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Arlen Ness is a pioneer in the custom motorcycle industry. His first customs were made in the garage of his home in San Leandro, CA but by the early 1970's, he had moved to a storefront on East 14th Street. Ness was recognized for his unique painting style and for developing a line of custom motorcycle parts. His popularity grew as he built new custom bikes, displayed them on the bike show circuit, and then had the bikes featured in motorcycle magazines.

Teutul originally started out owning Orange County Ironworks, a fabrication shop now solely owned and managed by son Daniel. He began building custom bikes for pleasure after being inspired by the many custom bikes appearing on the streets and in films. In 1999 he left to found Orange County Choppers and began building bikes for sale.

Paul Teutul Sr

Eddie Trotta as a 13 year old kid would spend just about every waking moment with a wrench in his hand. Motorcycles were a first love, and he began by helping his older brother tend to the many bikes that rotated through the family garage. There were Knuckleheads, Flatheads, even a couple vintage three-wheel Servicars. “Whenever my brother would turn his back or go into the house for a minute I’d fire one of those things up and take it for a ride, too,” Eddie remembers. All that was the beginning of a really good education and before long he was building bikes professionally, working at a local shop named Choppers East. Barely out of his teens, Eddie Trotta learned how to build a complete motorcycle, “doing it the right way.” But Trotta’s story is hardly a straight-line progression from that Connecticut bike shop to Florida and the mega-business known as Thunder Cycle Design.

Eddie Trotta

Chica

Chica Custom Cycles specializes in the old-style of today... old school look using today's technology. Chica has been featured and graced the covers of numerous bike magazines all over the world. Chica's attention to detail & perfection has earned him the reputation as one of the world's top custom bike builders.

Jesse James

Jesse James is a Wild West legend in the making. He's the most famous James since his ancestor and namesake was roaming the West and robbing banks.

And just like his long-lost relative, James has a renegade reputation, too, that he’s riding all the way to the bank. He builds motorcycles, custom-built choppers that are cool, pricey, and very fast

So what's the difference between a Harley-Davidson and a West Coast Chopper?

"Speed, handling, stopping, the weight. But, you know, some people, their ultimate bike might be a Harley, you know? They're just dorks. And it's my goal to make everybody cool, or just 20 people a year."

And he means only 20, because that's all the custom bikes he builds in a year. Why so few?

"Well, if they're expensive and hard to get, and they're really, really bitching and cool and clean, they're always going to be cool," says James.

Each bike goes for up to $150,000. For that, you get a machine that's considered one of the best-built motorcycles in the world. Some consider them works of art -- so much so that the Guggenheim Museum in New York wanted to exhibit them.

His choppers have become the ultimate boy toy for the rich and famous – and celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal, Keanu Reeves, and Kid Rock are part of this new James gang.

Since 1984, Paul Yaffe has been designing some of the world's most exquisite, custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles.  His vision and unique style have been setting industry standards for over a decade.  You might remember Paul's custom shop , "American Legend Motorcycle Company," located in the desert of Phoenix, Arizona. Or maybe the name, "Beyond Bolt-On" Billet Products, rings a more familiar bell. However the images of Paul's work have reached you, they are sure to leave a lasting impression.

Paul and his custom creations have graced the pages of over thirty magazines in recent years, both in the United States and internationally.  His show bikes have claimed "Best of Show" Honors at the most prestigious competitions in the country, including "The International Show Car Association Events," "The Rat's Hole Shows," "Daytona," "Laughlin," "Del Mar," and the grand daddy of them all, "The Oakland Roadster Show," to name a few.

Paul Yaffe

William David (Billy) Lane (born February 6, 1970 in Miami, Florida) builds custom motorcycles (choppers) and is the owner of Choppers Inc. in Melbourne, Florida. He has become well known due to his appearances in numerous shows on the Discovery Channel, mainly Biker Build-Off. He holds seven US patents on motorcycle parts and accessories. Lane has authored two books, an autobiography, Billy Lane's Chop Fiction: It's not a Motorcycle, Baby, It's a Chopper (2004, Motorbooks International) and Billy Lane's How to Build Old School Choppers, Bobbers And Customs (2005, Motorbooks International). Lane also holds an Associate in Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida State University as well as a Bachelor in Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida International University, graduating in 1997.

Billy Lane

Indian Larry

"Indian" Larry Desmedt (April 28, 1949 - August 30, 2004) was a noted bike builder, stuntman, and innovator in the world of custom motorcycles.

Indian Larry was born Larry Desmedt in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York in 1949. He became interested in motorcycles at an early age, and a fan of artist Von Dutch. He later moved to California to apprentice under legendary hot rod builder and pop artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.

Larry founded the Gasoline Alley custom motorcycle shop in New York City in 1991. His "old school" choppers quickly won renown in the motorcycling world. The Coney Island Psychoholic Side Show debuted in Richmond, Va at the Cycle Expo 1998, it featured English Don and The Coney Island characters Combustable Kira, The Pain Proof Rubber Girls, Fredini The Great and his soon to be wife Bambi The Living Mermaid. The event spawned all the rest of what came to be known as master builders. celebrity Builders and feature builders at events across the country. No one ever came close to the character and quality or the public appeal of Indian Larry.

His motorcycle "Grease Monkey" was named Easy Rider magazine's Chopper of the Year and he was a winner of the Discovery Channel's Biker Build-Off trophy. After his death another Discovery Channel's Biker Build-Off episode a tribute bike was made, with his symbol on it - the question mark. Indian Larry is credited with re-popularizing the old school of "Bobber" custom motorcycle popular in the 1950s and 60s

Indian Larry was also an accomplished stuntman and actor. Larry played himself in the film Rocket's Red Glare. He performed stunts for the films Quiz Show, Muscle Machine, My Mother's Dream, and 200 Cigarettes. He also appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman.

One of his famous trademarks was a tattoo on his neck, just below his chin. It read "In God We Trust - Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord - No Fear" The middle two lines were in reverse so that he could read them when looking in a mirror.

Indian Larry died while  performing a motorcycle stunt at the Liquid Steel Classic and Custom Bike Series in Concord, North Carolina on August 28, 2004. In the stunt, Larry was standing on the moving motorcycle. As the stunt progressed the bike began to wobble out of control and he was thrown from the motorcycle sustaining serious head injuries. He was then taken to the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina where he died on August 30, 2004 from the head injuries sustained in the mishap. R.I.P

Scotty Cox

In 1999 Scotty Cox and Grant Purkiss, who is Scotty's long time friend and financial backer, got together, formed a company and opened their shop in a remote part of Australia, miles from any major city where the neighbors are kangaroos and crows, that's where they started building some serious choppers.

The thing that sets these guys apart, is that, apart from the frame and swing arm which are fabricated in steel, everything else, like the fuel tank, oil tank, front and rear mudguards,(fenders), headlight and handlebars as well as the chainguard are all hand fabricated in aluminum, then highly polished. I tell you what, these bikes are works of art,

In 2001 their extraordinary one-off rolling masterpiece called "The Aluminator" earned them the Best Custom Bike in Australia. From there they took it to the U.S. where it won the Outstanding All-Over Design at the Masters Pro Bike Show in Daytona Beach.

Click on Scotty's Photo to see his Biker Build Off

Russell Mitchell

An Exile Cycle is instantly recognizable for its industrial European styling, but with his Mohawk mane and wall-to-wall tattoos, Russell Mitchell stands out even more than his bikes! A colorful character with an interesting back story, Mitchell has been a veterinarian, a punker, a model and an actor, but always a biker.

These days you can add loving father and TV celebrity to that list. Born in the West of England, Russell started customizing motorcycles at the tender age of 16, just as soon as he got his motorcycle license. Even his early machines received widespread press, and the love of two-wheeled machinery has remained his life-long passion. He actually qualified as a veterinary surgeon and accepted a position at a practice in London, where he immersed himself in the local punk scene.

Dr Mitchell soon became the TV vet on London Weekend Television's popular breakfast news show. Russell realized he enjoyed show business more than dogs with diarrhea and cats with colic. An invitation from a top Los Angeles modeling agency resulted in Russell's so called "exile" to L.A Instantly a fan of the warm weather and the beautiful women, Russell now considers California his home. Predictably, modeling led to acting, but Russell's true passion remained motorcycles and he always made time to feed his addiction to building huge, powerful V-Twin machines. He continued to hone his skills, mastering all the varied disciplines required to become the world-renowned master bike builder he is today.

Dave Perewitz

Dave Perewitz has to be considered a member of the “old guard” when referring to bike builders. With over 30 years in the custom motorcycle industry, he has watched the trends change and the styles come and go. Through all of these changes he has remained on top of his game. With over 100 magazine covers to his credit and a customer list of celebrities as long as your arm, Dave proves time and time again his design and paint skills are always in big demand. With inductions into two motorcycle halls of fame and being named the 2003 Best Custom Fabricated Bike Builder, Dave shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

When anybody in the custom motorcycle industry needs horsepower, Kendall Johnson is the man they call. Kendall’s ability to squeeze every bit of horsepower out of a V-Twin engine is legendary. Not only is he a renown engine magician, he is also a cutting edge master builder.

Kendall Johnston

Originally from Minnesota, Matt Hotch has been building custom motorcycles since he was sixteen years old.  This self-taught metal master has been known to build innovative and radical designs.  With a philosophy like “perfection is possible,” Hotch has proven and earned respect as one of the premier custom bike builders, making this back to back Biker Build-Off Champion one of the motorcycle industries most sought-after Master Builders.  His limitless imagination, artistic genius and flawless finish work guarantee his stay on the cutting edge of the custom bike building industry.

Matt Hotch

Vic Jefford

Destiny Cycles are renowned for unique motorcycles, hand built  in-house to the highest quality.

Vic and Lin Jefford are leaders in innovative custom design, consistently producing multi show winning bikes for both customers and themselves since 1998.

They are well known throughout the custom world, riding and showing their bikes both  at home and in Europe.

If you want to stand out from the crowd riding a high quality hand-crafted custom bike, look no further.

The Skull Chopper, no Idea who built this beast

Started in 1990 by Rikki and Dean Battistini, the company grew as a result of their enthusiasm and love of motorcycles. With a unique flair for design, there were two sides to the business; the design and building of exquisite custom motorcycles and the distribution of top of the range parts and accessories (Arlen Ness and Performance Machine) to European dealers. Mark later joined the company to concentrate on sales to the Italian market.

In May 1995 Dean sadly died as a result of a tragic motorcycle accident. This had a massive effect on Battistinis as a company and a family, resulting in the decline of the original Battistinis. After much deliberation we decided to go right back to basics, doing what we are good at, building high quality, unique custom motorcycles. With sales and distribution running alongside this, the business has grown into what it is today.

Mark Battistinis

Mitch Bergeron

Mitch Bergeron has been building customs for over a decade and when we say building we don’t mean bolting shit together, we mean ground up, chopped up, hand made custom bikes.

He is recognized world over for his unique metalwork and designs.

Martin Brothers

The crew at Martin Bros. Bikes is the best in the country! They use top machinists, mechanics, and designers to create their high quality customs

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