Custom bikes made? Constructed in the dr

niceguy

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Aug 6, 2011
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i was the OP for a thread about importing my custom bike. After reading the responses maybe its best just to have one made down here in the dr.
What i want is the classic chopper look, low seat, fat tires maybe a trike. have a look at this link and look under chopper trike (theres a red colored trike). this kinda what i want

CUSTOM-TRIKES.COM


Mike fisher wrote in my other post;
if you plan to stay here on the Island, start to think about a new Idea:
sell your Bike at home and with that money start to build a new custom Bike down here, you get the pleasure of doing so, you safe a heck of Bucks and Hey, NO DARN RULES down here for motifications, for me as a German Ruled Car Check and Bike Check Law Overflown Country this Island is Dreamland for Custom Build Vehicles, as there are almost No Ruleswhich can not be fixed at your Favour by some Pesos.


this sounds the better option.

hope someone can point the way
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Cobraboy on DR1 is your best bet to know about such things, but I suspect such a shop does not exist in the DR.
 

sayanora

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Feb 22, 2012
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I love these bikes because they automatically make someone look WAY tougher than they really are.. unfortunately , I have not heard of any customization shops on the entire island.
 

belgiank

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Jun 13, 2009
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Depends on where you are gonna be on the island.

The guy who owns call a pizza in Sosua has a custom made bike. Someone told me he had it made by the Harley shop across the road from him, but I will ask him the next time I go there.

BelgianK
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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I think personally there is a stability issue with three wheelers. As far as having a custom bike built here I think I would opt for having the frame shipped here and then parts separately. I have a Dominican friend who is doing something similar with a bike and his friend in NY is sending him the parts. He says he has a friend in Aduanas and it really won't cost a lot of money even though the bike is from the 90's.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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i was the OP for a thread about importing my custom bike. After reading the responses maybe its best just to have one made down here in the dr.
What i want is the classic chopper look, low seat, fat tires maybe a trike. have a look at this link and look under chopper trike (theres a red colored trike). this kinda what i want

CUSTOM-TRIKES.COM
If you want to just tool around in a small area and primarily want to be seen instead of really ride, a trike would work. If you want to really ride a trike is definitely the wrong tool for the job in the DR and you're asking for trouble.

There are lots of folks who could assemble a kit, and maybe fix the structural parts that will definitely break (bike frames are built for the forces, weight, CG and balance two wheels; three changes everything and stresses frames well beyond design parameters.) I wouldn't trust anyone here who claims to be a custom fabricator.

Just remember that trikes are inherently unstable and difficult to stop because of the marked increase in rear CG that gets HIGH (and maybe over) under hard braking-the front dips below the lateral CG causing the big rear to rise; if you're not going perfectly straight all that rear weight goes lateral with bad results, like a jack-knifed truck. In an instant you become a passenger, not a driver.

Trikes rarely have independent rear suspensions unless you pay a buttload of $$$. If it has a solid axle-as most do-a bad judgement of a pothole can end in a nasty way as trikes have a tendency to go wobbly.
 

tflea

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Jun 11, 2006
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There are similar bikes for sale at the Harley shop on the main highway in Sosua. They also have the Can-Am Spyders, 3-wheelers.
Plenty of Hardley Abelsons in the area.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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There are similar bikes for sale at the Harley shop on the main highway in Sosua. They also have the Can-Am Spyders, 3-wheelers.
Plenty of Hardley Abelsons in the area.
The Can Ams are different. They have two wheels up front, a differently engineered animal altogether.

PLUS they cost $20,000+MOL in the states. That translates into $30-35,000 here. Huge bucks.
 

niceguy

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Aug 6, 2011
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thanks for your input. i just want to cruise with the free time i have. im a hardly a speed demon. im not interested in fancy paint jobs but i just want some thing that can handle the roads here. Everything breaks, i know ive seen it!
Any thoughts on taxes paid to the gove if i ship frames, wheels, motors here etc etc.
 

Chip

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thanks for your input. i just want to cruise with the free time i have. im a hardly a speed demon. im not interested in fancy paint jobs but i just want some thing that can handle the roads here. Everything breaks, i know ive seen it!
Any thoughts on taxes paid to the gove if i ship frames, wheels, motors here etc etc.

That is the million dollar question. If you give me an idea of what you'd like to import I'll ask my mechanic friend and see what he can come up with. :)

Seriously though, I don't know what kind of bike you are looking for but if speed isn't a concern you can get something like a 200 to 250 cc thumper that will get you to 85 mph or more. You could then modify it either in cruiser style or my favorite a track bike style. There are lots of webpages for bike modifications to give one good ideas and technical tips. I think that could be a fun project especially given the cheap cost of labor. Here is a link for a custom made parts for bikes to your specifications: CNC Machine Shop | Custom Waterjet, Plasma, Laser Cutting | eMachineShop.com
 

DR_Guy

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Feb 17, 2010
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Bought a new razor800 Orange Madness in the US for about $15k. Taxes were about $6k. Then you buy all the trick parts on ebay and get them to send it too you. Try to keep each purchase under $200 bucks and tax free. You pay more freight, but save on taxes and more importantly, the hassle of paying them.
 

niceguy

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Aug 6, 2011
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many thanks for your input.

My last question i guess, is if i ship in parts from the US what is the %tax i'd be paying on these parts as in frame, evo engine etc. i would use a import company. i like the idea of importing parts and then assembling same here in the DR.
I had hope the harley guy might be open to assembling bikes that are NOT Harley's. Any thoughts??????
 

belgiank

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Jun 13, 2009
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many thanks for your input.

My last question i guess, is if i ship in parts from the US what is the %tax i'd be paying on these parts as in frame, evo engine etc. i would use a import company. i like the idea of importing parts and then assembling same here in the DR.
I had hope the harley guy might be open to assembling bikes that are NOT Harley's. Any thoughts??????

If you mean the harley guy in sosua, he does assemble other bikes as well. No idea about the price though.

BelgianK
 

andy_089

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Mar 23, 2003
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moto1.jpg

I'm selling this one.
 
Last edited:

Chip

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Speaking of custom bikes, since I'm going to have to start commuting to Sosua on a weekly basis I've decided to have my 2010 Yamaha yb125 modified to give it more power just in case. It is a great bike but under powered, which is fine for 95% of the time. I plan on having the displacement increased to 150cc, a valve job and the intake manifold ported and polished, the compression increased with a new piston, the carb rejetted and the stock exhaust shortened and opened up a little. Should cost no more than US200 for maybe in increase in 5-10 hp. :)
 

Expat13

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Jun 7, 2008
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i was the OP for a thread about importing my custom bike. After reading the responses maybe its best just to have one made down here in the dr.
What i want is the classic chopper look, low seat, fat tires maybe a trike. have a look at this link and look under chopper trike (theres a red colored trike). this kinda what i want

CUSTOM-TRIKES.COM


Mike fisher wrote in my other post;
if you plan to stay here on the Island, start to think about a new Idea:
sell your Bike at home and with that money start to build a new custom Bike down here, you get the pleasure of doing so, you safe a heck of Bucks and Hey, NO DARN RULES down here for motifications, for me as a German Ruled Car Check and Bike Check Law Overflown Country this Island is Dreamland for Custom Build Vehicles, as there are almost No Ruleswhich can not be fixed at your Favour by some Pesos.


this sounds the better option.

hope someone can point the way

Very Interesting! I am lead director for a relatively new US public company specializing in High Performance engines and sport utility vehicles. We have added a new business model which includes a "vehicle in box" style product line. Never considered the DR as a potential customer base due to the obvious import complexities. USHighland Metric Engine Platforms for Builders, Manufacturers and Consumers
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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Very Interesting! I am lead director for a relatively new US public company specializing in High Performance engines and sport utility vehicles. We have added a new business model which includes a "vehicle in box" style product line. Never considered the DR as a potential customer base due to the obvious import complexities. USHighland Metric Engine Platforms for Builders, Manufacturers and Consumers

I have been a fan of the street track bikes for some time now. I think it would be a blast to ride a light, small displacement bike setup like this here in the DR.
 

Expat13

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Jun 7, 2008
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I have been a fan of the street track bikes for some time now. I think it would be a blast to ride a light, small displacement bike setup like this here in the DR.

Yes, we are receiving alot of attention for the "Cafe style" street trackers. It will be our first bike to market in 2013. Currently we have a line of of 10 different bikes and two quads but still just the prototypes which are being converted to mass market soon. The origin of our company and products come from a group of swedish engineers and racers so its been all about the HP.
The one street tracker we have I rode in Tulsa last month and it was scarey fast so needs to be downscaled for sure, mind you this bike hade a 950cc V-twin on a 100lb frame so too much power!!! 450 cc will be the first fit for this bike with upgrade options.
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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Yes, we are receiving alot of attention for the "Cafe style" street trackers. It will be our first bike to market in 2013. Currently we have a line of of 10 different bikes and two quads but still just the prototypes which are being converted to mass market soon. The origin of our company and products come from a group of swedish engineers and racers so its been all about the HP.
The one street tracker we have I rode in Tulsa last month and it was scarey fast so needs to be downscaled for sure, mind you this bike hade a 950cc V-twin on a 100lb frame so too much power!!! 450 cc will be the first fit for this bike with upgrade options.

I suppose you'll be retiring here at one point. Make sure you bring a bike and we'll do a day trip. :)