Uwe Druckenmueller (BIG UWE), CEO and Founder Bikes: 2000 Aero 1100, 2002 GL1800, 2004 Aero 750, 2005 American Iron Horse Texas Chopper, 2007 Harley Road Glide I'm an import from Germany, came to the US to study in Baton Rouge. Afterwards I went to work for an e-commerce company in San Francisco, right at the start of the dot-com boom. We built web sites day and night for a few years until the "hype" was gone. I decided to combine my passion for motorcycles with the Internet and turn it into a business ... I used to ride sport bikes in Germany, got an Aero in 2000 and a Wing in 2002. In 2002 I rode over 30,000 miles on my Aero and Goldwing when I visited all the major bike rallies to promote CruiserCustomizing. You can read some of the stories here. In 2005 I got a 750 Aero to test out all the new accessories for that bike. I also got a green American Ironhorse Texas Chopper and rode it to Colorado. I ride Every day, rain or shine, 30 degrees or 120 degrees, it doesn't make a difference to me.
		Kyle (manybikes) Bradshaw, Director of Customer Service Bikes: 2006 Goldwing 1800, VTX 1300 R, DRZ 400, VFR 800, and the big dog a ZX-1200R Howdy. My name is Kyle and I have been employed with Cruiser Customizing since May of 2003. I come from a motorcycle family and can’t imagine life without a bike. It all began when I was just 4 years old riding home from the shop on the tank of my fathers brand new 1979 KZ1000. I rode on the tank for just over year, before I graduating to the back seat, using dad’s belt loops as grab rails. In the fifth grade I started my motorcycle career cruising the neighborhood streets on my neighbors Honda CR80. At the age of fifteen, I sported my grandfathers 1978 Honda CX500 as my primary mode of transportation. My senior year of high school, my father picked up and GL1500 and I was privileged to “take over” his 1982 Suzuki GS1100L. I rode the GS until 2000 when I picked up my first cruiser, a 1988 Shadow VT1100C. In 2003 I purchased my first BRAND NEW bike… a 2003 VTX1300 Retro. What sweet ride! Shortly thereafter, I added a 2002 Suzuki DRZ 400E to the family. February of 2004 I signed up on the waiting list for a Yamaha FJR 1300. I waited 8 months for the bike to arrive, and finally took possession of it October 12, 2004. Just six weeks and 1400 miles later a CAGER took us out on our Friday night ride home from work! The FJR was totaled and I ended up a titanium tibia and a bit of road rash. When back on my feet in January of 2006, I began my pursuit for a little “sportier” bike with which to replace the FJR. I settled on fresh out of the crate 2003 Kawasaki ZX12-R. The most recent addition to my “gaggle of bikes” was a 2002 Honda VFR 800. Checkout more stories about me in the newsletter #66 and newsletter #53 Here in California, there is never a “bad day to ride.” Some days are colder, some days are hotter, most days are PERFECT…but EVERYDAY is a great day to ride!
		Josh (xjoshmillerx) Miller, Customer Service Team Captain / Graphic Artist / Product Photography Bikes:2005 Honda CBR600RR, 2003 XR50 I started riding XR50's in 2003 and wanted to start riding on the street. So in 2005 I bought my 600RR and fell in love with riding. It's really hard not to love riding when you work here at Cruiser Customizing.
		Mike (SEADOGG007) Seagrave, Fulfillment Manager I have worked at Cruiser Customizing since April of 2005. Before then, I had served 6 years active Army. I like the Goldwings. I also enjoy bikes with as little chrome as possible. I am looking forward to joining the riding community in 2008.
		Al (Pizzaman) Piazza, Warehouse Lead Bikes: 02 VTX 1800C, 03 GL1800 I ride for the feel and power of the motor...I ride because I am FREE. That pretty well sums it up. I have been riding too many years to count starting with a Honda 250 scrambler crashing up mountains to my 2002 VTX. I belong to two clubs, Blacktop Knights and NorCal X riders, two great clubs that are very people oriented and dedicated to motorcycle riding. My handle is Pizzaman and I was one of the first CruiserCustomizing employees.
		Des (Crash_and_Burn) Walton, Customer Service / Showroom / Returns Bikes: Huffy Big Wheeler I have been at Cruiser for almost a year, and what can I say... I started to feel the itch. I'm currently learning to ride and one day I might have it down. Minus the bumps, bruises, and hospital visits. Haha.
		Anthony (Shinyhead) DeRouen, Customer Service / Goldwing Country Rep Bikes:2004 Honda 750 Aero, 1996 Suzuki GS 500 I have found that riding is an excellent way to commute. I prefer cruisers over sportbikes just because I'm really not in a hurry to get where I'm going. I purchased my 750 Aero for many reasons, but the major reason why I bought it was for the freedom you feel on a bike that you cannot get in a car. Life slows down just a little bit on a cruiser.
		Nu (nu_the_great) Budisukarta, Customer Service / Ebay Bikes:1991 Suzuki GS500 Ever since I could remember, I always wanted to ride a motorcycle. But due to extreme laziness, I never got around to it. Then I got this great job at Cruiser Customizing! Being around bikers daily fueled my hunger for riding and in October 2004 I got my Motorcycle License and bought a 1991 GS500. After a few months of riding, I decided I was ready to "step it up" and buy a bigger, better bike. So I sold the GS. While I was in the market for a new bike, something came up and I was forced to use my "New Bike Money" for something else. Booooo! So now I'm broke and bike-less, but not for long...
		Trish (dragonflytrish) Payne, Customer Service / Real Hog Rep Bikes:2006 Harley Sportster Custom Besides life itself, my favorite things to do are going to the mountains, fishing, and gardening.
		Jerry McFall, Receiving I don't ride yet, but I do the receiving at CruiserCustomizing and am really itching to start riding. I can't help but get the bug working here.
		Roberto Perez, Warehouse I have liked motorcycles since I was a kid because I am amazed with the incredible speed. I think if you are riding on a bike, you are a "cool dude". Everyone looks at you. I might really like bikes, but the only thing is I'm scared of riding them!
		Gary DeBenedetti, Warehouse Bikes:I had a Honda 250 when I was about 25 years old. My love is my family. I like to follow my kids around to games and other activities. I also like to work with wood, making bookcases, cabinets and other things.
		Beth (BetharoonieandCheese) Cook, Product Manager / Charity Coordinator / Newsletter Publisher / HR Administration Bikes:1972 Banana Yellow Schwinn Super Sport, 2001 Kawasaki SV650 So this one time my "friend" offered to take me for a ride on his sportbike. He had extra gear, so after I got suited up, we hopped on his bike (with me on the back) and rode off. Now, you need to keep in mind, I am a cautious person. I made him PROMISE not to go on the freeway. So we started riding down the street. Two stoplights later we were on the freeway. Not only on the freeway, but he had pinned the throttle. He was accelerating like a mad man. Shortly after I caught my breath from screaming, I started yelling (while still on the freeway). I don't think he heard me yelling, partially due to the fact that my voice was so high pitched with fear that only dogs could hear me and partially due to the wind at freeway speeds. Once the ride from hell had come to a stop, he told me we had been traveling at 85 to 95 MPH on the freeway. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but with his extra gear on (much to large for me) I was basically wearing a sail on the back of the bike. This happened in 1999. Have I been on a motorcycle since? No. Is it a high priority in my life? No. But there aren't any hard feelings. I think I would feel differently if I were the one driving. I was married on July 1st, 2006, and my husband rides an SV650 (without me... you know how I feel about sportbikes).
		Miles Davis (Pavandas), CruiserCustomizing Member Newsletter Editor Editor of Cruiser Customizing Newsletter, Miles Davis is a moto-journalist living in America's most bike-friendly city, San Francisco. He says, "The members of CruiserCustomizing.com are all part of a fraternity of motorcyclists. What our members have to say is important, and it is the job of the CruiserCustomizing Newsletter to serve as their voice." Known as Pavan ("Wind God") in India where he lived for seven years and wrote Motorcycle Yoga, Davis has published over a hundred articles on motorcycling in periodicals from Walneck's to the San Francisco Chronicle. He has interviewed many leaders in the field of biking from Arlen Ness and Jesse James to the writers of best sellers and leaders of the AMA. Here in the States he rides an '81 CB900C and keeps a Royal Enfield in India for his trips over there. A self-confessed motorcycle worshipper, he says, "All I know about bikes is that I love them."

		Stacey, Ad Sales Rep for Friction Zone Magazine Stacey is a passionate biker, checkout her race leathers.
		Bill Perrin (bperrin), Technical Adviser Bikes: LC 1500, BMW R11RTP, GL1800 My passion and love for riding started more years ago than I'll admit. It's been interesting watching the industry grow and mature over the years - born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. My wife also rides, so we have "his" and "hers" personalized Intruder 1500 LC's and share a BMW R1100RTP. Our enjoyment of riding led us to becoming motorcycle safety instructors so that we can share our passion with others. She started riding in 1999 and 2 years later did a solo 31-day 4,500 trip that covered 6 states on her LC. I ride as often as possible (what's rain?) year-round. Spent several lifetimes in high tech. Belong to several clubs - Blacktop Knights and RLC. Checkout my article about riding in cold weather.
		Dana, Our Account Manager for Web Hosting Dana rides an Indian Spirit with Illusion Ghost Flames.
		Greg, Sales Rep for Tucker Rocky Distributing Greg is a passionate biker. Greg regularly races in Super Moto Competitions. He's number 22 because he came in second in a series, twice!

cruise \'kruz\ vb cruised; cruising 1: to be on one's way 2: to travel for the sake of traveling 3: to go about the streets at random but on the lookout for possible developments 4: to search (as in public places) for a sexual partner.

Cruising is not about speed, high performance, and extreme handling. Cruising is about, well, cruising. Wind-in-your-hair, bugs-in-your-teeth, elemental motorcycling, the way God intended it. On a sportbike, the object is to arrive at your destination as fast as possible. On a cruiser, you are the destination. No hurry. No problem.

Sure, cruiser riders are concerned about performance and power. Witness the aftermarket, which offers pistons and cranks and fuel-injection systems by the truckload. Still, cruisers are, by and large, not purchased as go-fast motorcycles. Cruising is not about speed, high performance, and extreme handling.

Cruising is a lot about styling. Let the crowd on the crotch rockets sneer, but parked at the local hangout, which bikes get the majority of attention from the chicks? True, some women do prefer sportbikes, but a sportbike is more likely to be checked out by another sportbike rider, and almost as often as not, derided rather than admired. Go to the local sportbike hangout and watch them as they circle each other's bike. On the surface, both pretend to profess admiration, but inside you know both are thinking, with smug satisfaction: "My bike will kick your bike's ass."

The cruiser is admired often for what it expresses -- a piece of rolling sculpture, a personalized statement on two wheels. And it is because cruisers beg to be customized that objective testing can be difficult. You will not find many of these bikes on the road in stock condition. Also, people ride and expect different things out of cruisers -- some prefer torque and muscle, others look for comfort, and a few don't care as long is it draws attention when it's parked. It seems that the bike chooses the rider rather than the the other way around. That's what we discovered as we set out to define cruising.

From Motorcycle Online's article Open Twin Cruisers '98