Remember the movie The Shining where Jack Nicholson was cooped up in that big hotel and he was losing his mind? Pounding over and over on the typewriter (remember those), "All work and no play makes Jack and dull boy." Everyone needs a little release now and then. David Opperman finally found his release in motorcycle riding, and Mark Bachman found his in motorcycle building.
David Opperman is a hard working man. He and his brothers have spent their entire lives working at Opperman and Son's Truck Sales and Service, a company that their grandfather started over 50 years ago. David started off sweeping the floors and now, along with his brothers, owns the company. As dear old dad was getting ready to retire the brothers decided that they wanted to keep the family business going, so they bought it. Out of respect for their father and grandfather, they kept the company name just the way it was.
Finding that all work and no play made David a dull boy, he started looking for a hobby. As little kids, he and his brothers rode dirt bikes, so motorcycle riding was something that was in his blood. But being a practical man, he didn't want to do anything dangerous until he was sure his children were old enough to take care of themselves. "If something happened to me, I wanted to know that my kids were old enough that they wouldn't need me anymore," David remarked.
In 2000, David started riding again. His first motorcycle was a Fatboy, which he rode into the ground. Then he decided he wanted something new. He wanted something that he and his wife could take on long journeys. A friend recommended that he talk to Mark Bachman at Bachman Custom Motorcycles in Woodland, California.
Mark Bachman has owned his own shop for over 10 years. However, he didn't exactly start off in the motorcycle industry. Mark spent a good part of his life working as a farmer. All farms have equipment that needs to be worked on, which made Mark a good mechanic. Plus a farm provided plenty of space for Mark to ride dirt bikes, which Mark did regularly. Getting up at 4 a.m. was no longer fun, so Mark got into servicing trucks. By then Mark had the necessary skills to move into the motorcycle building industry.
After his divorce, Mark decided that he needed a change of pace. After going to several shows with friends and seeing what other people had built, Mark realized that he could do the same thing. After some "I can do better" moments by Mark, his friends told him to put his money where his mouth is. Instead of taking the easy way out, as most people would do, Mark got into the custom motorcycle industry.
At first, bike building started as a hobby. Mark worked in his own garage. Eventually it reached a point where Mark would either have to give up working on motorcycles or quit his day job. He loved building motorcycles way too much to give it up, so he turned his hobby into his job. "I get to do what I love doing, but I do it for a living," Mark said.
For 10 years now, Bachman's Custom Cycles has been serving people's motorcycle needs. Besides doing custom builds, Mark has a very successful service department, which his accountant tells him makes more money than the custom build work. Mark points out that with times slow right now people aren't buying as many custom-built bikes. Because of the service department, he is able to stay busy. Currently Mark does service work for a lot of local police departments, which probably means he never has to pay for a speeding ticket.
During his time as a builder Mark has created a group of loyal customers. In fact Mark says that many of the people that started off as customers are now Mark's friends. "Being in a small town, I rely on word of mouth from my customers. Having customers that I consider friends helps a lot."
One of the highlights of Mark's career happened when he was asked by comedian Carlos Mencia if he could borrow a few of Mark's bikes. "When he does his shows, Carlos rides out from behind the curtain on a motorcycle, and he has a couple on the stage just to display," Mark said. Carlos only gave Mark a few days to get three bikes ready and have them in Stockton, California. Carlos rode in on Mark's Softail "Blown Straight," which can see be seen on the Bachman's Custom Cycles website.
In regards to David's bike, Mark points out that David was very detailed in what he wanted. "David is very organized and particular. He knew what he wanted." The bike has a unique look. The paint job by Nate Sisam, owner of Artistry Unlimited, gives the bike a sleek look, with lines that make it almost appear as if the bike is moving, even when it is just standing still. The custom Russ Wernimont tank has fine lines, and holds more fuel than a stock tank. With an extended rear fender, a modified fairing, and custom 18-inch wheels, David's Electra Glide has a look that gets noticed.