James Sheppard

James grew up around an aircraft mechanic’s shop, where safety wiring wasn’t a “nice to have” - it was how you kept critical parts from coming loose when it mattered most. He carried that mindset into his first race prep in 1999, learning the hard way (and by hand) how to drill and wire fittings properly. After nearly 30 years at the track, he’s seen exactly how small hardware mistakes end weekends early - and why doing the work yourself makes you a better mechanic and a safer rider.

Track Day Advice – For Your 1st or 50th

Builds & Gear / James Sheppard

Photos by James Sheppard “I attended my first track day during the last century.” I had to let that sit for a second. A year into owning my first sportbike – a 1997 Kawasaki EX500 (work with me here) – I saw a poster at a Ducati dealer in Winnipeg advertising motorcycle racing at Gimli […]

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Tight nuts save butts – the importance of safety wiring

Builds & Gear / James Sheppard

As the son of an aircraft mechanic, long before I started riding and racing motorcycles, I’d heard about safety wiring. Dad ran a small shop on the Canadian prairies in the early 1980s. When I spent time with him (likely due to a lack of available babysitters), he’d point out things on small sport aircraft

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