FEATURE
A foot peg produced on TRUMPF equipment.
History is full of visionary thinkers and artists whose unprecedented projects first meet misunderstanding and contempt and then become mainstream successes.
For acceptance to come during the groundbreaker’s lifetime is rare and requires a little luck, a lot of hard work, and sometimes, a laser. Such is the case of West Coast Choppers owner Jesse James. It is no surprise that James, famous for his own maverick personality, comes from an ancestry of pioneer stock that includes the original Jesse James, notorious outlaw and Wild West folk hero. But you might not expect to learn that James has had more than a few successful ideas that people initially judged impractical.
The motorcycle business Like many an entrepreneur, Jesse James’s story begins in the corner of his mother’s garage, where James liked to tinker with motorcycles. James had been working as a bodyguard, a job which required him to travel for up to a year at a time. During breaks, James returned to work on his bikes – something he had enjoyed since childhood. After an injury forced him to stay home for a month, James decided to start his own business. Although today West Coast Choppers (WCC) is a multimillion dollar company with 250,000 square feet, 80 employees, and an exclusive, high-profi le clientele, not everyone was supportive of the hobby-turned-business venture. “Building bikes was considered [goofing] off,” explains James. “It wasn’t really thought of as a profession – most bikers were considered greasy, dirty scum. It definitely wasn’t considered something that you could raise and support a family on. No one said ‘That’s a good move, you should do that.’” Fortunately for James, the naysayers were wrong. James was soon busy with work, moved out of the garage, and opened his own shop. In the early days, James made a lot of motorcycle fenders, several hundred per week, he estimates. He used hand-held electric shears to cut both sides of the fender, and each week consumed a pair of the hundred- > Express Vol.1/08
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