When Tim Wytinck was growing up, he had an interest in electronics. Time passed and he never followed through on that hobby as a way of making a living.
University was out of the question due to its financial demands, so Tim signed up for a motorcycle, snowmobile and outboard motor repair course at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon.
He got through the motorcycle portion of the course when he got a big surprise.
“The course was discontinued after I studied motorcycles,” Tim remembered, “and they never offered it again.”
That happened in 1988. Since then, he has demonstrated that there really is a way if there is a will.
Today, Tim operates Cypress Cycle and Ag Supply, providing repair services for cycle, ATVs and snowmobiles, as well as a supply outlet for a variety of parts and materials needed by area farmers.
His son Nick takes care of parts and book keeping, while Dave Vertz works alongside Tim as a mechanic.
Customers covering a 100 kilometer area come to Cypress Cycle to get both service and parts unavailable in much of Westman.
Following his “Buy Canada” policy, Tim can access parts for recreational and agricultural machines from across the country, often the same day or overnight.
Tim’s shop covers 4,000 square feet of space, with most of that area devoted to servicing all makes and models of cycles, ATVs and snowmobiles.
“We do a lot of ag parts as well,” Tim said in an interview, “since Helgason and Arason closed down a couple years ago.
“We took over and sell hydraulic hoses and belts, as well as accepting parts packages for many area farmers, free of charge,” he added.
Tim’s work experience is wide and varied, including work for Forman Honda in Brandon.
“I worked in Brandon for 13 years, starting in 1998,” he remembered. “Forman were not advertising, but the dealership needed a mechanic to work on motorcycles, ATVs and garden equipment.
“I approached them and got the job, which turned into being service manager and parts manager, as well as working as a warranty clerk,” Tim said.
Tim left Forman Honda in 2001, looking for a change in his work life.
That change turned out to be a four-month stint selling insurance, which Tim said he “did to put food on the table.”
Luckily, opportunity reared its head again, allowing him to join a Kawasaki dealership owned by a friend who approached him during his insurance diversion.
Tim was soon service manager, shop foreman and lead mechanic for the Kawasaki dealer, filling the role for three years.
In 2005, Tim joined the Cycle Boyz Customs dealership, operated by brothers Derek and Brent Law, who also heralded from Cypress River.
Tim’s six-and-a-half years with the Laws included travelling to awards shows in Alberta, where Cycle Boyz cycles often cleaned up at the awards table.
“I did alot of wiring on the custom bikes,” Tim said, “and we built them from the ground up.
“One year, at a show in Alberta, we got Best in Show and got VIP treatment, including meeting one of the custom bike greats, Arlen Ness,” he remembered.
With over thirty years of experience repairing and building cycles and ATVs, Tim today is happy Cypress Cycle and Ag Supply can help draw customers and attention to the community of Cypress River.
He added, “When you can draw people into town from as far away as 100 kilometers, it helps the meat shop next door; it helps the grocery store down the street; it helps everyone around us.”
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