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contents www.revcomm.com 800-263-9565 chris mcgee 582 e boise ave #144 boise id 83706 chris@revcomm.com brian marion 1959 n peace haven rd #146 winston-salem nc 27106 brian@revcomm.com the edge® magazine is produced by revolution communications for custom chrome revolution communications and custom chrome are not responsible for the claims of its advertisers or the editorial contributions by vendors editorial space in this publication is offered on an advertorial basis no part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced in any form or format no part of this publication may be transmitted electronically mechanically or digitally without the written permission of revolution communications revolution communications custom chrome or any of their partners hold no liability for any material in this publication all claims and statements are the sole responsibility of manufacturer the edge® custom chrome© revolution communications® and revcomm® are registered trademarks of their respective owners all other marks listed herein are the property of their respective owners 8 a word from holger mohr celebrating the past and a look forward with the president and ceo of custom chrome 10-14 40 years of innovations from the a garage in san jose to the global leader of the industry 16-27 new products featuring arlen ness bdl paul yaffe revtech jammer wiseco barnett phantom pads namz motor factory thermo-tec wilwood kibblewhite and k&n filters 28-31 cole foster s flashback cole gives tribute to the past with this jammer based beauty 32 the european perspective how europe influences the modern v-twin industry 34-36 custom chrome europe revolutionizing the business since 1998 38-43 new products featuring national cycle revtech jims avon grips bsl and dna 44-47 speedway bagger life on kurt taylor s highway eating bagger 48-54 new products featuring le pera rinehart racing motor factory accel revtech flash 2 pass santee special thanks to michael lichter for his inspiring photography also a special thanks to horst rosler for his photography and editorial contributions gentleman we thank you for the assistance in the production of this publication 6[close]
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comment forty years delivering the world s finest products for harley-davidsons let that simmer and settle in for just a moment i m sure for some this brings back quite a few memories of a simpler time but a time of great change just on the horizon bikes then were simple easy to work on but needed constant tweaking wrenching and maintenance to stay on the road with that came an intimate personal relationship with motorcycles built on having to know even feel when things needed work and what to do to make it better t was this relationship with motorcycles specifically american made harley-davidsons which created the current v-twin industry as we know it many of today s leading manufacturers and suppliers were born from necessity and opportunity to fill a hole in the market where either no one made the part or where better brighter ideas and products would stand out and sell it was because of this that custom chrome was born originally founded to provide the best parts available in the bay area to local bikers custom chrome has grown in its forty years to become the premier global supplier of aftermarket parts and accessories to dealers and consumers with sales headquarters in san jose ca bad kreuznach germany and tokyo japan that growth has seen its ups and downs but the vision remains the same to provide the world s finest products for harley-davidsons a mission statement that is as true today as it was 40 years ago and will never change what will change are the bike models brands and technology in our industry it s inevitable already we are seeing a dramatic shift in technology driven advancements in v-twin machines electronic fuel injection fly-by wire throttle controls and digital ecms are quickly pushing away what once were limits into making new opportunities for manufacturers and dealers that isn t to say that classic is out the door there will always be a market for those who eschew modern machines for those of an older era bobbers choppers and old school bikes will always be popular as long as bikers want to build what they ride and invest their own blood sweat and elbow grease into their passion people and personnel will change too already seen during the last few years in larger numbers we chief executive officer of custom chrome all know someone who has moved on to other industries or may have moved on to greener pastures know this however there is a new young vibrant generation just waiting to take their place in the business we all love we are seeing that here at custom chrome and we embrace this new talented group who remind us all of who we were who we are today and why we wanted to get into the vtwin business custom chrome is now poised to begin another successful four decades in the v-twin industry with a renewed spirit and energy drive and focus we celebrate our past but we also look eagerly toward the future lastly i want to say thank you to every dealer customer vendor and employee past or present who has ever done business with custom chrome over these forty years without you there is no custom chrome and it is each one of you who keeps our business moving forward always striving to be the preferred partner in our industry i holger mohr 8[close]
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history rom humble beginnings in a backyard garage growing to become today s industry leading international supplier custom chrome has always been an innovator in the harleydavidson aftermarket parts and accessories business of course forty years has produced many changes to that garage born entity but those years have also taught valuable lessons that give today s custom chrome the vision to succeed for another four decades and beyond f a when you contemplate forty years in business you will soon find yourself wondering:what was i doing 1970 many of today s top customizers weren t even born at the beginning of what would become labeled as the me decade at the time anything seemed possible with saturn v rockets delivering men to the moon on such a regular schedule that the american public needed the drama of apollo 13 to regain their attention also motorcycle manufacturers began following the leader of honda s cb750 four and started an incredible motorcycle boom that would change the image of motorcycling forever t that time san jose was still a quiet town at the end of san francisco bay as silicone valley was just in its infancy however the city was in the heart of motorcycling as the bay area was home to several motorcycle clubs and the oakland roadster show.while customizing cars was already a popular pastime customizing motorcycles was just beginning to hit the scene in earnest led by pioneers such as arlen ness established as a small firm that 10[close]
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polished and chromed everything customers would bring in custom chrome became a corporate entity when four friends led by nace panzica then a 27-year-old mechanic bought the business and opened a motorcycle shop on san carlos street he early custom chrome developed in an overall industry that while hard to believe given today s v-twin fueled market did not favor harley-davidsons take a look at seventies era custom bike magazines and you may be surprised by the number of japanese choppers and customs rumor has it that cci s first ever sale was a handlebar for a honda the reason was simple however despite refreshing the surviving american motorcycle brand with new designs the amf owned h-d had serious quality problems and an even worse image a fact that made great business for companies like custom chrome 1973 saw the first custom chrome parts catalog literally put together on a kitchen table in 1975 the business had surpassed the $1 million dollar mark necessitating the lease of a 5,000 square t foot warehouse which grew to become 20,000 square feet by 1978 just one year later custom chrome again needed additional space for its growing operations and changed addresses to morgan hill a small town just south of san jose with new headquarters and a new 300 page catalog custom chrome set the standard for the industry cci was now large enough that it produced and distributed enough parts to offer complete motorcycle kits for ground up builds he custom chrome address changed once again in 1987 to a facility now housing complete headquarters r&d and warehousing under one roof business would now evolve far beyond the founding partners wildest expectations as the real harley-davidson boom was about to begin that same year the company introduced another innovation for the custom bike industry by staging the first dealer show which soon became an annual landmark event for h-d dealers independent shops and custom bike builders from around the world by this time the distributor was now ready for the boom years that would come between 1991 and 1994 being an industry leader custom chrome built a new 100,800 square foot warehouse located in visalia california providing a one day delivery to most western t 11[close]
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history for its day this was state of the art r&d before the rally and show truck days a parade in morgan hill john reed w ith holger mohr today in personal showjohn s room states soon new warehouses were also opened in louisville ky and harrisburg pa this made custom chrome the first aftermarket parts distributor with the ability to reach the majority of the united states with one day shipping s the demand for more powerful v-twin motorcycles was rising motorcycle brands like titan big dog american iron horse and others filled the gap resulting from harley s inability to produce more powerful bikes production numbers for the custom market gained volume and custom chrome supplied necessary parts in greater numbers along with high output high torque revtech motors this would also be the time when the company would become a leader in developing the next generation of parts and accessories led by world class designers like rick doss dave perewitz and the ingenious john reed among others custom chrome would now carry designer parts which would go on to become top sellers worldwide then in a forward thinking move custom chrome introduced the newly created custom chrome europe which had been known since 1986 as tom s international in january the following year the us based corporation took full control of cce and current president and ceo holger mohr became general manager of custom chrome europe it was just in time to participate in the v-twin boom on the other side of the atlantic as there had long been a customizing and chopper scene in europe almost as long as in the united states by the nineties the infatuation with all things harley-davidson was a worldwide phenomenon usiness in europe expanded as swiftly as it had in the usa and custom chrome europe added new parts and fresh ideas into the american market as well just before the end of the century the company s catalog now offered no less than 25,000 parts worldwide in october 2004 for their 35th anniversary custom chrome held its largest dealer show ever at its morgan hill headquarters.with television series such as motorcycle mania orange county choppers and biker build off fueling interest in a revived custom bike craze the early 21st century was booming for all in the v-twin market the increased exposure of tv and rally events across the us and europe brought the industry and custom chrome to a 2010 saw cci win the prestigious industry leadership award at the v-twin expo b weekly sales m ee morgan hill keep tings in the team working to cci gether 12[close]
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history new heights in development innovation and sales throughout the years custom chrome has constantly maintained a business plan based on innovation and providing the industry with leadership direction and the finest parts and accessories available says company founder nace panzica a lot of firsts and innovations came from cci that may now seem commonplace.we were the first with a traveling big rig show truck and the first to have a major dealer show o what does the future of custom chrome hold the real challenge is to offer the best services fastest delivery best promotions and superior quality parts that challenge never stops states holger mohr president and ceo the mission of custom chrome in the future hasn t changed all that much really from what was started forty years ago in that small backyard garage and what is stated under our logo to provide the industry with the world s finest products for harley-davidsons it s that vision and mission that keeps us moving forward toward the next forty years s coast california down the niversary bikes e a cci rid the 40th an with www.customchrome.com some of the original cci design team rick doss 14 dave perewitz john reed original cci parts designs by john reed[close]
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