Merlon and Brad Rogers is a father/son custom motorcycle building team. They build some of the most sought after custom motorcycles in the northeastern part of America. Their shop, B&M Performance Cycles, is located in the northern part of New York on the St. Lawrence River in the beautiful city of Massena.

In recent years, the size of this father/son, mother/daughter, mother/son, and father/daughter custom motorcycle and other motorcycle-related business combo has constantly increased. I guess the idea is that the apple does not fall far from the tree, so son or daughter will follow in the footsteps of Dad or Mom. That’s not necessarily always the scenario, but it is in Merlon and Brad Rogers’case. Merlon’s father, Norman, was a mechanic, and Merlon followed in his path. Now son Brad is following his dad’s trail.

There must be something in the bloodline, because this just doesn’t happen only in the motorcycle industry. How many times have you visited a doctor’s office, or a dentist office, or a trucking company, or a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership, and both father and son or mother and daughter are doctors, or dentists, trucking company managers, etc. “My dad was a mechanic, and he worked on anything with a combustion engine, and he was very good at what he did. I learned a lot of my skills from him,” said Merlon.

Merlon and Brad teamed up to build Twisted. “After working on bikes for so many years, I had a vision to build my dream machine. I brainstormed some ideas with my son Brad, and after carefully planning and about six months of intense labor, my dream turn into a reality,” Marlon said.

Once you have the idea of what type of custom you want to build, the next step is selecting the type and style of frame. Keep in mind that ten different builders can choose the same frame but each can build ten completely different bikes. Since Canada is just across the river from B&M Performance Cycles’ shop, they opted for a custom frame from Maximum Metal Works of Sonerstown, Ontario. Maximum Metal Works have built and provided custom frames for some of B&M Performance Cycles previous custom motorcycles, so they are a trusted and loyal company. Once receiving the custom frame, B&M had Independent fabricate a custom gas tank. They ordered a 124” S&S motor, and BAKER 6-speed transmission and BDL belt drive. They custom made the frontend at the shop.

Brad did most of the fabricating and the wiring on the bike, and together Merlon and Brad assembled Twisted once all parts were finished and present. The paint job was done by their good friend Jeff Garlach, owner of Jegar’s, and the seat was custom made by Virgil Love. “We didn’t encounter any problems building the bike, except for the rear fender. We fabricated three rear fenders, before we got the one that met our satisfaction. I like the overall bike, but I’m particular pleased with the paint job and art work. It’s nothing less than spectacular. I have never been more satisfied with a custom build than I am with this one,” Merlon said.

The bike has a smooth ride, and can be used to bar hop or to easily ride more than 400 miles per day for those long hauls, without beating out the rider. This bike belongs to B&M Performance Cycles, and is mostly used for one of their show and display machines at events. For more info on Merlon, Brad, and B&M Performance Cycles log on to www.bmperformancecycles.com We’ll see you on the road!