Sims Motorcycle Monkeys
Address: 50 West Truman Avenue
Telephone: 385-222-1694
Website: instagram.com/simsmotorcyclemonkeys
District: South Salt Lake
“We want to be a positive influence on people. We are open to sharing our story with all kinds of groups because if someone is stuck, maybe it will inspire them to change. That is what we live for now,” shared Robyn, co-owner of an unusually named motorcycle shop; the name came to Robyn one day and she simply blurted it out, “Sims Motorcycle Monkeys.” It was “unique, quirky and cute,” Matthew admitted, as she used to jokingly call her husband and their dog “my little monkeys.” But the moment she said it aloud, Matthew looked at her and nodded. That was it. After six months of thinking through name after name, they had landed on the one that felt right.
From the outside, Sims Motorcycle Monkeys is a full-service repair and custom bike shop, complete with gear, parts, and a rotating inventory of used motorcycles for sale. But those who walk through the doors are stepping into something much deeper: a space built on second chances, resilience, and love.
Matthew was born in Ogden and has been fascinated with motorcycles for as long as he can remember. “I can wrench on just about anything,” he said. With a mechanical mind and significant hands-on experience, he found his way to The Other Side Academy in 2016, after years of struggle. He was one of the program’s first students. Robyn, who grew up in Sandy, Utah, joined around the same time. The two of them became close friends while living and learning at the Academy. Over time, that bond slowly grew into something more.
“I think the distance saved us,” Robyn reflected on the early years of their relationship. After completing their time as students, Robyn moved to Denver to help launch a new location of The Other Side Academy. Matthew stayed in Salt Lake City and played a key role in founding The Other Side Moving & Storage. They stayed together through it all, learning to communicate and support each other from afar. “We learned to grow in other ways than just being physically together. It was necessary. We had to become whole on our own before we could be right for each other.”
Their stories before the Academy were painful and winding. Robyn’s began in 1993 when she was only twelve years old and felt she had no safe place to turn. She began spending time with older kids involved in gangs and using drugs. At fifteen, she fled to Canada with a much older man, married him, and had her first child. Not long after, they got into trouble, and she was deported back to the United States with her son, Coby. A year later, her son’s Canadian aunt asked to take the two-year-old for a short visit. Robyn agreed, trusting that he would be returned in two weeks. He never was.
That loss consumed her. “I used that as my excuse,” she admitted. “I didn’t want to feel, so I filled that void with drugs, alcohol, dangerous situations, more children and marriages.” In the years that followed, Robyn endured addiction, homelessness, incarceration, and heartbreak. Her second marriage was marked by more drug use and destructive behavior. She lost everything - belongings, homes, cars, self-respect. Her daughter stayed close for a while, but her youngest son was eventually raised by his grandparents. “I was not a parent. I was not present. But I see all of that now.”
By 2015, Robyn had been arrested more than twenty times. “I was hopeless. I had no self-worth, no self-discipline, nothing.” Then a program came through the Salt Lake County Jail - The Other Side Academy. She applied, got in, and walked straight from jail to the Academy. “That was the first portal to my new life. I sat on that bench and watched all these people go off to work, smiling. I thought, how can they come from my life and have so much purpose?”
She stayed for more than three years as a student and then became a staff member. “I did not want to re-enter my children’s lives without knowing I had changed. And I had to stay long enough for those new skills to become who I was.” She spent a year and a half in Denver launching the new location before returning to lead legal and outreach efforts back in Salt Lake.
Meanwhile, Matthew had stayed in Utah, working tirelessly to build The Other Side Moving & Storage into a thriving social enterprise that helped fund the Academy. “We basically worked ourselves out of a job,” Robyn laughed. “The goal is to help the next person, so when they’re ready, you step aside.”
Their shared love for motorcycles turned from a side project into a business when demand for Matthew’s skills started picking up. They began in a garage in 2021. By 2023, they had a storefront - thanks in part to their friend and neighbor, Fred Conlon of Sugarpost. Robyn brought her outreach background to the shop, and together they built something more than just a motorcycle repair business. They built a welcoming hub for anyone looking for a good mechanic—or a fresh start.
“We differ from other shops because we work on all makes and models,” Matthew explained. “There are about 9,000 different motorcycles out there. We see them all. We do service, maintenance, repairs, custom builds, tires, and even storage. We’re dealers for four major aftermarket parts manufacturers. And we try to have that family feel.”
The walls of the shop feature art and photography from Matthew and Robyn’s personal collections, giving the space a sense of warmth and personality. Bikes being serviced face north; those for sale face south. Every motorcycle for sale undergoes a full inspection to ensure it is safe and road ready. “And if you want us to wash your bike for ten bucks,” Matthew smiled, “we’ll do that too.”
Their core values - honesty, transparency, affordability, and accountability - are lived every day in the shop. They offer discounts for service members and schoolteachers. They stay active in local organizations, sitting on the board for the South Salt Lake Honorary Colonels and participating in the South Salt Lake Women in Business.
But the heart of the business is outreach. Robyn continues to advocate for The Other Side Academy and the broader network of programs it supports. She hosts rides like Hope in Motion, which take motorcyclists to stops such as The Other Side Donut Shop and The Other Side Village, where participants hear firsthand about programs helping people out of homelessness and addiction.
“It is not just about fixing bikes,” she explained. “It is about showing up for people and giving them resources. We want this shop to be a place where someone can come in and find out about a program that might change their life. Or at least find someone who cares.”
Today, Robyn is slowly rebuilding relationships with her children. Her oldest son, Coby, still lives in Canada, and though they have not embraced in over twenty years, they are beginning to talk and connect. He works in a community much like the one Robyn describes here in Utah. “He helps people. It is ironic and beautiful.” Her daughter recently moved to Missouri. “We are close now. She calls me every day. We had a hard two years rebuilding trust, but she told me, ‘I knew it was different this time because you did not make excuses. You just listened.’” And her youngest son was raised by his grandparents in Sandy. “They were the parents I could not be at the time, and I am so grateful to them.”
Nothing means more to Robyn than the relationships she is developing with all three of her children. “I’m able to be a mother today. My children can count on me, and I know how important it is to show up as a positive influence. I respect and cherish what being a good mom means. I will not risk those relationships ever again.”
As for Robyn and Matthew, the business continues to grow alongside their love for each other. “We want to keep expanding, keep doing rides, keep helping people. It is a lot of work, but it feels right.” We are not just here to fix and build motorcycles,” Robyn said. “We are here to fix lives and build community.”
