Q: What is the history behind Lifestyle Cycles?
A:Lifestyle Cycles, for all intents and purposes, started by accident! Having originally started my retail career in the construction tool and supply business, I opened my very first company, Junior's Tools. It started out in the back of a beat up old used Snap On van and grew to 13 stores located in California, Arizona and Nevada. In 1999 the company was sold and I was faced with an unfamiliar problem, having nothing to do! My love of motorcycles had begun very early and as a kid I bought and repaired mini-bikes and sold them to the neighborhood kids. While owning Junior's Tools I would buy salvaged motorcycles and build them into custom bikes for my friends and employee's, often never charging them. During the summer of ‘99 I began building bikes again. Many of my friends would ask me to go look at bikes they were considering buying. They would drag me from Redondo Beach to Lancaster and then down to San Diego looking at bikes that were overpriced or wrecked! I started looking for good deals on bikes to buy so I could have a supply for my friends to buy. Within a year I had 20-25 bikes inside my house for sale, 4 lifts in the garage, a full time mechanic and people coming over day and night to buy these bikes! I guess at that point I was in the motorcycle business! We opened our first store on State College in Anaheim, in March of 2000 and it has been a wild ride ever since!
Q: What type of customer does your shop attract?
A: Our shop attracts so many different types of customers. Our diversity is our biggest accomplishment! They range from the stereotypical biker to wealthy eccentric people that want to put bikes in their living rooms and everything in between!
Q: In addition to selling used bikes, parts and gear, what other services doe Lifestyle offer?
A: Lifestyle Cycles is truly a full service dealership! We offer a huge selection of used Harley Davidson motorcycles, parts and apparel as well as insurance services, collision repair, third party and sub-prime lending and Harley Davidson Rentals.
Q: It looks like you have a fairly large rider group, any big rides planned for the year?
A:I am very proud to say that our riding group now has over 1800 members! It is very common to see groups in excess of 100 riders leaving Lifestyle Cycles for destinations such as Pioneer Town, Malibu, a San Pedro Bridge tour, Julian, Hearst Castle and many other day trips, weekend over-nighters and week-long vacations. Our next big trip will be a 7-day trip to the Avenue of the Giants in May. Membership is FREE and we have weekly rides for all riding abilities.
Q: What is your favorite motorcycle you have ridden?
A: I don't know if I really have a favorite. It really depends on what mood I'm in. For the longer trips I'll usually ride a Street Glide, When I'm pumped up It's a Dyna Street Bob or when I'm lazy it's the closest bike to the front door!
Q: Wheelies or burnouts?
A: Wheelies are way more fun than burnouts any day of the week!
Q: What’s your favorite pieces from RSD and why do you like them?
A: Without sounding like I'm kissing ass, I pretty much like all of the RSD product line! Our clientele is so diverse we have the opportunity to sell everything they make without pigeon holing ourselves into one specific area or product. I think the most important thing to me is quality. When I'm buying a bike and see RSD products on the bike I know it was taken care of and owned with pride and will bring a premium on the sales floor!
Q: You guys building any bikes? If so what are you working on?
A: I’ve kind of lost interest in building ground up customs. They take too long and I lose interest before they are done. Our specialty is turning stock boring bikes into semi customs in two weeks or less!
Q: Whiskey or beer
A: Fireball Baby!
Q: Dyna or Bagger
A: That’s like asking Blonde or Brunette. I think I'll have one of each and throw in a Redhead while you’re at it!