Motorcycle chopper sales crash in tough economy

Through the open door at Central Florida Choppers near downtown Orlando, Allen Dixon can hear the rumble and roar of motorcycles traveling up and down Interstate 4.

It is, after all, Bike Week, and Dixon makes his living building motorcycles.

But right now, he isn't building many. The recession has sent the market for choppers — long, raked-out custom cycles with Harley-Davidson-style engines and tall "ape hanger" handlebars — straight into the Dumpster.

"The $40,000 and $50,000 bikes are gone for now,'' said Dixon. 46. "If anyone is buying, it's bikes in the $20,000 to $30,000 range, and there's very little of that right now."

The downturn has also affected the used market. "Most guys are trying to sell their bikes. I can't build you one for what they're selling theirs for. I've got one in here right now — the guy probably paid $25,000 for it, and he said if I can get $10,000 for it, sell it.

"A lot of shops — a lot of shops — have fallen by the wayside. But we're still here, still have the lights on. We're struggling, but we're still here."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-choppers-hard-to-sell-20100306,0,5123410.story