My name is Jeff Holter and Road Gear Components is my company. Road Gear Components is still fairly new, being registered officially in 2000 but actually getting started in 1996. This is the part where I would have someone else write up a nice little biography about my background and how it all got started, which I had until I re-read it. At that point I realized that no one wants to hear a bunch of bullshit about my past or how it's been some kinda magical journey to success in the motorcycle industry. So, what follows is a really short and to the point statement about this thing I call Road Gear.
When It Started -
Back in the mid 90's I was building an old shovelhead just to have something to beat on. It started off to be a budget bike that I could use to bar hop and not worry about. I would look for deals on parts, hitting swap meets, getting deals from friends with shops and making the parts that I couldn't buy. One of the cheap parts deals came back to bite me in the ass when I had purchased a set of forward controls that had no place for a kickstand mount. At that time my options were limited when it came to a kickstand that mounted elsewhere. Out of frstration and desperation, I sat down on the floor in the garage and started designing my own kickstand. A couple months later, sketches turned into CADD drawings, CADD drawings turned into prototypes and prototypes turned into a whole damn business. Who would have thought those college courses would actually be put to use one day?
What I Do -
By day I'm an Art Director/Designer with a background in fine art. With that experience, an entire lifetime revolving around motorcycles and a few CADD classes in college, I started to create my own unique parts. The first and most significant being the Hog-Leg kickstand which was patented in 1999 and finally put into production in 2001. Since then the Hog-Leg has been gaining interest on the market and Road Gear keeps on going.
Why I'm Here -
Since the big TV chopper building boom started, there's been massive flood of little bike shops and builders that have suddenly popped up on every corner in every town. I say more power to them, but am not one of them. I started this company to produce high quality parts and give the motorcycle riding community something new and useful. I have a great group of people that work with me and an excellent machine shop that takes pride in the parts they produce. Every part that comes out of Road Gear is assembled by someone who really knows the parts - me. I work closely with local shops that retail Road Gear products and if you call with questions about the Hog-Leg or any of the other designs, I will answer the phone and answer your questions personally.
Why I Do It -
For fun mainly. But also because
too many people out there are full of shit and are out to get your money. The motorcycle market is saturated with unnecessarily overpriced parts and it's all the same. I have a full time job and don't need your money, I just want people to get what they need and what they pay for. I'm fighting the system in my own little way.
If this wasn't enough and you feel you need to know more, send me an email: Jeff@roadgearcomponents.com . I handle the website traffic too! -JH