Scott Long is California cool. Maybe it comes from living in the laid-back surfing community of Santa Cruz, California. Maybe it’s because he’s a man with mad skills when it comes to building custom motorcycles. After stints on both the Discovery Channel’’s Biker Build-Off and CMT’s Chopper Challenge, Long has seen his business, Central Coast Cycles, evolve from a small service shop to a coveted custom house. The Hulk Bike that he built for the Chopper Challenge is currently receiving more exposure in the new Baker Drivetrain ads. He’s currently traveling the country to help promote the show and his business. Motorcycle USA caught Scott chillin’ with a cold one at the Chopper Challenge rig with some of the guys from Crime Inc. at the River Run where he was kind enough to give us a few minutes of interview time.
Central Coast Cycles' Scott Long was at the Laughlin River Run helping promote CMT's Chopper Challenge.
What have you been working on recently?
Scott Long: I’ve been working on the TV show, the Chopper Challenge. We’ve also been busy doing service work and upgrades. The shop is staying busy. We’re also waiting on money for two projects we’ve got started. I just finished up a ’47 Knuckle, and have been working on an Ironhead Sportster chopper with a 28-inch over front end.
Motorcycle USA: What’s your hot ticket item right now?
Scott Long: We’ve got a new product line coming out in the next couple of months. It’s not really the direction that I wanted to go in, but you gotta go where the money is.
Motorcycle USA: What’s your favorite style of bike to build?
Scott Long: My style, if that’s what you want to call it, is retro, very retro-influenced. I like older motors, but I like them to start and not to leak oil, so I put modern technology on them also. I build them to ride.
Motorcycle USA: How’d you learn your custom building skills?
Scott Long: From being around my dad, who was an avid hot rodder and was into sand rails. On weekends we’d be out at Glamis hitting the sand dunes. It’s been in my blood since I was five and got my first Bultaco mini. It was my passion that fueled it first because I was tired of dealing with other companies who didn’t have the same vision and often wouldn’t have what I needed when I needed it. I went into it with a plan. When I opened the shop, it took six months to get the doors open because I made sure I had everything first, making sure I had all my machining and tools and stuff for dyno tuning and fabrication. I started with repair and maintenance before I started to bring out projects out of my garage. But it wasn’t until I showed my bike at the Easyrider Show in Pomona and won first place that things really started to take off.
Motorcycle USA: What do you like to do when not building bikes?
Scott Long: Hanging at the beach. I’ve got to get my gills wet, you know. I did some powerlifting in my past, off-road riding, water skiing, stuff like that. I think my next venture is going to be off-road again because I went for a ride in a trophy truck not too long ago and it ruined me.
Motorcycle USA: What’s next for Central Coast Cycles?
Scott Long: Gonna do more TV stuff. It’s good for the industry and for the exposure.
Motorcycle USA: Was it fun doing the Baker Drivetrain ad?
Scott Long: Yeh, Bert’s a crazy nut. He’s a friend of mine, and I’d to anything to help him and he’d do anything to help me, so it’s a great relationship.
