The Spirit of the Future
Igeawagu -Im Fokus der Zeiten

Nationally Known Motorcycle Shop in Mentor, Ohio, Began in Family Garage

Apr. 28--Not every family business starts in a garage, and not every family business dabbles in goat suckers, but Scott and Keith Webster's enterprise isn't the average family business.

The brothers own and operate Leroy-Thompson Choppers, which started in Scott's garage and has evolved into a nationally known maker of custom-built motorcycles and manufacturer of hand-made chopper parts.

It's a growing business, but the year-old shop at 8685 Tyler Blvd. in Mentor is also a 5,400-square-foot outlet for creativity and some fun.

"I think all of us here have the coolest jobs in the world," Scott said. "We don't necessarily make a lot of money, we just have the coolest jobs, by far. I can't go to work and have a bad day."

Just inside the entrance of the business is a mean-looking chopper -- motorcycles that have been customized, or "chopped up," are called choppers -- built by Leroy-Thompson. It's the first of its kind in the country, and it took three months to build.

It's called "El Chupacabra Aherrumbrado," and it appears almost as strange as it sounds.

There are no external fuel tanks on the bike, which instead holds a half-gallon of fuel in the frame's backbone and another half-gallon in the rear fender. The oil reservoir is also inside the frame.

The vehicle is powered by a 124-inch engine that's probably too powerful for a bike its size -- "It's just stupid," Scott said of the chopper's speed -- and instead of a fancy paint job, the bike gets its brownish-orange hue from iron oxide, more commonly known as rust.

Literally translated, the bike's moniker means "rusty goat sucker."

It is named after a mythical creature of Latin American lore, according to which the fanged reptilian creature attacks livestock and drains its prey's blood.

"When we were naming the bike, we were just sitting there looking at it," said Scott. "Finally, we were laughing about it one night, and I just said, �Let's just call it the Chupacabra.' It kind of looks like one."

The bike took second place at the 2005 Easyriders Columbus Invitational show and gained notoriety at the prestigious Donnie Smith Invitational in Minneapolis in February.

Customers who might not want a goat sucker of their own, or don't want to spend the $50,000 a bike like it would fetch, can have their own bikes outfitted with Leroy-Thompson's custom parts. The business makes unique foot pegs, hand grips and everything in between.

Leroy-Thompson also makes custom frames, some of which are sold to other bike builders who have created a growing demand for Leroy-Thompson frames.

The company also does mechanical work on any bike.

The frame and parts segments of the business will sustain the company's future as the popularity of choppers, helped along by bike-building television shows, loses steam, Scott said.

All six employees of Leroy-Thompson are involved in creative processes, but the talents and time of the brothers Webster, who started messing around in Scott's garage more than a decade ago, are evident in everything Leroy-Thompson builds.

"It's nothing for us to be here from 8 o'clock in the morning until 9 or 10 at night, Monday through Sunday," said Keith, whose expertise in machining complements Scott's background in sheet metal and tube-bending. "The big thing is, when somebody walks out that door, they have something that's one-of-a-kind."

The legend of the Chupacabra is growing, and Leroy-Thompson is becoming better known, but the Websters won't rest on their laurels. They and their family business, Scott said, are always working on the next one-of-its-kind bike.

"We try to keep that quote-unquote family atmosphere here, try to keep up with the times and what's new," Scott said. "But at the same time, we do burnouts and act like idiots."

For more information on Leroy-Thompson Choppers, call (440) 266-0666 or visit www.leroythompsonchoppers.com.

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The Spirit of the Future Igeawagu -Im Fokus der Zeiten

El Chupacabra Aherrumbrado - Leroy-Thompson Chopper

The Spirit of the Future
Igeawagu -Im Fokus der Zeiten