Lorenzo Lamas is well known in the motorcycle scene, not only because of his portrayal of Reno Raines in the internationally successful 1990s TV series “Renegade”. While he had already made a name for himself with roles in shows like “Falcon Crest”, this series especially made him famous as what he also privately is: a passionate motorcycle rider. It is obvious watching the show that he is comfortable on the bike, and it is obvious that he is not just riding for the camera – he is riding for himself, getting filmed doing it. What few people know is that having ridden motorcycles well before “Renegade” was what got him into the show, among other reasons of course, yet not the other way round.
Never the less, a celebrity gone bike-designer, even if a long time biker like Lorenzo, appears to draw a lot of criticism and even some negative reaction. “There seems to be a misconception about celebrities. Some of the negative feelings about people trying to put their name or brands on motorcycle companies are about that they are not living it, they are just adding a name to it”, counters Chad Greulach, Lorenzo's friend and CEO of Lorenzo Cycles. “Lorenzo has been riding hard for thirty years. This is not a stretch for him, it's what he does and loves. He is just fortunate in this point of his life to have teamed up with Eddie Trotta on this project to really have an impact. The goal for 2009,” Chad explains further, “was to establish not just the products but the image and philosophy.”
Rumors, design sketches, and announcements have been flying for some time that Lorenzo is working on the launch of his own line of motorcycles. This year's Sturgis Rally almost saw the launch of the first bike by the newly formed company Lorenzo Cycles, but just almost. While this was a setback, the good that came out of it was meeting Eddie Trotta, a well known and established bike builder from Ft. Lauderdale in Florida. Chad tells us that they, “met Eddie in Sturgis and the timing and the need was right. We had a little time to deal with some crap situations up there with and around Eddie. Lorenzo and I were both stricken by his commitment and immediate spark of friendship. We just really saw an opportunity, it felt right, and we made a move we are very glad we had the courage to make. For any young company to make a big move like we did was risky. We are just lucky we seem to have jumped off the cliff and found some wings.”
So how does the cooperation between Lorenzo and Eddie work? Chad explains it with an analogy, many custom bike customers will understand: “We know that the most important thing for us to do now is to spend time on the ground, listening to riders and learning what they want most so we can deliver that to market in the months and years to come.” Then Eddie found a way to put that into a world class motorcycle form. It is all Eddie, because Eddie is the guy who tells us what will work”. While objectively, Eddie has succeeded, yet subjectively for Lorenzo he has gone the extra mile: “He built a bike that Lorenzo dreamed of riding since 1979,” says Chad. “And then it was there in Daytona, incarnate. Lorenzo was the happiest man on earth. He has not been that happy since the day he signed 'Renegade.' If Lorenzo wrote down exactly his dream bike configuration, Eddie exceeded his expectations.”
According to Chad the bike with the model name 'Icon' was displayed in Daytona. It contained a S&S 93ci Shovelhead Anniversary Edition motor tweaked by Eddie, plus RC Mag wheels and Eddie's design and manufacturing traits. It will set you back around $63K. They are also kicking around the idea of using an alternate motor, along with 80-spoke wheels, which may knock about $10K off the sticker price. The goal is still to keep everything made in the USA, as it is now, built in Ft. Lauderdale at the Trotta fun factory.
“Eddie can truly make anything possible, he can really actualize the vision. He has the design abilities, the business acumen, the working manufacturing knowledge and the infrastructure to pull all the elements together. He recently bought a $2 million, 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and dealership location. It's as if you want ride what Lorenzo Lamas wants to ride. Here is that bike, built by the best.”
With a target of 13 bikes produced of this first model, it is obvious that Lorenzo Cycles is not going for volume or big market share. “We are not concerned about selling lots of bikes,” Chad told us. “We want to develop the Lorenzo machine and the brand first, with quality as the benchmark.”
With the first bike successfully displayed in the brilliant light of the Florida sun, what's next for Lorenzo Lamas, Eddie Trotta and Chad Greulach? Chad promises us a bagger for the next time they are in Daytona – for Bikeweek in March 2010.
“That will be something, because Eddie really hasn't rolled down that path. He's not really known for baggers.” The goal is a bike that follows the philosophy that is currently dominant with bagger-builders: rideability. It should also be, relatively speaking, affordable. Before you ask: Nope, there is no price-point for that one. We just have to be patient.
Where will we have a chance to see Lorenzo Lamas and the Icon model in the near future? “On Friday, December 4th there's a large Boys and Girls Club event in Fort Lauderdale,” said Chad, “and then on Sunday, December 6th, they'll ride in one of the largest toy runs in the country, maybe the world. Lorenzo and Eddie will be involved in that.” The folks on the west coast will have to wait until after that big weekend in December for the bike to roll west. Production will remain on the east coast, but examples of the Lorenzo Icon will head west by the middle of December.
To the persnickety riders, this might appear as another Hollywood celeb jumping into the motorcycle ring. In this case the 'Renegade' Lorenzo Lamas has always been a rider. Bandit feature his garage-built classic chop in Easyriders 20 years ago. So he's not suddenly jumping into the spotlight with his own line of motorcycles.Yet, from my first impression, instantly treating him as a major bike builder or big motorcycle company owner, is not what this is all about. It's about a guy doing what he loves to do and has been doing for thirty years, just louder this time.- C.S. Berg
