Two-Wheeled Ego Boosters

By Catherine Sharick

Movie stars, CEOs and pro athletes are easy to spot in their Aston Martins, Mercedes or Bentleys. But some high rollers prefer the feel of wind in their face on just two wheels--but not just any two wheels. Bypassing their local Harley-Davidson dealers, they instead seek out bespoke limited-edition luxury motorcycles.

"Whatever a customer wants, we provide," says Roger Bourget, CEO of Bourget's Bike Works in Phoenix. "We build egos for guys." Bourget and other motorcycle craftsmen tailor bikes like fine suits. For speed demons, that might mean top suspension and a light chassis. For touring long distances, the custom biker will ask for an intercom system and heated seats and handlebars. Just cruising? He can do that on a chopper or a bagger with a hand-painted body and intricately detailed metalwork. The American artist Michael Godard ordered an $85,000 gangster-themed chopper with images from his collections painted onto the rear fender and bike body and sculpted revolvers adorning the spokes. "Bourget's builds rolling eye candy," says Arthur Coldwells, editor and publisher of Robb Report MotorCycling. "These are gorgeously detailed motorcycles you ride to be seen."

Demand for limited-edition bikes has never been greater--the supply of wealthy middle-aged guys with too much time and money is growing--and the industry is expected to bust through $100 million in sales this year. "Our business has more than tripled over the past three years," says Wendy Atchison, CEO of Ecosse, a boutique cyclemaker in Denver. Its $275,000 Titanium Series RR is handcrafted by welders, machinists, painters and upholsters. The bike's all-titanium chassis is stronger than and a tenth the weight of steel, very difficult to weld and brutally expensive. For those hours off the bike, owners can still keep their babies close: included with the Titanium Series RR is a $20,000 skeletal-faced watch that matches the bike's exposed engine.

For those who already have all the toys they want, even a work of art like the bike isn't enough; they want the experience of building the bike of their dreams. So Ecosse offers--for $3.6 million--the Ecosse Spirit ES1, a package of two high-performance bikes, plus the chance to help build them with Formula 1 engineers and two weeks or more of training with championship-level racers. "Most guys who are into motorcycles are interested in the mechanical workings of the engine--getting the chance to work with a team of builders will be incredible," says Coldwells.

Part of the lure of one of these cycles is that very few people will have anything like it. A motorcycle from a custom shop is available in limited quantities. Only 100 Ecosse Heretics have been offered, and production on the Titanium Series RR is capped at 10. "We will continue to produce low numbers despite the wait list," says Atchison. "Once a model or series is complete, a new limited-edition run will take its place."

Italy's Ducati, which leads the pack in the sport and performance category, will cap production on its $72,500 Desmosedici RR at 1,500. Equipped with a 200-h.p. engine and weighing less than 370 lbs. (168 kg), the Desmosedici RR is one of the fastest street bikes on the planet. "Celebrities like motorcycles because they can go out for a ride with a helmet on and no one knows who they are," says Coldwells. It certainly would be easier to escape the paparazzi on one. Jay Leno and Tim Allen both have Ducatis, and Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage are owners of Ecosses.

Bourget's Bike Works produces fewer than 600 motorcycles a year, and some collectors can't get enough. Enthusiast Mark Meeberg owns 18 custom-made Bourget's, and his collection is valued at more than $1 million. Meeberg, who made his fortune as the owner of a commercial reconstruction business, speaks of the "freedom" he feels while riding. On his $135,000 Cobra, every piece of metal is streamlined to the machine so there is not a straight line on the bike, and that union of form and function takes his mind off everything else. "I have a real high-stress business, but when I get the chance to get on a bike for 15 minutes, to smell the fresh air and see the horizon, all is better."