Chopper Shop Makes Dream Machines

There's no doubt the power and noise of a Harley draws attention. Whether we see it zooming down the highway or simply parked nice and shiny in a lot, many of us have gazed at a Harley, or someone riding a Harley, and imagined: What if?

The self proclaimed gearheads who run Comanche Custom Cycles know about Harleys first hand. They're owners. They're riders. And at their small shop in downtown Moorpark, they specialize in making Harley dreams come true.

Owner Joe Righetti described the appeal of being a Harley owner.

"It's the cool factor," he said. "Just like riding a hot rod. When you pull into a bar on a Harley, people stop and look."

Righetti grew up in Simi Valley and learned about bikes from his dad.

"I was just a gearhead. My dad messed around with bikes," he said.

Manager Vince DeFalco grew up in nearby Agoura. The open hills in north L.A. County lent themselves to Motocross being a natural habit.

"Growing up here in the mountains, riding bikes was almost a prerequisite," he said.

Righetti was a local Harley rider when the original Comanche shop opened almost two decades ago. A friendship formed and eventually, when the owner put the place up for sale, Righetti bought it. He's been servicing Harleys at Comanche ever since.

Comanche is not a sales shop with a showroom floor. It's a custom shop. These guys take bikes apart and put them back together. If you have a Harley dream, they can build it, repair it or customize it.

"We do it all," DeFalco said. "Maintenance, building motors, dynotune, machine shop and welding. We can also do custom jobs and major remodels of factory bikes."

Some jobs, like one the shop completed for a doctor in Arizona, are huge.

"He was a guy in his mid 40s.  It took a year and a half and cost thirty thousand dollars in parts and forty thousand dollars in labor," said DeFalco. "We hand made 80 percent of the parts."

Even if you've got the bucks and would like to get started, you have to know how to ride, and a Harley is not something you buy unless you can rev it up and blow down a street. For those who can't tell the gears from the brakes or the clutch from the kickstand, Righetti and DeFalco suggest starting with an Motorcycle Riding Education (MRE) course. The company offers classes at local high schools and, as part of the course, it even provides the driving test for the Department of Motor Vehicles.

As far as buying a Harley, Righetti thinks potential owners should "start with magazines, just to determine what you actually like."

The other big factor is how much you're willing to spend. A basic Sportster can start somewhere between $8,000 to $9,000. From there it can spiral up to $20,000 or more. We're talking Harley here. Not cheap.

If you have the money, your dream bike awaits. As you rifle through magazines and add up your budget, don't forget to include your own sketches. The guys at Comanche can take your ideas and make it happen.