New Motorcycle Shop Opens in Chantilly

For Chantilly shop owner Constantine VonDari, motorsports isn’t just a daring, adrenaline-pumping hobby; it’s his livelihood. The biking enthusiast, who grew up in Europe near the British Isle of Man, recently parted with a racing career to open up VonDari Moto on Henninger Court.

A graduate of the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, VonDari admits it took years to finally realize his dream of running a local bike shop.

“I’ve been in this area for a long time, and a lot of people had been asking me to open a shop,” he said. “I didn’t know ‘cause it was one or the other. If you do a shop, it’s all or nothing; if you do racing, it’s all or nothing. You can’t do both.” 

Recalling his grandfather’s wisdom and his own passion for toying with motorcycles helped VonDari take the plunge into the business side of the sport. 

His grandfather said to him, "‘Whatever you’re going to do, just make sure you’re enjoying what you’re doing because you’re going to do it forever.’”

“So I thought it would be kind of cool to work on motorcycles and stuff,” said VonDari.

VonDari Moto, now tucked away in a brick warehouse-style building off of Willard Road, does more than just repair rundown bikes. In addition to offering riders customized bike modifications and storage space, the shop puts an emphasis on safety, preventative maintenance and motorcycle education.

“The main process of the shop is to work on all makes and models of all types of bikes,” VonDari said. “We’re not brand loyal to anyone; I’m certified in almost every brand except maybe one or two. The main thing is we do everything from basic service repairs to building race motors to building custom bikes.” 

“The two things that I focus on are professionalism and quality, regardless of the situation,” VonDari adds. 

VonDari seeks to “bring the excitement back” to local racing culture and is always eager to discuss any and all aspects of motorcycle maintenance with patrons. Customer loyalty has been a key driving force in the success of the young shop, which opened in early March.

“The very first customer I had in a little shop 10 years ago was the very first customer I had in this shop here; it was the exact same guy,” VonDari said.

While road racing may be a traditionally male-dominated field, VonDari Moto hopes to be a space where female bikers also feel at home.

“A lot of females say that sometimes they go into a shop and are [treated] chauvinistically to a certain degree,” VonDari said. “I know a lot of female riders that ride a heck of a lot better than a lot of guys I know … I have a bunch of female clients that come in here and they get treated the same way [as male customers].”

Establishing a positive presence in and supporting the Chantilly community is a key component of VonDari Moto’s business plan.

“We do a lot of work with Horsepower Charities; they do a lot of different charity events,” VonDari said.  “One of my customers is a teacher at a local school and we’re gonna try and do a charity school supply run, probably around summertime.”

VonDari has also expressed interest in partnering his shop with the Auto Technology Academy at to establish a part-time vocational study program for students interested in going into mechanics.

“The sport and the industry have been very good to me,” he says. “So, I feel it only fair to give back.”