INFO - Wild West Motor Company

In the known universe there are
To control both its styling and its quality, Wild
West manufactures its own tooling for critical
items like fuel tanks.
many sources for V-twin motorcycles, from little
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quark-sized mom-and-pop shops that build one
or two at a time; to small molecular-level construction shops that make one or two hundred a year; to medium-size
solar-system companies
making 5,000 units; to
All Wild West frames are handmade
and engineered in-house. Here
welder Sal Peluso zaps a swingarm.
the galaxy of all companies making a seemingly infinite number
of motorcycles—
Wild West uses the latest sophisticated CAD/CAM software to help control
the quality of its parts. This tooling
image is part of the program for the
the company’s proprietary fuel tanks.
Harley-Davidson.
The cosmology of the V-twin
manufacturing universe
three different sizes of
story and photography by Buzz Buzzelli
V-twin manufacturers.
Here’s a look at
Wild West
We begin
Instead of a multi-station line where the work comes to
several workers, each motorcycle is hand-assembled by
one worker at a single work station. There are currently
three such stations in operation.
our exploration of the V-twin universe with a small molecular-level shop: Wild West.
Wild West’s story is much like many start-up V-twin operations, beginning in a garage
and developing into a small plant that employs 17 people, all very dedicated to
and proud of the company and its product. The company has never sought
outside capital. It’s one of those great American success stories, pulling itself
up by its own bootstraps.
The company’s owner, Paul Seiter, began building custom bikes 10 years ago
when he was 25. At that time he had customers in Japan who bought everything
he could make. Seiter developed his ideas and focused on a single well-engineered product. Eventually he began offering his bikes to the domestic market.
Only a couple of models are offered, and they share the same design philosophy. Most of the engineering is done in-house by Seiter himself on software
that’s used by the top design companies in the world. Wild West builds its own
fuel-tank tooling in-house to better control styling and quality. The machines
are, like many of those from the small V-twin makers, a little more unconventional and refreshingly unique.
Some of the technical features include a frame that holds the engine’s 2.5-quart
oil supply and a single rear vertical shock, which allow a low, 21-inch seat height.
There’s also a rear carbon-fiber fender that can support 800 pounds and boasts internal struts; and a proprietary single-riser handlebar housing the electronic instruments.
Each handmade machine is assembled by a single technician. Wild West built about 100 units in 2004,
about 150 in 2005, and it plans to build 200 units for 2006. Its current 16,080-square-foot facility has a capacity of
600 units annually. Wild West seems to be solid, well organized,
and capable of vast expansion.
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Paul Seiter started out making customs
for Japanese clients, then turned his
attention to manufacturing the bikes.
He designs, engineers and tests all his
own ideas and prefers having a small
company making limited numbers.
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Big Dog produces more
than 400 motorcycles
per month.
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Big Dog
One company
that stands out as a good example of a
medium-size solar-system level manufacturer in the V-twin universe
is Big Dog. It produces about 5,000 units annually. Big Dog’s
growth, as well as its solid foundation, has been a great benefit to the
industry.
By growing to its larger size, it has left space in the industry for smaller companies like Wild West—and this has lead to diversity. The company has shown
that one man with a vision and the ability to manage well can succeed as a
small motorcycle supplier. Sheldon Coleman, the company’s founder and CEO,
began with the notion that he could build a better V-twin. Guided by a conservative philosophy of
sustainable growth, the company now has a solid dealer base and distribution network.
Big Dog uses the production-line method—the bikes roll along
an assembly line—rather than the singlecraftsman assembly of Wild West.
Each method has its own pros
and cons; the key element is
the ability to maintain
quality. Big Dog pursues quality relentlessly, something
that does not
escape notice
of its largely
contented
dealers.
Engine components originate from S&S Cycle in Wisconsin and are assembled
in Wichita on a moving line.
Holly Calurt hand-stripes a tank. The painting
department has 18 graphic painters and three
pinstripers. Big Dog does all painting in-house.
While some models use Daytec-made frames,
others use Big Dog’s own robot-welded frames.
Eventually all will be made in-house.
Vehicles pass through
eight assembly stations in
the 350,000-square-foot
facility. The company
employs 350 workers.
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The Kansas City plant, one of
Harley’s three final assembly
factories, produces Sportsters,
Dyna Glides and VRSCs. All
VRSC engines and CVO bikes
are made here.
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The Motor Company
In a galaxy far, far, away. . .
Harley-Davidson operates a halfdozen major manufacturing facilities around the country. There are two final assembly
plants in York, Pennsylvania; two engine plants in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area; a subassembly plant in Tomahawk, Wisconsin; and a Kansas City, Missouri, facility that makes
both engines and complete motorcycles. And this doesn’t even count Harley’s ultra-modern Product Development Center or its six-story headquarters on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee.
We visited Kansas City
because it’s the newest
and most diverse of any
Harley plant. Kansas City
makes 40 percent of all
Harleys. In addition to all final assembly of Sportster and Dyna Glide models,
the plant makes VRSC engines and
assembles all V-Rod models
including the CVO. This one
plant alone outproduces all
other V-twin makers on the planet
(not counting Harley’s other facilities). It
has nearly 1,000 employees working
under a 350,000-square-foot roof and it consumes 10,000 gallons of paint per year. The Kansas City plant is its own community with a wellness center and miles of walking trails; nearly half of the
workers are minorities or women.
And that’s just one plant. Over at Capitol Drive in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, 650 workers build 80,000 Sportster and Buell engines a year in a
355,000-square-foot facility. The Big Twin engine and gearbox plant over
on Pilgrim Road is even bigger.
After visiting Wild West and Big Dog, a
walk through the celestial Kansas City
facility inspires awe. Sportsters and Dynas
pop out of here at the rate of about one
every six minutes; one V-Rod every five
minutes. And this is only one small constellation in the Harley cosmos; the two other
final assembly plants in York—more than a
million square feet—crank out the other
60 percent of Harley’s bikes.
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Kansas City is the only Harley plant that combines both
engine manufacturing and final assembly under one roof;
all V-Rod production is based here. Automated machinery
helps make the job easier. The work force, organized in
two unions, is as diverse as the tasks involved.
Unlike the air-cooled engines that are
made in separate plants in Milwaukee,
the liquid-cooled VRSC engines are
made at the final-assembly facility.
Harley’s
PDC engineering
facility in
Wauwatosa
is large
enough to
house both
Big Dog and
Wild West.
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The Motor Company
A Welcomed Tornado
Big Dog throws its own rally
by Buzz Buzzelli
Big Dog Motorcycles honored its home city, Wichita, Kansas,
The Capitol Drive plant in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, makes all
the Sportster engines for the Kansas City production line.
Nearly every
process at
Kansas City
seems to be automated or controlled by computers, although
ultimately the
workers have
final control.
With one motorcycle coming off the lines
every couple of minutes, parts and material
are stacked everywhere to feed the flow.
last summer by throwing open its doors and sponsoring the state’s largest motorcycle event. Called the Tornado Rally, the two-day event drew 15,000 people and
more than 4,000 motorcycles. In addition, it had a local economic impact estimated
at more than $350,000.
To accommodate the event, Wichita closed one of its main crosstown avenues,
Douglas Street, along which Big Dog is located. It’s the first time in the city’s history
that a street was closed for a private enterprise. Paul Hansen, Big Dog’s marketing
director, said the goal was “...to show the motorcycle community our home.”
This First Annual Tornado Rally is an excellent example of how a small event can
be a big success. In addition to the carnival-like atmosphere of monster truck rides
and kids’ face painting, exhibitors included Baker Drivetrain, Performance Machine
and SuperTrapp, along with bike builders Rick Fearless of Dallas, K.C. Customs of
Kansas City and Jim Nasi. Factory tours ran all day. Some of the motorcycles in
attendance were the 16th bike the company ever
built, a 1995 Vintage Classic; and the 18th build,
a ’95 Pro Glide with 76,618 miles on its odometer. All brands were there.
This year’s event is scheduled for June 10 to
11, 2006; contact Big Dog, 316-267-9121;
www.bigdogmotorcycles.com.
Sheldon Coleman and his band,
Dewy and the Big Dogs, entertained the crowd.
Activities included a beauty
pageant and factory tours.
Approximately 700 people are employed at
Harley’s headquarters in Milwaukee.
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