After 23 years of service in the U.S. Navy as a construction mechanic, Walter Higginbotham is continuing his lifelong passion of working on small engines. Just last year, he opened WAH Cheap Cycles in Carriere, offering services he said are scarce in the area.
WAH Cheap Cycles repairs services and sells small engines of all sorts, and with three full-time employees with decades of experience, Higginbotham said his shop can fix anything with a small engine.
“We can repair anything ATV, rebuild engines for motorcycles, go-karts and tons of other stuff. If it has a small engine, we will work on it,” he said.
Higginbotham began repairing motorcycles when he was growing up in Washington State at 7-years-old. His hobby quickly turned into a passion, leading him to join the U.S. Navy, where he met his wife while stationed in Gulfport. Higginbotham later got his master’s degree online in business administration and, with the help of his wife’s family, eventually opened up the family-owned WAH Cheap Cycles in Carriere, located at 8036 Highway 11.
“There are a lot of people that ride ATVs in the area, yet there are only a few repair shops. And even if you did find a shop, there’s a chance they don’t work on that type of ATV. I wanted to open a place where all ATVs are accepted, from those made in the U.S. to Japan,” Higginbotham said.
WAH Cheap Cycles offers service and repair for every brand of ATV, motorcycle, go-kart, 4-wheeler and lawn mower. “It doesn’t matter what you have, we can do it,” he said.
However, WAH Cheap Cycles does not repair bicycles or electric engines.
Higginbotham said the business also sells small engine vehicles. Soon, Higginbotham said he hopes to also sell lawn mowers.
“I want to see this business expand so we can help more people in the community,” he said. “I love starting my business in this area. There are a lot of ATV riders and a lot of ATVs that need repairs.”
Another aspect that Higginbotham said makes WAH Cheap Cycles unique is his staff’s ability to find any small engine part for customers, no matter how difficult or rare it might be.
“I take a lot of pride in my staff. They’re the ones that keep this business going,” he said. “I have a great team by my side. We are expanding every day and that’s largely due to their hard work.”
WAH Cheap Cycles can be contacted by calling 769-926-2600.