specifically Suzuki GS bikes from the mid to late 70's thru the late to early 90's. We work on them as a family. I was a computer programmer and website designer starting at 16 for local businesses but had previously started on my own work and projects since 13/14. I can specifically remember starting with a DOS based 286, 386, and 486 machines, learning to program basic functions in QBasic, Pascal, etc. and moved to Delphi, C+/VB throughout the changes in windows from 3.1 to around millennium/XP. During this time, I was literally throwing away money to local 'welders/fabricators' but was never really completely satisfied with most jobs. As I continued to get more into modifying vehicles to the extent of highly modified chassis work and suspension such as air ride/hydraulics, etc., I realized I just couldn't really trust the local welders when it came to having airbags on a 4000lb truck. This is your life and others on the road near you that you have to keep in mind when you modify vehicles and bikes to extreme extents like this. So when the economy started to crash in 07/08, I lost my job as an IT person, and decided screw it, i'll change careers. 4 years later and i'm now a fully certified combination welder in MIG/TIG/Stick welding as well as oxy/ace, etc. I now do all my own fabrication and welding so that I KNOW when I finish a bike or work on a vehicle, I'm confident it will be safe and strong. Self-confidence in work like this is much more valuable on the conscious than having to trust someone you don't really know.
With all that said, I am NOT trying to plug my self as I don't currently really advertise any of the work I do. But... If ANYONE in the state of Tennessee or within driving distance would like welding or fabrication work done, please feel free to contact me. I have all of my own welding and fabrication equipment and also offer that I can TIG weld aluminum and other metals. I would be glad to let anyone interested in having work done watch and learn as I am building. I am a strong believer in skillsets such as this, and it saddens me we are losing the number of trust-able welders and fabricators day by day. I am also open to having pictures sent or questions asked concerning a repair or project you have, and will give any insight or knowledge on how I would approach said project or repair so that you can know where to go or who to ask to help you with a project.
Best of luck to those who have been taken advantage of. This alone is a specific reason in why I changed careers. I get tired, frustrated, and honestly a bit saddened at times when I hear such horror stories of people having your projects for weeks at a time or for doing shoddy unsafe work. I do not believe in this. I handle each person I help one customer at a time.(1CAAT) I also am not in this business to become rich. I simply hope that in the end, throughout my career of doing work like this, that I can make enough money to pay rent and eat as well as to hopefully pass down inspiration for others to be confident enough to decide to pickup skills like these. Those of us who have a passion for this type of work also know that we are responsible for helping and motivating others in pursuing and keeping jobs and work like this available to people.
) over the Holidays, I will learn you some welding. Mig and/or stick, I don't have a tig yet. And I haven't learned gas welding yet. 
