The world of custom choppers is growing at an unbelievable rate! It seems that custom motorcycle companies are springing up everywhere, but in this special Industry Profile segment we’ll give you a look into one company that is setting the standard and is still doing things the “old-school” way while increasing technology and production. Welcome to the world of Bourget’s Bike Works, Inc., of Phoenix, Arizona.

According to the company’s own website, (www.bourgets.com) owner, Roger Bourget has been designing and building motorcycles for nearly two decades and the company recently celebrated its ten-year anniversary. Roger attributes the company’s success to the choices given the customer and their approach in building the bikes themselves. “I’m not aware of another bike shop that does what we do. With all the options, colors, and variations available it is unlimited what you can do at our shop.” Roger also added that, “we have kept the small custom shop mentality and added on to that.” Today, Bourget’s produces approximately 1,000 bikes per year with the same attention to quality and detail as if they were producing one-tenth that number! And what is important to remember about Bourget’s Bike Works is that they are a manufacturer of custom motorcycles, not just a team who assembles the bike. While the crew was there, Brigitte Bourget, Vice-President of the company, took them on a tour of the factory and pointed out the various stages of production right down to the final quality control checks. She said that once the bike is ordered it is literally born in the stock room and that’s where the process begins. She also added that all the components are built in house and are subject to the highest quality standards. Bourget’s Bike Works also uses S & S engines in their bikes and they are “tweaked,” polished, and assembled in house. In fact, the only items that are sent out are the frames to be powder coated, and the tanks and fenders to be painted. Finally, the bike goes through six stages of assembly and a series of quality control checks; even the seats are color coordinated and stitched to match the custom paint!

Roger believes that a high-tech approach is what sets their bikes apart from the competition, and the fact that many of their ideas and techniques have been patented such as their “drop-seat, oil-in-frame” chassis design. This unique approach eliminates the oil bag and drops the seat height to allow the rider to sit “in the bike” rather than on top of it. This design allows for better control and a more comfortable ride. In addition, “by running the engine oil through the chassis, the entire chassis acts as an oil cooler and there is more engine oil capacity. This allows the oil to run cooler, not break down as fast, and the end result is longer engine life and dependability” (www.bourgets.com/pages/info_02.html). Finally, Brigitte summed up the attitude and intention of Bourget’s Bike Works when she said, “We try to make the final product look like a million bucks.” Who knows, in the world of collectable custom motorcycles that price may soon be a bargain! If you would like information on the full line of Bourget Motorcycles, apparel, and accessories, you can visit them on the web at www.bourgets.com.

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