A large American flag frames the entrance to a place that might easily be called “hog heaven.” The smell of leather perfumes the air, gleaming chrome sparkles on a vast array of motorcycles, and a bumper sticker in a display case bears the motto: “Live to Ride. Ride to Live.”
This paradise for motorcycle enthusiasts is Bikers Dream in Joliet. Under its 3,000-square-foot roof is a variety of motorcycles, a tattoo service, a custom leather shop and an extensive service and repair shop.
In September 1996, owners Chuck Schoenadel, 30, of Lockport and Jeff Bisgrove, 45, of Joliet opened the store, the first Illinois outlet of a nationwide retail motorcycle chain that originated seven years ago in California.
Bikers Schoenadel and Bisgrove first longed for a Harley-Davidson dealership, but decided they didn’t want to contend with the Harley-Davidson bureaucracy. Then three years ago, Bisgrove saw a trade magazine story about franchise possibilities with Bikers Dream, the second largest motorcycle manufacturer in the U.S., after Harley-Davidson.
“There’s a one- to two-year waiting list to get a Harley motorcycle,” said Bisgrove of the market possibilities. “A year and a half after I read that article, we opened up our store, and it’s been a really good decision for both of us.” Joliet’s Bikers Dream sold 170 motorcycles in 1997.
Robert Dick is a consultant at Bikers Dream’s corporate headquarters in Santa Ana, Calif.
“Harley-Davidson cannot meet supply and demand (for motorcycles). This created an opportunity for us to offer clones of Harleys that can be equipped with a performance motor, custom paint, chrome and lots of other custom features, and they retail for the same price,” explained Dick.
(Of course, Harley-Davidson has plans to close this competitive loophole. “When you buy a Harley, you’re buying a lifestyle. We are the largest manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles in the U.S., but we still can’t keep up with supply and demand,” explained Chris Romoser, corporate spokesman for Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee. “A lot of after-market (used and rebuilt bike) shops are thriving right now because of this. In 1997, we manufactured 131,000 bikes. We’ve pledged that by the year 2000, we will be capable of manufacturing 200,000 bikes annually.”)
Bikers Dream offers two different makes of factory-built motorcycles, Titans and Illusions, as well as after-market Harley-Davidson and Ultra motorcycles. Titans and Illusions retail from $14,000 to $35,000. At Bikers Dream, after-market Harleys, which have been assembled totally from after-market parts, include the Sportster, a smaller, sportier model with a price range of $4,000 to $10,000. The after-market Big Twin or the Hogs, as they are commonly known, cost from $7,000 to $35,000, depending on the amount of customizing done.
Schoenadel said the pricier motorcycles are “heavily customized and made to appeal to the kind of guy who wants a lot of extras like chroming, custom paint and high-performance engine modifications.”
Schoenadel and Bisgrove share a passion for motorcycles that began in childhood. Schoenadel got his first motorcycle when he was 13; he used it to cover his paper route in Maryland. Bisgrove, who said he has been riding all his life, received his first motorcycle at age 7, when most children are still practicing riding their bicycles. Ten years ago, the two met at a biker event and a friendship developed.
“We kept seeing each other at these events, so we just started hanging out together. One of the reasons we opened this place is because we like hanging around bikers,” Schoenadel explained.
Schoenadel describes bikers as “regular people who don’t put on airs. They tend to be middle-aged–just nice people who sure know how to have a really good time. BS doesn’t make it in the biker community. How you act and the reputation you have speaks louder than any words could.”
Both Bisgrove and Schoenadel had worked in construction since their teen years and were confident they could build the store themselves. The project took just 93 days to complete, with Bisgrove and Schoenadel completing much of the work independently. Bikers Dream is located on three acres right off Interstate Highway 80 in Joliet, a spot easily visible from the highway, and Bisgrove says many customers come from out of state.
“We’ve had people from Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio and even Canada,” he said. “They come from all over the place, mostly because they’re on vacation and see our store from the highway.”
Tattooed bikers clad in black leather aren’t their only patrons. Bisgrove said the clientele includes police officers, truck drivers, electricians, entrepreneurs, a dentist, a lawyer, a doctor and a high school principal (who would prefer to keep his form of recreation a secret from his students).
Jim Pichiotino, 41, is a self-described “R.U.B.” (Rich Urban Biker). The Glen Ellyn resident purchased a $35,000 custom Titan motorcycle from Bikers Dream.
“I had to have a factory-built bike with a good warranty and a company that will stand behind its product. I don’t care what it costs,” Pichiotino said. “I wanted a one-of-a-kind, high-performance bike. I like things that are unique, so when I pull into a parking lot, I always get a crowd around my bike.”
His custom vehicle includes a 108-horsepower engine (a typical engine in a Harley is 50 horsepower); torsion bar suspension (most bikes have shock suspension); a 10-inch-wide rear tire (4- or 6-inch tires are standard); custom “cheese cutter” mag wheels designed to look like knives; brakes, foot pegs and front end made of costly polished aluminum called billet (steel is standard); chrome controls; a baked-on pearl white paint finish; and a hot pink custom seat.
“I’m just trying to hold onto my youth in a very fun way,” Pichiotino said, laughing.
Hadzrisham Abdul Aziz, a 22-year-old student at Lewis University in Romeoville, bought his $23,000 Ultra Springer in June from Bikers Dream.
“I always wanted a motorcycle, but in my country (Malaysia) a motorcycle like this would cost around $70,000. I’ve been saving my money for this since I was a kid. This is a dream come true for me,” Aziz said.
The showroom floor at Bikers Dream is painted to look like a highway, and there are plenty of motorcycles on display. The walls are lined with leather jackets, pants, chaps, gloves, helmets, T-shirts, hats and belts priced from $12 to $400.
Because Bisgrove and Schoenadel wanted to offer their customers more than just bikes, they rented space to two related businesses: Moe’s Leather Works and Tattoos by Rick. Moe Siciliano, 37, has been a leather seamstress for more than 10 years.
“She can fix anything that has to do with leather. She’s real good, a true artist,” Bisgrove said.
Siciliano, who lives in Lockport, crafts tool and saddle bags for motorcycles (prices start at $395); chaps ($275 and up); laceup vests ($175); and red leather stockings with imitation rabbit fur trim ($20).
Siciliano has been married to a biker for 16 years. Rocky is a burly man with waistlong hair in a ponytail, a salt-and-pepper beard and numerous tattoos on his arms and back.
“He looks like one heck of a mean guy. When people see him, they get out of his way,” his wife said. “After they get to know him, they see he’s very normal. The way he looks is just a stereotype.”
The leather apparel favored by bikers is not just for show. Siciliano said leather protects against wind burn as well as “road rash” from a fall off a motorcycle.
Rick Farmer of Manteno is a walking advertisement for his shop, Tattoos by Rick. Farmer has more than 100 tattoos on his body and says he can place a detailed design “just about anywhere on the human body. I won’t do male private parts, but I do a lot of bikini areas and breasts on women.”
The cost of the tattoo depends on the amount of detail involved, but prices start at $40.
