I am at the West Palm Beach Airport on my way to Cincinnati, and now that it is official I can upload this post to tell you that Global Motorsports Group (GMG) has sold all its assets including Custom Chrome (CCI) to Korean Dae-II corporation, the RevTech (engines and transmissions) program manufacturer. Global Motorsports Group (GMG) is filing a voluntary petition for reorganization under chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. The Company states that it will not make any changes in employee numbers or facility locations. Former CEO Nace Panzica will return to lead the business with which he was synonymous until his departuret some eight years ago. He is one of the original founders of Custom Chrome in 1970 and the person widely credited with pushing Custom Chrome to a position of leadership. Transition to new ownership by Korean Dae-II should be completed by next March. Let me know what you think of this announcement
Global Motorsports Group Sells Custom Chrome To Korean Company
Published by February 1st, 2008 in Editorial.46 Responses to “Global Motorsports Group Sells Custom Chrome To Korean Company”
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Cant say anything nice, dont say anything at all…………………………………………………………………Hhhummmmmmmm………………………….Humm,,,, Humm…………………….hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Thats all we need, more “stuff” made overseas:(
at least it ain’t china
How does a company, that is owned by another company, that has all the money in the world ,Cerberus Capitol Management, ( bought Chrysler, and GMAC for billions and billions) have to file for a reorganization of a little small company like Motorcycle Stuff, Custom Chrome which is not even a blip on their investment radar.
As for, “at least it’s not china” or “more stuff made overseas”, they’ve always manufactured over there, nothing has changed about that.
I did a short tour as a salesman for this company, it’s problem was and still is, it’s leadership. There are a lot of really good people in this company, I am hopeful that they can revive this business and company to it’s former worthiness and restore the loyalty, leadership and pride of it’s once self. The industry needs the competition.
Big corporations like Cerberus get rid of small corporations like GMS if they lose money. Regret: no American buyer to buy an American company. It says a lot.
You are right on target and couldn’t be more correct about leadership Tom. The company who will own Custom Chrome is Daell USA now headed by Nace Panzica, one of the original founders. Daell USA also makes parts for John Deere among others. People who continue to bash any part not made in the USA need to realize that many HD parts are imported from overseas and have been for years. Plus, most buyers are way too cheap to pay the premium for a part manufactured here. How else can you explain why people will buy crappy Ultima products on one hand and complain about foreign made parts in the same breath? Pure hypocrisy! If the price is right and the design is cool, the part will sell. Here’s hoping Custom Chrome will rise again and shut the mouths of the arrogant naysayers and rumor mongers.
If you shop at Wal-mart chances are you probably don’t care about the source of your parts. There needs to be a shift in national pride when it comes to buying domestic products. Sure a majority of domestic products may be sourced from abroad but there needs to be, at the very least, an attempt at being a patriotic consumer. Who cares if Toyota’s got a bigger better truck, or Nissan. I understand that there may be more american parts and labor in these vehicles than some domestics but it comes down to values, pride and Principles. something we americans are lacking these days. what will it take for us to get it, we’re tying our own noose.
Understanding that most, if not all the parts ‘where’ and/or ‘are still’ still made there was not my focus. I agree with all….. I just somewhat disappointed that an American company doesn’t own it.. Its a ‘born here’ Company that is now owned by an overseas conglomerate………. not a rant, just wish more of our bike parts where designed, built, marketed here in the USA that’s all……….
I do agree with one of the post, in regards to people wanting the ‘American” made products and then bitch because they are some of the most expensive. Then this same person goes and buys all the much cheaper parts from well-known China, Etc parts companies….. These people tend to talk the loudest too……………. LOL
In Tom’s post………. I have spoke to some financial friends and they had mentioned that for Cerberus Capitol Management, this is a multi million-dollar tax write off…… Maybe this is total BS… any thoughts?
Lets go ride now ! 🙂
We live in a global economy. Some of the parts we buy may well be manufactured by foreign owned companies and there is an argument for the “Buy American” philosophy. But at the same time, we want foreign consumers to buy American manufactured and exported goods. And of course American capital funds – Cerberus included – buy foreign companies as well. This whole issue needs to be looked at in a balanced way. Jay makes some good points. And at the end of the day, the consumer makes the decision. Are we all so fervently “Buy American” that we are each prepared to reach into our pockets and pay twice as much for the same quality of product because it has “Made in America” stamped on it? And are we prepared to stop American companies exporting goods because buying foreign made products doesn’t sit with our values?
Paul,
So, explain how this “global economy [that we’re in]” is such a hot idea.
I’m beginning to view the global business advocates the same way i view the global warming advocates (something else is going on under the covers).
Seems to me, the only real winners in the “global market” game are, by and large corporations.
Exactly how does the “free flow of capital” around the world benefit the middle class?
RE:
“…foreign consumers to buy American …capital funds …”
Hell, if the Government stopped squandering money, they wouldn’t have to go to China to sell their bonds. And if they didn’t tax our savings perhaps the average American would save more (and had more financial sense), SSI insolvency wouldn’t be an issue either.
The dirty little secret that no corporate people want to talk about is that American labor doesn’t move around as freely as money.
Yes, i’m well aware of the post WW-II GAT and how the American economic engine powered the international markets. But those days of massive technology cycles are over (IMHO anyway).
Lets get back to basics. Selling a product that isn’t available in another country sounds more like “Free Trade” to me. Selling a product in another country at a competitive advantage due to labor or technical advantages, should justify a tariff.
I’m a Nationalist. I make my living in this country and (until recently) most human endeavor has been undertaken in a National Context.
How is it that the most vocal proponents of “Free Trade” are “Global Business” and “Global Politics?”
I don’t know what to tell ya….
How secure is your job….?
-nicker-
OK I sell for all major parts wholesalers! Custom chrome by far offers us better service faster shipping and Has been totally supportive to our company and our customers… I don’t care what part of the planet the top guy was born on. I know that an American owns and runs midwest/ultima and I see him use tactics that make me think of how enron screwed innocent americans out of their pensions. I see this company selling parts they had copied in china against great american names, at our cost. The sell those parts out of their own retail facility (RETAIL) at our cost. That by it self has mortally wounded the entire freakin industry. This goes on all day everyday and is the work of an American. Many times they advertise less than our cost for products that have been back ordered or don’t even exist. So next time you call me and want a price match on a part that Jireh provides but doesn’t have on it’s shelf or you are fed up with their service don’t be surprised if I can provide the part from CustomChrome or elsewhere but it costs more! I can’t mention the name of my store because I might see our shop on the news on fire set by an American vampire arsonist!
This is the warm and fuzzy version..
metalwerker
Retired Auto worker, Proud Veteran who served Country.
Have had fil of Custom Chrome, Rev – Tech and whatever you call it.
Recall bad chrome and lack of decent dealer support.
Saw your small booth at cincy and the size of your direct competitor.
Granted dollars generate your profit potential, but its being wasted on
late ,delivery of advertised products. Back orders don’t count. Need hard goods now. U’ve strayed from that premise of on-time quality products.
Well,
As a “…all major parts wholesalers…” your the middle man.
So, if there are back orders, there is a market.
Then it looks like there are two options:
– find another supplier or
– make your own -better- parts.
If there isn’t enough of a market to support all the players, then go sell something else.
-nicker-
Metalwerker: thanks for some good comments and for bringing up Jireh. Funny how people will continue to buy Ultima products from Midwest knowing Jireh exists. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Even though the catalogs are identical, Midwest denies they are affiliated. I wonder how dumb they think the parts buying public is? And as far as the top guy at Daell, it is a Korean company but the president of Daell USA is Nace Panzica, an American and one of the original founders of Custom Chrome building it from the ground up. Google him if you don’t believe me.
Bigwoody: not exactly sure why you’ve had your fill of Custom Chrome and RevTech and what you mean by “lack of decent dealer support”. Please elaborate. To compare Custom Chrome to Drag is to compare apples to oranges. Take for instance Drag insisting dealers spend $10K per year with them or risk losing their discounts or getting cut off altogether. And since you were at Cincy, did you have to show up and get “scanned” by Drag so you could take advantage of their show specials this week?
Now that Custom Chrome is in the process of solving their cash flow problems, I think the backorders will take care of themelves.
I am bombarded daily with ads for the latest, coolest add-on parts. THEN, when I show customers these cool parts, they want em then I can’t get em! And it doesn’t matter really which company, name one and I have a good story about them. I waited over one year for a brake rotor to match a particular wheel by a major custom builder who had a marketing deal with a “Global” company. I never got the rotor OR a call from Either the “company” or the builder. My customer loses in this deal. I keep hearing that I don’t understand manufacturing. Maybe not, but I still see people daily that want to spend money customizing their bikes. Finding one company to provide all parts for a job is impossible. Even the “Motor Company” will discontinue a new part before the ink is dry. I spend more time on parts look up, locating, and nervously waiting on deliveries than I do on wrenching! However, I will stubbornly press on and try to get the people what they want. peace burnout
my Custom Chrome customers get their parts quick. Usually we go to Drag only if we have no other choice. Even then, we will work at all costs to cross reference or work around selling anything supplied by Midwest/Ultima. We are allergic to this ill supplier. Those of you who bitch about chrome need to realize most of these chromed products come from the same place and are then supplied by all the wholesale suppliers. All of the warehouses equally supply low rent inferior chromed imported products because Americans dont want to pay. Even high dollar chrome will bubble if there was any moisture in the air. My contention is this , If I buy imported chrome tires engine etc; etc; and build a chopper in my garage, I dont care what you say, that is an American chopper built by an American.
metalwerker
The purchase agreement is subject to the approval of the Bankruptcy
Court. Definitive documents will be filed with the court, along with
bidding procedures noting that qualified bidders will be provided an
opportunity to make higher and better offers for the purchase. It is
anticipated that the sale will be completed within 45 days.
It’s not a done deal yet guys, someone else could still buy it.
JR while your statements are true, another buyer would have to seriously step up in order to compete with the buying power of Daell USA. I doubt that will happen but I guess we’ll all know within the next 30 days or so.
As a former textile worker form a few decades ago, I have seen the whole industry NAFTA’d out of the South. The old mills have been torn down and the bricks sold – literally. Now, we see the motorcycle part business prety much transplanted oversees.
At the same time, I see bills before Cogress that will mandate paid leave for family medical, tort reform that makes businesses far more liable for spurious damage claims, and a bill mandating the comeback of the previously discredited “comparable worth” salary requirements.
When I see all this and what we have now, I have to admit that if I come up with an idea for a better widget, I pretty much have to find me an overseas manufacturer. Between all the environmemtal mandates, OSHA rules, and politicians looking to freeload on the backs of manufacturing operations, why would any sane person choose to manufacture in the US?
By the way, if you only think its bad, you ain’t paying attention. The chemical business was one of the few bright spots of American leadership remaining. Now, it is in the process of leaving the US. Somthing is going on besides lower wages when you can get a tankerload from China cheaper than you can from 50 miles away.
I think it is as Mitt Romney said in his concession speech – we are becoming France, a formerly great nation that is now completely irrelevant.
Metalwerker, there’s nothing American about a RevTech motor and tranny in a Santee frame with a DNA springer. You might as well buy a Yamaha. An S&S motor and a Baker tranny in a Marc Rowe frame with a Paughco springer is American.
budzilla, Santee is made in America. Their frames are among the most well made and reasonably priced on the market. And as for Baker trannies, they’re a fine product as long as you are willing to pay the $2K they cost. How do you explain people literally lining up to buy the cheap, low quality Ultima motors and trannies? At least RevTech offers tech support and a strong warranty. As for S&S motors, sure they are nice but again, expensive. People want to buy them cheap hence the internet business bypassing the local bike shops. Or worse yet, buying from MC Advantages who buys S&S unassembled. God knows who they have assembling these motors! People think they are getting a warranty from S&S but they’re not. It all goes back to the you get what you pay for and buyer beware way of thinking. Personally, I’d rather buy from an authorized CCI dealer who I know will take care of me.
so how many americans do we ignore in the overall process of bringing a revtech motor to market under the guidelines of respecting the free market. Americans design, developed,engineered, qc, manufacturing oversight, training,shipping,receiving, market development, sales, customer service, tech support, then dealers like us, sell to American buyers. Those are just some of the Americans that handle a Korean assembled/mfg motor. None of of these people count because the engine is assembled in Korea? Then Custom Chrome is loyal to the dealers and their customers. I don’t see that from the mighty midwest ultima co, who will slit the throats of their own dealers by selling out their back door( Jireh ) at the wholesale cost they give to their dealers.
Oh and take a close look at that revtech motor, it is made to be a heavy duty version of the Evolution motor, has a three year warranty, no one had that to offer. thats confidence in a product…
metalwerker
RE:
“…respecting the free market…”
“…just some of the Americans that handle a Korean assembled/mfg motor…”
“… Americans design…”
OK, but re-Designing a copy of a HD motor isn’t as comprehensive an undertaking as bringing a new concept to market. How many people were required to “develop and engineer” this HD copy? And how long did/will that work last?
RE:
“…qc, manufacturing oversight…”
How many Americans are doing QA and observing in a Korean factory?
RE:
“…None of of these people count ?…”
No, every one count.
However, the unspoken fact in “free-trade” is some count more than others.
The issue is about all those skilled manufacturing jobs that are lost.
In terms of economic impact, there’s a hell of a difference between “shipping,receiving” and high-value manufacturing jobs….
In today’s world, our economy/country needs to hold on to all the high value jobs it can.
-nicker-
I heard Custom Chrome was going to be sold, so I googled it…. found this thread near the top.
Lots of opinions from both sides I see…
I can’t agree more with the few things said: It’s the public that want’s qulity… to a fine degree; but they are ignorant to the fact that they want it cheap cheap cheap, more for less, or nothing at all.
It’s close to ten years since RevTech has put out a great motor [from what I recall], with new designs and revisions such as the infamous “missing breather gear”… And the fact that they are willing to stand behind the product and offer a 3 year warranty on their products and also provide excelent repair service with some of the best customer support out there; doesn’t mean much in your opinion? I don’t know what your expirance was… so I can’t judge.
I think this change is good; being from the hometown of Custom Chrome; I have attended some of their events and always enjoyed what I saw. Custom Chrome has my support; and i’m glad to see a change coming that leads Custom Chrome back to it’s roots and in a good direction.
I would hate to see them dissipear; It’s a part of our community.
I am a dealer who was fed up with cci trash and the high prices. at least ultima is an american product done here in the states and they do back up their warranty. Custom chrome lost face when their products came from korea, and they didnt perform. Ultima at least races their own stuff.
Price over service; When people want that they go ebay IMHO.
Firstly I believe the correct name of the company that acquired CCI/GMS is "Dae Il or Dae-Il" not Daell
Don’t mean to sound like I’m picking nits, but many are confusing the first "L" for an actually an "I" (i) put that in your crack pipe and shoot it up.
Here are a couple of related links that go into some details:
http://tinyurl.com/yoxoxa
http://tinyurl.com/27r3nt
I seldom buy anything from them as their prices and higher purchase price of free shipping combined with poor phone response times and things seldom being in stock turned me off. Hopefully the new (old?) management will correct these issues. Otherwise what do they bring to the market that I and many others desire? Other wholesalers (Drag, MidWest etc) offer deeper inventory, swift FREE delivery and better pricing. This is what capitalism is all about, only the best survive.
I sincerely wish them the best of luck.
wow Ant! are you sure you don’t work for Drag or MidWest? sounds like propaganda to me but hey to each their own. so does all the “swift free delivery” and “better pricing” cancel out the fact that MidWest (as Jireh) sells to the retail public at dealer pricing and then denies it? and what about the quality of their parts? capitolism? maybe but what ever happened to integrity?
RE:
“…quality parts? ….capitalism? …integrity?…”
These are all part of a free market.
You mix-n-match em to create your own business model.
Integrity or quality aren’t necessary……. it just depends o the type of business ya-want.
(and how long ya want it)
-nicker-
Jay, I state the fact and then am accused of being a shill for the competition? Why the animosity? I have no special love for one company over the other but will do business with the ones that offers the best deal. This is just common sense.
The deal with both MidWest and Jireh doesn’t set will with me either, but what can I do about it? Refusing to buy from them, and in turn purchasing from higher priced competitors to somehow “punish them” will not accomplish anything but cost me (and my customers) more money.
As for quality of parts, the above companies are really no better or worse than most anyone else…the parts all seem to be sourced from the same countries and factories no matter who’s selling them. So that brings us back to price and service. If you’re talking about the same part and same quality, then why would you buy from one particular company unless you base it on price (total cost including S&H), speed of delivery and depth of inventory (stock on hand)?
Sorry if logical business decisions sound (to you) like propaganda. As I said before, I wish Nace and crew all the best….more competition between suppliers benefits us all.
Ant, thanks for your response. Speaking for myself, when I call CCI I have no problem with reponse time. I call, email, fax or use the web site without incident. As for parts in stock, we all know of their difficulties which will change with new ownership. Delivery is just as fast or faster from CCI as any other distributor. And as for so called “higher prices”, they have price matched for me when I have requested it. Shipping is free as long as you buy regularly from them. Would you give free shipping to a shop who rarely bought from you and gave all their business to your competition? If you call a distributor with your “leftovers” and then complain when shipping isn’t free, that’s not reasonable. Shipping costs alot. I challenge you to find any distributor who doesn’t charge fees for shipping, handling, COD fees, minimum order charges and the like. If you’re spending $20k a year with Drag or MidWest and $3k a year with CCI do you expect to get the same benefits from all of them? Additionally, when was the last time you wanted free catalogs, needed to return something or get some type of tech help or customer service from Drag or MidWest? Despite their difficulties, the level of customer service from CCI has not deteriorated. Sorry if you think I am showing animosity. I just get tired of people conveniently “forgetting” about Jireh and the lies surrounding it, “forgetting” about having to buy $10-15k a year from Drag “or else” and some of the other tactics used by some distributors. Sure, there have been issues with CCI but personally I would rather spend my money with a company who has always been a front runner and who puts the needs of their customers first. peace
Jay, I hear ya. If it wasn’t for bad luck I’d have none at all. Have never had anything but long waits on the phone with CCI, and their tech people have NEVER returned my messages. MidUSA, don’t get me started on them. I moved a year ago and they took 4 months to record the change, and that was with them loosing my (re)application 4 times….and then when I tried to gain access to their web portal (another application via fax) they never replied. Just sent another one in about an hour ago….I really don’t expect a response, or at least one without some sort of issue. UNFUCKING REAL. Haven’t been this aggravated since trying to drive a cab in NYC traffic during rush hour.
Have never had any trouble returning things with Drag….bottom line is our experiences are different, which in turn shapes our opinions. Another way to look at it: personal experiences are a personal reality! LOL
And as I’ve said, I really hope that Nace and crew can turn CCI around as it’s in our interest to have another vital source of parts. Am sure he of all people doesn’t need my advice, but will offer it anyway: competitive pricing (TOTAL cost) with quality parts and good service are what will win out. What else can a successful company offer BUT that?
I THINK EVERYONE IS MAKING GOOD POINTS HERE. BOTTOM LINE IS , NACE IS BACK ! FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVEN’T HAD THE PLEASURE TO MEET “MR. CUSTOM CHROME”, THIS A GUY WHO THANKED YOU AND SHOOK YOUR HAND FOR COMING TO HIS DEALER SHOW.THAT’S AFTER HE PAID FOR YOUR PLANE TICKETS, PUT YOU UP IN A 4-5 STAR HOTEL, FEED YOU 3 TIMES A DAY. AND GAVE AWAY 10’S OF THOUSANDS OF $$ IN DOOR PRIZES. ALL YOU HAD TO DO IS BUY HIS PARTS, WE ALL NEED PARTS, OIL & FILTER & TIRES !! FOR ALL OF YOU WHO WENT TO THE DEALER SHOWS, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. I HAVE OWNED HARLEYSVILLE MOTORCYCLE COMPANY, INC. FOR OVER 15 YEARS, AND CUSTOM CHROME HAS ALWAYS BE MY #1 SUPPLIER. I KNOW IN THE LAST FEW YEAR THEY AND THEIR BACKORDER’S HAVE PISSED US ALL OFF, BUT I STUCK WITH THEM. THEY ALWAYS HAD MORE OF A PERSONAL QUALITY TO THEIR BUISNESS .I ADMIT, IT’S LOST ALOT OF IT’S FAVOR IN THE LAST FEW BUY OUTS, BUT I’M HOPING NACE WILL BRING BACK SOME OF THE OLD LEADERSHIP IN HIS TEAM. !!
IT WAS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO TALK TO KEITH RUXTON, THE ENGINE GURU WHO’S MOTORS BROKE THE WORLD SPEED RECORD IN THE EASYRIDER STREAMLINER, WHEN HE WAS IN THE TECH DEPT @ WHEN CCI BOUGHT OUT CHROME SPECIALITIES. I GOT TO MEET ARLEN, A VERY YOUNG JESSE JAMES,JOHN REED,DONNIE SMITH, EVIL,BUBBA BLACKWELL,PETER FONDA,RON SIMMS,KENNY PRICE,CHICA,BILLY LANE,PAUL COX,THE LIST GOES ON, AT THEIR SHOWS. MOST OF THE TIME IT WAS IN THE BAR IN THE HOTEL LOBBY OVER A FEW BEERS. NACE BROUGHT ALL THE HEAVY HITTER’S IN THE BIZ TO HIS SHOW’S AND TREATED HIS DEALERS WITH RESPECT. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE REBIRTH OF CCI IN THE UPCOMING ” NACE YEARS “,AS FAR AS THE MOTORCYCLE BUISNESS AS A WHOLE, YES IT’S IN THE CRAPPER, BUT IT’S UP TO US AS DEALERS AND CONSUMERS TO MAKE A CHANGE. I CAN’T SELL A REV-TECH MOTOR SIMPLY BECAUSE THEIR IS A BETTER PRODUCT OUT THERE ! I WILL SUGGEST TO MY CUSTOMER TO BUY THE BETTER PRODUCT, IT MAY MEAN LESS PROFIT MARGINS BUT ALSO LESS HEADACHES IN THE LONG RUN. AS FAR AS THE MIDWEST~JIREH SITUATION, IT’S QUITE SIMPLE, WHY WOULD YOU BUY FROM A GUY WHO IS STEALING YOUR CUSTOMERS ?
SCREW THEM !! IF WE ALL TOOK A STAND, SEE HOW LONG THE WOULD LAST. THEY ARE McDONALD’S FAST FOOD. CHEAP,EASY TO GET, BUT IN THE LONG RUN IT WILL KILL YOU. KEEP BUYING FROM THEM AND THEY WILL PUT YOU OUT OF BUISNESS AND TAKE ALL YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH THEM. AND FOR ALL OF YOU CONSUMERS WHO BUY CHEAP DNA~JIREH PARTS, PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO INSTALL THEM OR ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. IT’S KIND OF LIKE THEGUY NAMED “HENRY” WHO ANSWER YOUR MCI CALLS FROM INDIA . YEA, LIKE THERE IS A “HENRY IN BALLYWOOD. I CAN’T UNDERSTAND A DAMN THING THEY ARE SAYING ANYWAY. BOTTOM LINE, IF YOU SELL YOUR CUSTOMER CHEAP PARTS, HE WILL ONLY BE HAPPY ONCE.,WHEN HE HANDS OVER THE CASH. ASK HIM ABOUT THE GREAT RIDE HE GOT FROM HIS 99 $$ SHOCKS. !! BUY PROGESSIVE OR SOME OTHER USA MADE SHOCK. WE ARE AMERICIANS,, PLEASE TRY TO SELL OR BUY AS MUCH AMERICIAN PRODUCTS AS YOU CAN. THE JOB YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN. ! ONE LAST THING, I HAVEN’T SEEN A CHINESE~KOREAN~MEXICIAN AUTOMOBILE WORTH A SHIT ! SURE THEY MADE PUT SOME PARTS ON SOME CARS THERE, BUT THEY ARE NOT PUTTING THERE “NAME” ON ANY AUTO. IF YOU WOULDN’T BUY THEIR CARS WHY WOULD YOU BUY THEIR PARTS !!
Thanks guys for all the pros and cons. Helps us who are dealing with the changes to come with CCI. better understand what we need to do in handling the situation. As a vender to CCI for the past seven years. I have a suggestion. The first thing the new management needs to do is get rid of the anwser machines. It is rare to ever find anyone at thier desk to anwser the phone. In my opinion this is best way I know to create a negitive reputation.
Sam, all distribution centers are predominantly phone based. It’s most likely not that people are away from their desks. It is more likely that they are on the phone talking to one of hundreds if not thousands of customers. There aren’t many places one can call these days where a live person answers the phone immediately. Voice mail and email are very common ways to communicate in almost every business. Why do you feel this creates a “negative reputation”?
LONG LIVE CUSTOM CHORME! CCI Has always had an outstanding leadersip team and management as well as the best Sales force and customer service/Tech support anywhere in the world. they were th FIRST to offer aftermarket products to all of US. 37 years, can anywone else say that? and Now that Nace Panzica is back to grab the bull by the horns and steer that f*cker upright, CCI WILL make a come back, mark my words.
Let’s not forget people, Cerebus (a bunch of freakin a bankers who know NOTHING about the motorcycle industry much less the Automobile industry) were the cause for CCI’s deminishing products from their warehouses. I know for a fact that if an investment group does not INVEST inthe copmany they are suppose to invest in, where do you think it’s going to end up??? Cerebus bought out chrysler for 130 billion for christs sake, you would think could and would invest money to a company (CCI) to help replish their stock right?!?! Nope… they didn’t give a shit! Plain and simple.
CCI has always treated me right. If I have a price to match they have always done their best to match. Time heals all wounds, give CCI the time and they will make magic happen again in our industry and everyone will be chanting their name again.
Jay You didn’t read my comment. I am a vender not a buyer. I don’t call to buy. I call to get paid. Which takes 90 days if your lucky. And thats only when you tell them no more product till I’m paid. Their policy in writing is (net 30). If you know anything about business you would know that the people in “Accounts Payable” are not the ones taking orders. If thats not a negitive I don’t know what is.
Sam, I hear you about getting paid and I understand you’re a vendor. If I were you i would not expect a live person to answer the phone the first time I called no matter what department I was calling. You can bet if I didn’t get a prompt call back I’d be raising hell though. This is a company with hundreds of vendors and customers to handle and I am sure the employees are constantly on the phone. The company is currently in a state of flux and an ownership change which is bound to screw things up and slow things down not to mention the fact they had a staff reduction not too long ago. I hear everyone there is completely overworked. Under new ownership with a staff and owner who cares (and not a bunch of corporate bean counter penny pinchers) you should be getting paid in a timely manner. If I were you, I’d get a manager’s name and call or email them if your contact in accounts payable is not taking care of you. Let’s all hope CCI gets their problems resolved soon and can fill the needs of their customers and vendors
Hmmmm, I just heard that the court approved the sale to Daeil so it looks like it’s a green light for CCI with Nace Panzica back on board, All I’ve go to say is, AWESOME! give it a little time before you start hearing CCI makin noise and shakin the earth once again!
Well, I will tell you this: I have a RevTech 88 inch with some serious problems and less than 8000 miles, and getting in touch with them is next to impossible. I have called their “customer service” and been on hold for over 20 minutes finally I left a message. Never heard back.
I have spoke to many “Custom Chrome” dealers and out of (3) I spoke to, (2) have dropped Custom Chrome all together and would not even take a look at my motor.
Unfortunately, I think i will be left scrapping this boat anchor and purchasing another manufacturers engine with a better warranty and better support.
I have tried going through several different dealers and come up with dead ends each time. All I wanted was for them to give me an explaination. I dont know that I could trust this motor again even if they would have been nice enough to replace some parts. I doubt that is likely.
What really irritates me is that I am in the Marine Corps and fight for our freedoms and cant even enjoy the freedom of riding my own bike because of companies like Custom Chrome and RevTech. I dont make the money to just be able to go out and purchase a new motor like many others have done when faced with this situation.
If anyone has any input, it would be great to hear some ideas. It would be nice to ride again for a couple weeks before I deploy again.
Thanks,
AmericanIron
AmericanIron: First of all, thanks for all you do for us as a Marine. Second, I will give you some info as to how to get help with your motor. If you are a retail customer, you need to got through the CCI dealer who sold you your motor. They are the ones who are supposed to contact the tech and warranty department at CCI and get your motor taken care of. CCI does not sell to or service retail buyers. Dealers are given replacement parts to fix the motors or sent a crate to get the motors back to CCI for repair. If you are speaking to all these CCI dealers, why haven’t any of them made the call to get your motor taken care of? Among others, BMC and several trike builders use the 88″ motors. There is nothing wrong with them and the warranty is among the best in the industry. Is the motor still under warranty? Where did you buy the motor? If you bought it at an authorized CCI dealer, call your dealer and ask for assistance. If you bought it at a swap meet or online or used, I don’t know what to tell you. There are thousands of reliable RevTech motors out there and any issues me or any of my friends have encountered have been cheerfully and quickly taken care of. Instead of spending time bashng the motor and CCI, try going through the proper channels for help then come back and let the rest of us know what happened. I’m sure we would all like to know if you were able to get your issues resolved. Good luck!
i am with ameicaniron 110 percent ..cci has zero tech support or warranty period …i have called over 7 dealers and non of them would even consider helping due to this ..and here i am with my best customers 5 in a 4 box blown after like 1000-1500 miles ..he bought it from some jackoff cci dealer when the dealer built his motor on a different bike that blew up outta state now the motor lasted like 300 miles and ate the topend and he had to take him to court to get his cash back [[got the money back… it was his fault the most f ed up head work u ever seen!!!]] ..so needless to say the a$$hole dealer wont even answer the phone when our area code comes up…our secertary has spent over 24 hrs on hold in the past week with cci and has yet to speek with anyone there except the chick that directs calls..and has left countless voice mails with them and have even tried to use my old account # that should actually be active ..never cancaled it just stopped using them…if anyone has a idea or can help in anyway feel free to contact me on my personal email addy shommel@excite.com
Hey Jay, my dealer did try to contact CCI for the last 2 years, and ever time we’ed get some kind of help (so we thought) that person would no longer work there. This happened over and over. I have a RevTech motor that ended up needing a rebuild after 500 miles (this is not the only motor I’ve broke in, I do know what I’m doing) because of incompatible parts. The CCI/Jammer/RevTech 88′ Pandemonium is what I’m talking about. Even the guys at Jammer that I talked with at Sturgis in ’05 had issues with these, yet CCI continued to advetise and sell this motor without correcting the problems? The place that did the warrenty work (who were nothing but very helpful and informative) said that they expected about 300 of these to be returned for the work.
So after 1 1/2 years of lack of customer service and then my motor being gone for another 4 months for the rebuild, I finally have the motor back in my bike and running great. I, unlike most of you, has to scrape together and save for quite some time to afford a $7000 motor.
My dealer ,an authorized CCI dealer (and a local bike shop) also told me that his parts orders were at about 80%-90% backordered at CCI. Back in the early 80’s we had a name for CCI, Custom Crap, its nice to see they have built on this reputation.
If I cant buy American I try to spend my money with a company that is American and employs Americans even if the products are not. The money at the top stays here, not oversea’s, its not always easy , but to me its worth it.
If I scrape the money together for another bike project it will have an older Harley motor like my last one THAT I SOLD TO AFORD THIS PIECE O’ CRAP or a S&S (please tell me they are not owned by an outside the U.S. company)
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
RIDE HARD, RIDE ALWAYS!
Well, Nace is gone and it will not be long before Custom Chrome hits the skids. They are not an Americian-owned company anymore, which means any profits will go overseas. But there are no profits due to the sluggish ecomony and Custom Chrome’s lack of leadership. They had a good run, but sadly , I feel the end is near. Their price;s are too high and their REv Tech motors are junk. Lack of customer service and any profit margins to us dealers, means the ship is sinking. Anyone know how to save a sinking ship.???????
I guess all this is why Keith Ruxton is hiding.
Hmmmmm, so… were are all the naysayers who said Custom Chrome was heading for disaster? all the ones who said “OMG, they’re owned by a Korean company and now everything is going to go to shit” where are all the people who said “they have horrible fillrates and blah blah blah…”????
Well??
From what I’m told and see, I see CCI has a 95% fillrate and nearly everypart I need is in stock, not to mention I see now that they are Rinehart Racing distributor AND bringing back their Dealer Show next year? Holy dog shit batman! Get on the train and jump on the band wagon folks…
Quit fiddle farting with those “others” out there..
o my god! today i thougt was a good day. then serching for some information i came across this site. and im more bumed out than i think i have ever been. let me explain. after waiting about 15 years since i built my last shovelhead and going through some realy bad times i finaly got a little money together i began looking for parts and pieces .as i was trying to get my head aroun how things have changed and you cant get stuff like i used to i started to cruse the web sit for answers as to who has good motors and parts ext iwas going to get a motor first then i began to see all the contrviersy over whos products were junk and whos werent its not like you can call a buddy up and get that extra pan or shovel in his garage he dosent need so today im checing out graigs list and i find a rolling chassie the guy is in a money bind like most us now days any way with paper work i pick up all new riged frame billiet inverted front end billite wheels billiet calipers new ruber oil tank fender gas tank risers bars roters reare belt drive pully wheel spacers neck cups and several of the no seems all from midwest motor cycle supply all for 1500 bucks and im thinking man this is a pretty good find so now i need a drive train i was thinking about reve tec prouducts but was being tas i have heard a lot of banter back and forth about the quality of the after market stuff out today diging deeper for answers i your comments im thinking maaan! did i wast my money i guess my question is beeing thin on cash is their a resonably priced decent quality drive train out their to buy sould i by the componets and assemble my self or should i use my roller as a yard ornemet PLEAS advies ps i spin a wrench better than i spell on a computer somthing els thats new tec to me if you couj respond to wmalouhos@yahoo.com i would be VERY graitfull