Bio of our Founder: Jeff Nicklus

Motorcycle Master Builder Jeff Nicklus is Founder, CEO and Chief Designer of Desperado Motorcycles a Division of Jeff Nicklus Customs LLC. Desperado Motorcycles is widely recognized as one of the leading manufacturers of custom motorcycles in the US. Desperado Motorcycles builds a complete range of Custom Production Motorcycles while Jeff Nicklus Customs produces only One-Off Signature Motorcycles entirely by hand, each representing the pinnacle of sleek design and cutting edge technologies. Desperado Motorcycles and Jeff Nicklus Customs is dedicated to creating the bikes that everyone wants to copy.

Jeff Nicklus has an addiction, an obsession, a total love for bikes. This is evident with each Desperado/Jeff Nicklus Customs Motorcycle that rolls out of his shop. If the bike does not "wow" Jeff, he simply doesn't sell it. Jeff is a "gear-head" in the purest form of the word; Jeff began building bikes at age 15 in Dallas, Texas. What began as a hobby soon became a passion. Today, that passion has grown into lucrative businesses - Desperado Motorcycles and Jeff Nicklus Customs.

Following in the Ferrari model, Jeff caps Desperado's production at 100 bikes per year. His goal is not to be the largest motorcycle manufacturer, but rather the manufacturer of the world's best motorcycles. Jeff incorporates only the finest materials and parts into his bikes. Every component part of a Desperado Motorcycle is individually tested and retested to meet Jeff's strict specification guidelines. Jeff often describes his motorcycles as "finely engineered machines that have the intricate movement of a Swiss watch."

Jeff also has a passion for children. He has designed, built and donated many Jeff Nicklus Customs One-Off motorcycles, for charity fund raising that includes the Ronald McDonald House Charities (creating the McBike 1 & McBike II), The Children's Safe Harbor Project, The Kids & Chrome Bike and many others.

In addition to motorcycles and his charitable work, Jeff has many interests within the "high performance" sector. Jeff has designed, engineered and built an exotic sports car prototype, which generated a significant buzz within the automotive world. He has held an NHRA Pro Stock, NHRA Top Fuel license, NHRA Comp License, CART and Formula 1 driver's license. In short, Jeff Nicklus is an adrenaline junkie! Most notably, however, Jeff now enjoys taking that first ride on each new Desperado motorcycle produced - that's right - Jeff test rides every Desperado motorcycle prior to being delivered. If it doesn't pass the "Jeff Test" it doesn't ship.