AMD261 April 2021 American Motorcycle Dealer 261 April 2021 | Page 58

One way or another , Ron Loynds has been making motorcycle parts for 55 years . probably only three or four other ion nitrating companies in the US . After several years of educating the US manufacturing community , this is a process that has become much more widely accepted and used here . " Currently we are using this process for customers such as Rolls-Royce , Boeing , SpaceX , and others ." Meanwhile the Metalsport Wheels business was continuing , and like so many other businesses , it was benefiting from the Build-Off fuelled Chopper Boom and stock Harley wait lists of the early 2000s . In 2004 , Bordo met with Matt Hotch for the first time and got involved with him in the planning of his famous Build-Off winner ' Chingon ' - featuring the lay frame with retractable front that allowed the frame to lay on the ground without the use of the kickstand . Bordo ' s Mark Ashton worked with Matt to develop that frame , and Ron admits that while he may be biased , he thinks that Mark and Bordo were responsible for Matt winning that first build-off . " Both Mark and Bordo worked extensively on all three of Matt ' s bikes for the biker build-offs . The third bike , the Vincent " The Vinnie ", introduced the 26 " wheel to the viewing audience in 2005 . Really that was the beginning of the big wheel craze ." Up to 2007 , Bordo had been making the 26-inch wheels from plate and just couldn ' t keep up with the orders . Ron found a forging company in California that was able to forge the wheels from 6061 aluminum . This allowed them to get the orders out quickly and reduce costs . It was in 2010 that Bordo was approached by an aftermarket company that was planning on shutting down . " What interested us in this company was that they did something different , something that nobody else in the industry offered at that time . " We had made one-off 3-D wheels before , but we weren ' t making them in volume production . Buying this company gave us an opportunity to be unique in the motorcycle wheels industry , and that was how we became known as Metalsport Wheels ." It was a year later that Metalsport introduced its ' Signature Line ' by Chip Foose . The first wheel was the ' Lusso ', and every year since , Chip and Ron go over the latest Foose designs and pick one or two ( or three ) new designs that reflect where the market demand is headed and the ever-evolving tastes of riders and customizers . " In 2017 , we were approached by an aluminum forging company that had been providing motorcycle wheel forgings to an aftermarket wheel blanks company that was closing its doors after 20 years . " Since we had a ten-year relationship with the forging company - making our proprietary 30 , 32 and 34-inch wheels - they wanted to see if there was a possibility

Metalsport Wheels are machined from the same blanks that it sells to the custom wheel industry through MSI ( Metalsport Industries ).

that we would take over that business . MSI ( Metalsport Industries ) opened its doors in December of 2017 , and in just three years we have expanded that business three-fold and are the largest distributor of wheel blanks in the world ." Ron and his businesses have always had a solid reputation as reliable partners , delivering what is promised without ever overreaching themselves . Ron believes in looking after his business partners and nurturing relationships , and that paid off again in 2020 when Vee Rubber Tire Company suggested building on its successful 15-year relationship with Bordo / Metalsport . " It was with help from us that Vee Rubber got into manufacturing our proprietary big tires - the 26 , 30 , 32 and 34s . We also helped them develop an old school whitewall line . They approached us and explained that they would like to shut down their Atlanta , Georgia warehouse , which was their central point to supply US distributors , and turn over all US distribution to Metalsport . " Vee Rubber wanted us to be the exclusive importer of the Street / Touring motorcycle 302 line , making us responsible not only for distribution but for

Seen here in the 1970s , Ron Loynds joined his stepfather ' s Bordo machining business in 1965 . management and development of distributor and dealer relationships for the brand ." Now , 62 years since his stepfather started Bordo , and with Ron himself closing in on 55 years in the manufacturing and motorcycle parts industries , he , quite rightly , has a great sense of satisfaction about what he has achieved . " Looking back now , it has been a very challenging , interesting and rewarding experience . At the beginning of Bordo , we could barely afford our rent , let alone purchase our business property . In the early days at Bordo they had to kick me out at night . " Just like any new enterprise , it was a struggle to keep the doors open at times , but then over the first ten years we worked on such prestigious projects that Bordo started to grow and we were able to purchase our business property and any other property on our street that became available ." Today , Ron Loynds still owns Bordo , located at the same address since 1958 . The other four companies - Accurate Steel Treating , Accurate Ion Technologies , Metalsport Wheels and MSI Wheel Blanks - can be found up and down two blocks on the same street , twelve buildings and sites of property owned by Ron .

58 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - APRIL 2021