Big Bear Choppers Motorcycles

Big Bear Choppers was founded in 1998 by Kevin and Mona Alsop, starting as a V-twin service shop in Big Bear Lake, California, before relocating operations to San Bernardino. The company obtained a manufacturing license in 2001, allowing it to sell fully DMV-registered, VIN-numbered motorcycles, and launched its first two production models, the Venom and the Reaper, in 2002 - initially offered as unassembled kits as well as complete bikes. Big Bear grew into one of the more recognized names in the American custom-chopper boom of the 2000s, at one point reporting around $25 million in gross sales and picking up numerous industry awards. Ownership changed in 2011 when Simon Scott, of Rage Hard Choppers, bought the company, with Kevin Alsop staying on as head designer. The brand's activity has scaled down considerably since the broader custom-chopper market contracted after that era.