Tony Johns leans on a bike he recently completed after two years of work. Johns, 35, likes to keep the showroom of his northeast Bend custom motorcycle shop, Motorcycles of Bend, or MOB Inc., filled with bikes. Motorcycles of Bend also services bikes and is a dealer for Bend-made BMC Choppers.

When Tony Johns got his first street motorcycle in his late teens, he modified it with custom handlebars, chrome and paint.

Now age 35, Johns is still customizing.

But as the owner of Motorcycles of Bend, he gets paid to turn his customers’ stock bikes into unique rides by adding custom wheels, exhaust pipes or other components.

Johns and the crew at Motorcycles of Bend also custom build motorcycles from the ground up, service bikes and, as a dealer for BMC Choppers, sell the Bend-made motorcycles. Johns keeps a number of BMC bikes on display at his shop on Lower Meadow Way, south of Empire Avenue, in northeast Bend.

Nationally, sales of on-highway motorcycles took a hit in 2007 and 2008. Sales of road bikes dropped more than 4 percent each year, after growing each of the three previous years between 6 and 8 percent, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, a trade association.

But the recession has not been an issue at Motorcycles of Bend, Johns said.

“2009 was our best year since we opened the doors,” he said. “We’re making a profit, and we’re staying busy.”

It’s the mixture of services offered that has kept the small shop healthy, he said.

A Portland native, Johns came to Bend in 2001 to expand Columbia Homes Development Inc., the general contracting business he owns with his father, Tim Johns.

But he never gave up his passion for customizing vehicles. When he moved to the region, he said, the area lacked a shop like his that specializes in helping owners customize their bikes.

In 2006, he opened Motorcycles of Bend, aka MOB Inc.

When a customer wants a custom build, Johns tells them to bring in some photos of bikes to show what they have in mind.

They start their discussion with the motorcycle frame, followed by suspension, tire sizes — all to establish how the bike will look. Custom bikes can cost between $15,000 and $40,000.

After the design is finished and the parts arrive, Johns and his employees build the bike once to ensure the fit, then tear it apart again, sending pieces out to be painted, covered in chrome or detailed in other ways.

He’s had no problem finding businesses in the region to handle the custom painting, upholstery, engine and other work.

“I try to keep everything as local as possible. Our metal shop is here, painter, pin striper, powder coat. I use local guys. We get a lot of cool stuff done right here in town.”

Owners who want to customize individual parts — handlebars or pipes, for example — can also find advice at Motorcycles of Bend, Johns said, along with plenty of catalogs, and even a big-screen TV. They can pull up a stool or sit on a sofa and take their time.

He encourages it, as a way to increase business and build customer loyalty.

Johns also meets future prospects at custom car and bike shows. Sometimes, he said, he’ll take an afternoon break and ride over to the Blackhorse Saloon to chat with other bikers.

He attends community events, where he may run into some of his loyal customers, and last summer, he started a poker run on Tuesday nights, similar to the weekly rides organized by some of the bicycle shops in Bend.

“I can’t just sit here and wait for the customers to ride up,” he said.

Johns agreed to answer some additional questions from The Bulletin.

Q: So you started customizing in your teens?

A: I couldn’t leave anything alone. I’ve always customized my cars. I just start tearing them apart and customizing. I love building. The building for me isn’t work. This is not like work.

Q: How many motorcycles do you build, generally, at Motorcycles of Bend?

A: In 2009, we built eight bikes from the ground up. I was really happy with that. That’s not the focus of our business. It’s kind of everything together that makes it work. It’s kind of the whole package. I’d say the majority of our work is service.

Q: What about motorcycle sales?

A: Sometimes, in spring and summer, we average a bike (sale) a week. We’ve sold two this month. I’m really happy with that. We’re not a big shop with big overhead where we have to sell a bike a day.

Q: How about the clothing?

A: We sell a ton of that stuff. Christmastime, we got orders from all over the U.S., shipping hats and shirts, although the majority of our sales is local.

Q: How did you come up with the name, Motorcycles of Bend, or MOB Inc.?

A: My wife, Elena, came up with the name.

Q: It seems for a smaller shop that you have quite a few bikes on display?

A: We try to have a lot of stuff on the floor. It gets you interested. Just give people something to look at when they walk in.

The basics

What: Motorcycles of Bend Inc.

Who: Tony Johns, owner

Where: 63056 Lower Meadow Drive, Suite 170, Bend

Phone: 541-617-0444

Web site: www.motorcyclesofbend.com

Employees: One full time, three part time