Words and pictures by Horst Rösler
September saw the Rick's Motorcycles team celebrate the 25th anniversary of Patrick Knoerzer's decision to set up his wheel manufacturing business - a business that grew quickly to become one of Europe's major custom parts manufacturing operations, spawning Rick's "House of Custom" and, eventually, catching Harley-Davidson's attention when, in 2011, it also became what has developed into one of Germany's major Harley dealerships.
When it comes to TÜV-approved "Made in Germany" custom parts of the highest quality, Rick's parts are renowned not just for their quality, style and reliability, but also the focus on the simplification of the art of customizing itself - optimizing the parts selection process for easy assembly for current and older Harley model lines.
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| Sold and mounted since 2007: Rick's "Trick n' Roll" swingarm, available also through Custom Chrome Europe for many Harley models. |
Innovative designs that offer a clean look and improved functionality have been the Rick's hallmark - from the early days of the 'Fat Rear End' boom, to custom options for Harley riders who want to stamp their own identity on a stock bike. From their wheels right through to their noted forward control designs - Rick's parts have become a byword for precision manufacturing and the highest quality standards.
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| Rick's 25th Anniversary bike was finished that weekend! |
The 3-day event in Baden-Baden saw several thousand riders visiting the showroom, workshops and CNC fabrication halls, all of which were open for the public to see how Rick's bring bare metal to life. Rick's have always been noted for their custom builds and conversions, and they gave a public debut to six new designs at the event, with several new ideas introduced.
Rick's obligatory 25th Anniversary Custom build, an M-8 'Bobber', also featured a range of CCE-distributed components such as EMD heads and covers. Hungary-based stunt professional Erdös Csabas and his team performed for the crowds and Rick's partners presently include V-Team handlebars, Kesstech, Metzeler, "Rolling Optician" Optik Wilde, Penzl Exhausts and French world tourer Eric Lobo.
www.ricks-motorcycles.com