In the heart of the Rocky Mountains lies one of the top custom motorcycle manufacturers in the United States–Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles.

he V-Twin world continues to expand and redefine itself every year. Builders are no longer just builders, they’re artists, inventors, and innovators. And manufacturers are no longer distant corporate entities; they are riders, racers, and builders themselves. Big or small, corporate or mom & pop, the V-Twin business model is wide open and Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles is on the leading edge of the wave.
     In the heart of the Rocky Mountains lies one of the top custom motorcycle manufacturers in the United States. Assembling bikes that utilize over 90% Harley-Davidson® parts, a custom paint job, unique styling and rock solid reliability sets Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles (TMCC) apart from others.
     TMCC began with the idea of manufacturing custom cycles in 2000 and has never looked back. It started when Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles wanted to build a show bike for the Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet in Denver, Colorado to showcase the possibilities of customizing a Harley-Davidson®. The first bike, titled The Bone Collector, was built with more of an extreme rake; they loaded the bike with every chrome option available to showcase what every motorcyclist dreams of doing to their own bike. The bike was topped off with an eye popping translucent skull paint job over brushed metal. This paint technique gave the three dimensional effect of skulls following you as you walked past the bike. The new bike received overwhelming responses, and at that point TMCC knew that they had devised the recipe for success: custom paint, chrome, more rake, and the reliability of using 90% Harley-Davidson® components. 2000 also marked another milestone for TMCC, as it was the year they joined Drag Specialties.
     The beginning of 2001 was a very exciting and fulfilling year for the Colorado based company, as Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles became a licensed manufacturer. Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles was on a roll with the release of their first four models: the Breckenridge, the Gunnison, the Telluride, and the Frisco, which were named after popular and beautiful mountainous towns in Colorado. With such a successful and profitable year, TMCC also introduced the Rustic model. The Rustic spiced the line up by upgrading to a Springer front-end, a hard to come by commodity at the time. TMCC began building their customer base and brand recognition by taking the show on the road and going nationwide. The beginning of TMCC’s motorcycle sales began at national rallies such as Daytona Beach, Sturgis, Laughlin, Myrtle Beach and Laconia.
With customer feedback dictating the trend toward fat tire bikes, TMCC introduced the bestsellers of the 2002 model year, the      Blackhawk 180 and the Baditude 180. From the custom paint jobs to the unique shorter-cut rear fender, which showed off the bikes’ 180mm rear tire, TMCC produced the trendsetters of the time. These models also had a variety of optional upgrades enticing more buyers and increasing customer demand. Available upgrades included fuel injection, upgrading to a Harley® 95 cu. in. engine, and adding on the exclusive, detachable passenger seat. And as TMCC kept on the cutting edge of innovation, the Drag Specialties FatBook came into play. “Since TMCC is a custom motorcycle manufacturer, with a true production manufacturing line,” says Keith Nelson, Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles Purchasing Manager, “we use resources like the Drag FatBook primarily for seeing what parts are currently available in the marketplace, for consideration for new bike model designs.”
     As TMCC’s custom bikes began to emerge in the motorcycle world, with many requests from Harley® dealers and aftermarket shops about carrying the TMCC line, a strategic decision was made to market the bikes through exclusive, authorized Harley-Davidson® dealers throughout the nation.

     Gradually acquiring select Harley® dealerships to sell Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles nationally, TMCC began 2003 with a more streamlined approach for the production of their cycles to meet the additional demand. The company implemented an assembly line process, and was able to increase efficiency by producing quality bikes with a faster turnaround time. As the process of researching market trends continued, TMCC produced its first rigid frame on a 240mm rear tire, naming this incarnation the Granite. TMCC produced a limited number of the Granite model, a mere 50 motorcycles in total. The Granite, being a limited edition bike, was an instant success in sales for TMCC’s dealer network.
     As the trend toward wider rear tires continued, TMCC went to the next level by introducing a Softail, 240mm rear tire, using the previously successful models, the Blackhawk and the Baditude. TMCC started manufacturing these models as the Blackhawk 240 and Baditude 240, names representing their massive rear tire size. Drag Specialties components continued to play a role in TMCC bikes. “Although TMCC builds and sells manufactured custom motorcycles, the major Drag products TMCC uses and provides as part of our motorcycles are Metzeler tires, Progressive Shocks, Goodridge Brake components, and other excellent quality motorcycle components,” says Keith Nelson. “Drag is definitely one of the easiest multi-line suppliers/distributors to work with. My Drag Rep (Shelly Pfisterer) has been great. She is very knowledgeable and looks after her customers needs.”
     Establishing a dealer network that jumped from seven to more than double their market share, TMCC acquired nine additional dealerships. With a network of 16 dealers coast-to-coast, 2004 brought sales of approximately 864 models sold in the dealerships throughout the U.S. Hot Bike, Street Chopper, and Quick Throttle are just three of the national publications that Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles advertised with. Increasing market saturation by 68%, TMCC established relationships with 49 dealerships in total nationwide. Slowly starting to focus on the models that were industry leaders, TMCC began to alter and manufacture more of the Blackhawk 240, Baditude 240, and the Baditude Springer models in 2005. These designs launched TMCC into the top five custom bike builders in the world!
     Going into 2006 and with over 70 dealers in the U.S, TMCC has successfully introduced four new models: the Sterling RM, the Keystone, the Firestone, and the Frontier. From Bobber to Chopper to Touring, these trendsetting motorcycles are increasing dealer market share, generating consumer excitement, and elevating brand recognition for Thunder Mountain and their authorized dealers globally. TMCC’s newest endeavor is their addition of the Frontier, currently the world’s only 280mm fat tire, production Bagger that utilizes over 90% Harley® components. This bike is a full-out cruiser equipped with Harley-Davidson® parts and accessories to ensure reliability and quality. To complement the Frontier, TMCC unveiled the trendy, retro-style Bobber, the Sterling RM. The introduction of the Sterling RM generated hype throughout the states and sales boomed. Soon after, TMCC started reproduction on the model just to meet the customer demand. A major success was the launching of the 9 ft. 2 in., 300mm rear tire bike, the Keystone. This cutting-edge chopper is the most extreme bike ever produced by Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles. And last, but certainly not least, TMCC unveiled its newest endeavor, the Firestone. The Firestone is a pro-street style bike that is uniquely designed with a radical strut set-up that utilizes the original TMCC detachable system. The bike houses 280mm rear tires, a ride that is low, mean, and anything but lean.
     Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles takes pride in customizing their line to uphold maximum comfort and style while enhancing control through effortless handling. To accommodate exponential growth and increase assembly line efficiency, in February 2006, TMCC moved from their 16,000 sq. ft. facility into a 36,000 sq. ft. location much more suited for the company’s future needs. From the loading and unloading of bikes in the wrap-around parking lot, to the two stories of offices, storage space and glass conference rooms, Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles doesn’t stop there. There are also two second floor mezzanines that give a birds-eye view of the professionals who assemble the custom Thunder Mountain motorcycles. To be warned: The Research & Development room, known as “The Tank” is off limits to the public. The public will have to wait until the unveiling of each new model to see the latest and greatest of TMCC products when they hit the market.


Three of Thunder Mountain Custom Cycle’s popular and successful models (top to bottom): the Frontier, the Firestone and the Keystone.

     Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles will continue to saturate the market as well as dealer events by co-oping with their network of dealers and attending major motorcycle shows across the country. The International Motorcycle Show, a series of 13 shows (9 of which were attended by TMCC), showcase the most well known motorcycles in the world. TMCC is one of the few custom manufacturers present in a tour dominated by the mass market, such as Harley-Davidson®, Honda®, Suzuki®, Kawasaki® and Yamaha®.
     TMCC has presented their bikes on the road from Poland to Scotland to South Africa. This unstoppable company has turned heads while displaying their most innovative bikes for charity benefits, well-known companies, celebrities, and sports teams such as Playboy, Chevron, Colorado Eagles, Sturgis Giveaway, Silverado Casino, Kids N Chrome Charity, Full Throttle & Coca-Cola, Anheuser Busch & NASCAR, and Kevin Milar from the Boston Red Sox.
     TMCC focuses on the future for more innovation and improvement on their bikes, and look at their customer feedback as a foundation for models to come. The opportunities that lie ahead for this company are limitless and Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles will continue to strive and be innovative in market trends.
     Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles is certainly a major success story in the V-Twin marketplace. Their recipe for success is simple to say, but not so easy to accomplish. Every machine they put out is backed by the hard work of their staff to make it happen. “We manufacture some of the finest designed and built custom motorcycles in the world,” says Keith Nelson. “And we build these motorcycles using the best quality components available.” For Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles, design, innovation, customer feedback and quality equal success.