At Rusty Stitches, we’re thrilled to immerse ourselves in the captivating world of custom motorcycle creations, brought to life by builders who have a passion for building unique and one-off motorcycles. Join us as we delve into a new episode where we uncover the story behind the build of The Monkey Wrench and learn about the builder of this prize-winning Harley Davidson Chopper!

BCCB / Back Corner Custom Bikes:
That is the shop we are visiting on this beautiful evening in July. When we arrive at the shop, René (Groot Wassink) has already opened the doors for us. In front of the shop, there is a beautiful green custom chopper parked. “The shop bike,” René says. He rides this bike as often as he can, whether for daily trips to get parts or just to work. “Choppers, not for show use only!” That is the shop’s motto, he says. Building show ponies is not the way to go for us. “We build show-quality bikes, but they are meant to be driven,” René emphasizes.

Choppers, not for show use only!

Who is René?
René is the owner of BCCB. About five years ago, he decided to pursue his dream of making bike building his new career! In the past, René worked as the director of a large construction company. He worked hard, had an awesome career, and made good money…. but he did not like this life anymore. So one day, he just decided to quit his job and do something else. In the beginning, his family was shocked, but now they understand his choice.

After his last workday as a director, René decided to take it easy on himself for a while, but doing nothing was not an option. On René’s days off and in the evenings, he was always building custom bikes and cars. This was his way to relax and express his creativity. So bike building was what he did naturally. Word got around quickly, and before he saw it coming, he was building custom bikes on commission and making new plans to make a career of this!

The Present Day:
As we know today, these plans turned out very well! A year ago, BCCB opened a brand-new shop in the city of Zutphen (the Netherlands) and now has a team of three. The BCCB shop is truly a bike builder’s dream space, with all the tools you could ever need, cool custom bikes on display, and a place to chill and drink a beer after work.

BCCB specializes in building custom bikes from scratch, including frames and engines, hand-forming gas tanks, and making wiring harnesses. They can do almost everything in-house, but they do not paint. For paint, they go to Incastienen, a well-known name in the industry.

Spotlight: The Monkey Wrench
When it comes to paint, the Monkey Wrench is one of the bikes that really stands out! This bike is something special, a truly one-of-a-kind hand-built chopper that BCCB is known for. This frame is a custom-built drop seat with a 2” stretch swingarm. The front fork is a Kryswater Tapered Springer. The engine is a Harley Davidson Panhead with a 4-speed rigid transmission, a jockey shifter, and the seat is upholstered by Miller Custom Upholstery.

This is exactly the type of bike we like to build, René says: quality parts, an old-school engine, a clean frame, and awesome paint. At BCCB, we mostly build bikes on demand, René says, but we can always make one of our own. This is really important for us: if we don’t like what the customers want us to do or build, we don’t do it. We stand by our quality standards and design principles. Luckily for us, a lot of people appreciate this, and we have a waiting list for the shop.

To finish our visit to your shop, we have a few quick questions for you.

What is your favorite and unluckiest motorcycle moment?
Best: Five weeks of holiday in Sweden/Norway on a custom Harley, together with my wife. Almost no plan, just driving and meeting people. It’s amazing how welcome you can feel and what people do to help you have a good time if you are open to it!
Worst: It’s still fresh, but crashing my bike in the middle of the road due to a pothole and breaking my knee in pieces. I’m still recovering from this.

The Shootout
What is your favorite motorcycle event?
The Flanders Chopper Bash (unfortunately discontinued for now…)

The Tip
What other awesome custom bike builders should we visit?
Small Town Customs – King Motorcycles – Willems Custom Motorcycles.

Gear
Do you always ride in motorcycle gear?
Always, even for short rides! Especially after my recent crash… my motorcycle gear was totally shredded to pieces afterward the crash, but it really saved me from further injuries. Do you like your new Rusty Stitches jacket? I do. I’m really content with the quality of the jacket, and for the price, you can’t beat it.

Thank you, René, for making the time for us! At Rusty Stitches, we really admire the quality of the BCCB custom builds. It’s a testament to what you can achieve if you really love what you are doing and have a passion for it.