XTREPO X PAGNOL
Next up for our creative-entrepreneur riders, Pepo from XTRPEPO formerly Radical Ducati and all we can say is: Aaaaaaah!!! one of our all time favorite bike builders-designers-heroes!
PLUS, he is letting us premier his lates build! This insane blue BMW!
We LOVE that his bikes are no "show" bikes. As he once commented: I don't do t-shirts, I make bikes with performance for the track (or something like that!)
It is a great great honor to have him on Pagnol and that he loves his M1 jacket!
Gracias Pepo!!
Here is the inspiring story behind him! :
· Se que en España la afición por las motos es enorme, De donde viene TU pasión por las motos? I know the enthusiasm for motorcycles is huge in Spain, where does your passion for them comes from?
Pues como se dice estaba en el aire , cuando tenia 16/17 años vivi la época de las grandes marcas españolas de motos de dos tiempos Bultaco, Montesa y Ossalas, las calles estaban llenas de ellas . Todos queríamos tener una moto ……primero una cincuenta y luego con el carnet una de 75 cc y a partir de ahí mas cilindrada trucando las motos …mas potencia ¡!
As we say, I was up in the clouds, when I was 16-17 I lived the time of the big Spanish two strokes moto brands, Bultaco, Montesa and Ossalas, the streets where full of them and we all wanted to have motorcycle. I first had a 50cc then with my rider license a 75cc and from then on more and more! modifying them for more power!!
It must have been such a great period! AND this passion for motorcycles there was and is so big you guys had your own great brands! Not every country can say that.
· Que hacías antes de construir motos? What did you do before building motorcycles?
Yo soy Biologo y me dedicaba a la investigación científica en el campo de la Acuicultura marina, trabaje en un par de empresas de Acuicultura (Fishfarm) encargandome de la cria (hatchery) y engorde de Rodaballo ( Turbot)
I am a biologist and I worked in the scientific investigation of maritime agriculture. I worked for a few companies, Fishfarm in charge of and fish growth, Hatchery and Turbot.
We are loving these interviews showing how we humans don't have to do the same thing all our lives! even if the first one was as interesting and meaningful as yours! life is too short not to be more involved in motorcycles!
· Que fue lo que te hizo dar el brinco a hacerlo de tiempo completo? What made you do the jump to build motos full time?
Pues que la actividad en Acuicultura se paro y tuve que cambiar de profesión y lo que mas me apasionaban eran las motos ( yo ya trasteaba en mis motos …las preparaba) , asi que un dia me fui a la tienda de motos donde compraba los recambios para mi Ducati y le dije al dueño que quería trabajar con motos, asi que empeze a trabajar en un concesionariode Suzuki!!. Posteriormente trabaje con dos importadores españoles de Ducati, el Ducati store de Madrid y por ultimo me independice y cree Radical Ducati. A finales de 2013 pare mi actividad vendi mi empresa y me tome un año sabático. Pero la pasión por la construcción de motos me hizo volver y en 2015 funde XTR PEPO.
The agriculture in these fields stopped so I had to change profession, being that what I had the most passion was motorcycles (I was already working on them in my spare time), one day I went to a shop where I would buy after market parts for my Ducati and I told the owner I wanted to work with motorcycles, so I started there which was a Suzuki dealer! After I worked with two Spanish Ducati importers, one of them was the Madrid Ducati store. Finally after this, I went independent and started Radical Ducati. At the end of 2013, I sold RD and I took a sabbatical year, but my passion for building motorcycles made me come back and in 2015 I founded XTR PEPO.
In the end, if you had had more passion for Biology, you would have found another way to continue (correct me if I am wrong!) and like me, I was in another profession, fashion design and development, which I "liked" but I didn't have "passion" for it, so one day I said: enough! and started to build the structure for Pagnol.
· Que relación ves entre ser independiente, dueño de tu negocio y ser un motociclista? What relationship do you see between being an independent business owner and being a motorcyclist?
Total!! Para ser un dueño de negocio necesitas ser muy independiente es decir creer en ti y no dejarte influenciar por el entorno ..ser fuerte y luchar ,siempre en la brecha. Ser un motociclista significa también ser independiente, eres tu con tu maquina contra el entorno y disfrutando de esa sensación ….disfrutas de estar vivo ¡!!
It is total! to be a business owner you need to have an independent personality, I mean, believe in your self and not let your surroundings influence you.... be strong and fight, always stick to your path. To be a motorcyclist you also need to have this independent personality, it is you and your machines against your surroundings and enjoying this sensation...enjoying being alive!
This is why I love motorcycle racing! Every man for him self! is just you and your machine! But I like to explain it more like: You need to "know" your self, than "believe" in your self. You need to know what you are capable of, what preparation you have and and you are missing, for both biz and motorcycle riding!
This has been great to learn about you Pepo! Mil gracias tio!