ENTREPRENEURS: Made in U.S.A.
Published in the Grand Forks Herald, ND - June 04 2007THOMPSON, N.D. - The first bike Bob Bucklin ever fell in love with was a 1927 Indian Scout. It's a love affair that's stuck with him to this day. You can see it in the way he smiles when he talks about his current bike - a customized Indian motorcycle.
Travis Ripplinger has been a Harley-Davidson guy since the days when his dad first got him interested in motorcycles.
Despite a history of competition between Indian and Harley-Davidson, Bucklin and Ripplinger focus more on their mutual interest in motorcycles than their differences in brand loyalty.
The product of their interest is Legendary Cycles, a new motorcycle repair shop located on Thompson's Pacific Avenue. The shop, which opened about three weeks ago, specializes in maintenance, service work and customization on American motorcycles - especially Harley-Davidson and Indian bikes.
“We're more equipped to work on American bikes,” Ripplinger said.
But, the business will service any make or model.
Ripplinger said he hopes to provide high-quality work at reasonable rates because motorcycle enthusiasts are often faced with high price tags. “It's very expensive now to ride American V-twins,” he said.
The business model behind Legendary Cycles is simple. Ripplinger and Bucklin are trying to create an old-school atmosphere at the shop. They put a heavy emphasis on personal relationships and customer service.
There isn't a lot of overhead associated with the business. Instead of investing in expensive, specialized equipment, Ripplinger and Bucklin offer services such as chroming and powder coating through a nationwide network of personal contacts.
“If we don't know how to do it, we'll find a way to get it done,” Ripplinger said.
Ripplinger and Bucklin are focused on a small base of customers at this point and are promoting the business primarily through word of mouth.
Legendary Cycles is at 122 Pacific Ave. in Thompson.
Edison reports on business. Reach him at (701) 780-1107, (800) 477-6572, ext. 107; or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Edited by Kimberley@p23webdesign 03/15/2009
