Everyone knows that Tampa, Florida, is a prime retirement community, so when David “Doc” Robinson decided to retire from a career in welding he chose the Tampa area, but soon it was apparent that Doc was anything but retired as he started building bikes and is now the founder and operator of Big Dick Customs.  Recently, we had the chance to visit with Doc and see just how his “retirement” was getting along.

Doc told us that he had retired three years ago, and at the same moment told us that he had been riding Harley-Davidsons all of his life.  His career has also been diverse ranging from shipyard welding to creating props for movies such as Edward Scissorhands.  Concerning his retirement he said that his children told him that they were going to have problems if his retirement meant that he was going to be building wooden ducks whose wings spun around in a circle!  It was then that he decided to tackle the bike industry full-throttle, and sought out to create a line of customs that “looked radical, looked clean, and were rideable.”  Doc cites some legendary influences that have helped him to define his own style such as Cyril Huze, Joe Martin, Billy Lane, and Matt Hotch, and from the looks of the bikes that we saw, we believe that Doc has found his own unique style.  To demonstrate what we mean, Doc showed us one bike that featured some unbelievable leather work including covers for the front forks and hand grips.  “I don’t build cookie cutter bikes,” Doc asserted. 

Doc’s staff includes Kodes Young, who first came to Doc as a customer, and is now his right hand man.  Maintaining order around the place is Desiree Goggins who makes sure that the office runs smoothly.  Kodes is described by Doc as his best friend and is the guy who “keeps me in line.”  In turn, Kodes says that it is his role to “follow Doc’s lead.” He also says that he loves it here because every day is different. “Doc is creative and I am learning,” he said with a smile.

Doc says that when it all comes down to it, there is only one reason to build bikes:  women!  It was at that point that we just had to ask about the name of the business and Doc told us the story.  One time when Doc was showing a bike, a British guy came up and said, “It’s quite the big dick.”  Doc said that he then looked up the term in the dictionary and that one of the definitions was that “dick” was British slang for “fellow, lad, or chap.”  With a grin, Doc says, “I liked the name so I left it.”

In closing, Doc demonstrated some of his own techniques in working with sheet metal saying, “You have to beat it into submission before you get started.”  Regarding his relationships with his customers, he said that he tries to influence them a little bit, but it’s their bike and he likes doing the work that makes them happy.  In reflecting on his retirement and how he is spending his time, Doc said, “What else can you do that’s more fun than this?  I build these motorcycles because I like to build them.”  Sounds like the ultimate retirement plan to us.  If you would like to know more about the bikes from Big Dick Customs you can find them on the web at www.bigdickcustoms.com.  That’s it from Tampa, Florida, so until our next ride, “keep the shiny side up and Ride On!”

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