Max shortly after single handedly moving his whlole workshop. That room had several tenths of tons in equipment, and it was the small room…

I first met Max when I moved to Germany at the age of 18 and was looking for a motorcycle shop where I could learn motorcycle mechanics after hours. After finding out about his custom shop located a half an hour walk away, little did it take me to knock on his door and ask if I could join in the afternoons and help in exchange for learning about building motorcycles. He didn’t hesitate for a second and showed me around the shop right away, the place he'd been at for the last 15 years. At the time I had no idea of the craft –everything I do now has been through his teaching– so little did I have to offer. Still, he welcomed me in.

The following time was a turmoil of me going through every possible error to learn every little thing, when I didn’t hear what he said or directly asked for advice. Looking back, I realize I was a little stranger hoping to use the tools in the shop to find out how to build these things while being too scared to ask every time I didn't know how to. This only led to an extended trial-and-error approach instead of asking the expert under the same roof. Kinda like sticking to my ignorance when there’s literally an absolute metal wizard standing ten feet away.

What I learned about motorcycle building is something I will forever be grateful for and a debt I’m unable to pay, but what he taught me about strength of character is of immeasurable value to me.

Time to move on…

We all grow up with some shortcomings, and some can leave us crippled when shit hits the fan and you are unable to deal with what's on the plate. During my time there I went through an uncomfortable stage in my life, having recently left home, surrounded by feelings of loneliness and emptiness. This man showed me by example what it means to stand up, to deal with what has to be dealt with and not sleep life off waiting for some solution for all your problems to fall from heaven. To not quit – because once you do, it becomes an option. To just be sincere and not deal with bullshit – your own or from others.

I don't know if I would have taken the decisions I took later on without his influence, better decisions that have helped me go further and fixed my stare on things to come. What I do know is that I wouldn’t have grown the skin I needed, and the mentality to put up with work through hard times and appreciate it, without his example. Max became some kind of a stoic reference to me, an example of doing the right thing because it’s always better to do so. To do good things for the sake of doing things good. Sometimes that’s dealing with stuff, some other times it’s doing a barbaric burnout in the shop. 

It hasn’t been that long, but I haven’t crossed many people — not to say none — that exhaled such amount of determination. I’ve seen him tired, but even then he would have laughed at Sisyphus and juggled his rock up and down whatever hill the gods put in front of him. Or that’s what I would have to guess. Sometimes that is more than enough to cheer one up and get back to the grind.

Since I’ve been gone he has told me about his son taking up the craft, with that unmistakeable tone every proud father has. I can only imagine the amount of things he will manage to pass him on, and there is absolutely no doubt that if he keeps his father’s way, a special kind of craftsman will emerge. Only time will tell. But I have no doubts. You never should with the Krpanic’s.

Father and son.

“everything changes, nothing stays the same”

— Max D. Krpanic