A small, custom motorcycle business that stunt performer Robbie Knievel -- son of famed daredevil Evel -- founded in Pittsburgh with three partners might jump back to the region.
Knievel Custom Cycles now has six employees and builds about 10 high-priced, custom choppers each month at a plant in Lake Hopatcong, N.J.
But Greg Zappala, one of the partners, has been looking for a new headquarters site in Western Pennsylvania or elsewhere -- a place where the company bearing one of motorcycling's top names could expand into a mass-produced line of bikes, sold at franchises.
"We just felt this would be good for the city of Pittsburgh, especially with it being the Steel City -- and hey, motorcycles are made with steel," said another partner, Bart McConley, who worked for Pittsburgh area auto dealerships before moving to New Jersey in 1998.
McConley and his brother Billy, a minority partner, are related by marriage to Zappala, managing director at JP Morgan Chase in Pittsburgh and brother of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala.
Bart McConley hired Robbie Knievel for a stunt jump a few years ago in New Jersey, and the four men founded Knievel Custom Cycles in 2004. The venture builds specially designed motorcycles priced at around $40,000, and built with American-made components.
"They are expensive, but they're also really neat. They're big boy toys," Zappala said.
The Knievel company started production last year in New Jersey with a Snake River Canyon series of bikes -- a nod to Evel Knievel's famously failed jump in 1974 in Idaho. The current focus is on an All American series, available in red, white or blue.
The company also custom designs bikes for charity fund-raisers, and in about two months will unveil a City of Champions model in Pittsburgh to raise money for a fund that benefits families of state troopers killed in the line of duty, Zappala said.
That cycle will feature logos from past Steelers, Pirates and Penguins championships, along with a solid bronze tank and fenders.
"It's pretty heavy," Zappala said, and plans are to display the bike in the city and raffle it off.
Robbie Knievel -- famed in his own right for stunt jumps, including one over the Grand Canyon in 2000 -- would make a local appearance, possibly hosting a motorcycle run.
Zappala said he has talked with local and state officials about moving the Knievel business to Pittsburgh. The company has explored other options -- a partnership with a bigger firm, or a move to an Ohio location.
The partners in Knievel Custom Cycles eventually want to turn out a "production motorcycle" selling for about $29,000 through franchised dealers, Bart McConley said. And they're planning a future venture with Evel Knievel known simply as Knievel Motorcycle Co., which would be part of the business.
