Gone Wild Custom Motorcycles By Art Nadler Raymond Fisher estimates the average person who buys a motorcycle for $17,000 will take off about $5,000 in parts and replace them with $9,500 in accessories they really want. To him, that's a waste of money and creates a lot of unneeded aggravation. That's why Fisher, 49, decided to turn his part-time hobby into a fulltime career three years.

He bought a 1920s, art deco-style building in downtown Ely at 1676 Aultman St. and turned it into the Gone Wild motorcycle shop. At first glance, the commercial side of the business looks like many motorcycle shops around the country. There are racks full of black leather jackets, T-shirts emblazoned with various cycle images, black skull helmets and shelves loaded with chrome motorcycle accessories. What's unusual is the glistening, candy-apple painted low-slung motorcycle sitting in the corner. When asked what the price tag is on this little beauty, Fisher smiles like a proud father and says, "$42,0000." Every inch of this glistening motorcycle has been hand assembled from custom parts. Fisher started with a frame and built on to it, buying the best high-performance engine, handle bars, fenders, gas tanks, gauges, brakes, tires, electronic wiring, etc. It took him two months to build the motorcycle - an icon for the cycle enthusiast who wants the very best. "I take my customers' ideas and turn them into reality," Fisher says. "At least 80 percent of the people who come to see me already know what they want." And if they don't, Fisher will work with them, sketching out their ideas on paper before he starts building their dream machine. Fisher says he has built and sold 10 motorcycles since he opened three years ago. Prices start at $17,000 for a rigid-frame motorcycle - one with no rear shocks - and goes up, depending on how much money a customer wants to invest. "I build one motorcycle for one customer only," Fisher says of the tough standards he imposes on himself. "I try not to use any foreign parts, only the best quality items made in the United States." To date, Gone Wild only employs two people - Fisher who builds the motorcycles and Kelly Marker, who handles the bookkeeping and runs the office and computer. Eventually, Fisher says he'd like to employ from six to 10 people, if he can find the capital to build a machine shop next to the property to manufacture parts. Bending down, Fisher points out items on the $42,000 motorcycle and says he could make the pedals, foot pegs, sections of the handlebars and the light fixtures. Fisher is confident the motorcycle machine shop would be a success because he ran a machine shop in Reno from 1978 to 1996. He moved to Ely to be near his elderly parents and fulfill his lifelong dream of building custom motorcycles for a living. "I grew up with this industry," Fisher says. "I watched it develop. I've been a motorcycle fanatic all my life, since my father got me started riding at age 7." The only thing Fisher doesn't do is build the frame, which he says he could produce once he gets a machine shop up and running. He also has the chrome platting down in Las Vegas. But once he hires another mechanic, who he plans to do soon, the enthusiastic businessman says he could possibly work on two or three motorcycles at a time, which would also reduce the cost of frames. Climbing atop the $42,000 dream machine, Fisher stands and straddles it between his legs - tossing the motorcycle from side to side. "This bike weighs 214 pounds less than a factory Harley (Davidson)," a smiling Fisher boasts. "That's because I use a lot of aluminum parts. The center of gravity is very low, too. That makes it easy to handle." Gone Wild Motorcycles is located at: 1676 Aultman St., Ely, NV. 89301. Phone (775) 289-8280. Fax (775) 289-8236.