Paul DeCouto is a Bermudian legend. His name has been synonymous with excellence in cycle repair and service for the better part of two decades now.

He has grown from a young outlaw who made the best modifications possible to make his teenaged peers' bikes move faster, be louder, and look cooler, to a thriving entrepreneur on the cutting edge of motorcycle sales, service and repair.

Mr. DeCouto is a man who is absolutely passionate about what he does. Just talking to him about bikes is pretty near intoxicating. He wears his love for these majestic machines on his sleeve, and every new feature he points out adds excitement to his already voracious tone. It's not hard to tell that Mr. DeCouto is a man who is doing exactly what he is supposed to be doing with his life, and his is a story of astronomical success; a true Bermudian success story.

It all started some 25 years ago, when, at the age of 12, Mr. DeCouto would accompany his father, Earnest (not that one!) on Sunday trips to the landfill dump at the Airport. Mr. DeCouto remembers being fascinated with all the machines that were, at that time, readily available for the general public to come and take. They say that one man's trash is another man's treasure; and although the machines that Mr. DeCouto pulled out of the debris down at Kindley Field all those years ago were not sparkling and shiny, they represented an opportunity for a young man who had an interest to pursue that interest. And pursue it he did, honing his craft day after day, until he was competent enough to become a heavily sought after motor mechanic.

His passion would continue to grow throughout his teen years, when he became the man to see for any and every modification to a motorcycle that just wasn't acting right. He worked out of the back of his home, and could be found many a day tinkering with his beloved machines. Tweaking exhaust pipes, installing brake plates, building engines, restoring chassis to their showroom shine; there was nothing that young Mr. DeCouto could not do.

Before long, he became, well, famous amongst those of us who indulged in Bermuda's vibrant street racing culture. He developed a strong reputation as someone who could do whatever you needed done at a reasonable price and a level of service quality rarely seen in a "back yard chop shop". In short, he did outstanding work!

Soon, Mr. DeCouto started to import and sell hard to find parts to those with the vision and good sense to seek him out. He was the king of the racing set during his days at Northlands High School, and although his dad didn't exactly fully approve of this unstable hobby (Mr. DeCouto senior wanted his son to study Law or Medicine — you know, that old chestnut), Mr. DeCouto refused to forsake his passion, insisting that he could forge a prosperous future from this grimy, physical, laborious work that he loved. He was right.