Orange and white sparks fly into Kris Luis' face and bounce off the lenses of his dark glasses before they fade.
The smell of superheated metal permeates the shop as the steel frame of a motorcycle begins yielding to its future form to the chugging rhythm of an air compressor powering a grinder that shrieks as it connects.
Luis, 30, owns Full Throttle Custom Cycles at 930 Main St. and spends his day bending metal, mounting chrome and wielding a metallic pallet of paint colors to make the machines in his head a street-legal reality.
He has owned the shop for nine years, and while self-employment can be an unsteady ride, he said it is well worth it.
"I work as many hours as I can get away with and watch my wife and see what kind of face she is making when I get home," he joked.
Winter tends to be slower for his business, with jobs picking up in the spring.
"I don't like working for other people that much," he said. "I kind of line up projects for the winter in case it gets slow."
