When engineering becomes functional art: Maxwell Hazan builds Motorcycles from scratch without making any compromises.
Maxwell Hazan is an American bike builder, based in Los Angeles, California. Apart from the bike building scenes that are currently popular, such as Café racers, Bobbers, … Maxwell doesn’t follow any market trends at all, preferring to walk his own path. He describes his custom-built motorcycles as an artistic medium which reflects a willingness to build whatever you can imagine. We had an inspiring conversation with this unique craftsman.
Maxwell, you had an interior renovation company until a few years ago. How did this adventure become a real company and your full-time job?
Well, today I have a waiting list, which is quite rare in my kind of business. I wanted to focus on the motorcycles exclusively for at least 5 to 10 years, because that’s where my passion is. We’ll see where it ends up and how big it will grow, but currently the building process is providing me the job satisfaction that I’ve been looking for. Working on my own and producing all the parts myself. I’ve found a good way to make a living out of it, so I’m in a really good place today. The advantage of living in L.A. is that when I need materials like leather for saddles, metal or parts that need to be plated, for example, I just have to cross my street. There is a huge network of suppliers around here.
Do you work alone in the workshop?
Yes, most of the time I do. Sometimes I use some people to come in and help. When it comes to the full custom bikes, however, a big part of the job consists of thinking about the design process. Having someone in the shop for that part of the process usually ends up in me paying someone to watch me stare and think. (laughs).
Building custom bikes from scratch must take a long time. How long do your clients have to wait?
I give my clients a six-month window, from start to finish. I honestly think it’s about three-four months of actual hands-on work. The rest of my time is spent thinking, drawing and designing, staring at the raw product and searching for the perfect solution or the smoothest design options. I have had visitors who know me from Instagram, who have come by the shop willing to work for free, if there is something I can have them do, I make sure to pay them. I always wanted to treat people well and luckily I am in a position where I can.
Where are your clients located?
All over the world, actually. If I think about the last three, the latest is Dutch and lives in Cancun, Mexico, the second is a young guy who lives in France (his second) and the third is a client in Dallas turned collector/moto museum owner who just received his 5th bike from me.
How many builds do you have on your track record?
The number of full custom builds is around 15 since I started full-time in around 2012. The average building rate is about 2 full custom bikes and some side-projects every year.
What are your future plans for building custom bikes? Is this market futureproof?
I have a plan B but until now it really has been plain sailing. I’ve got some cool projects coming up in the next few years. My next project will be a Harley Knucklehead for a client from Taiwan. After that I’ll be building the sixth bike for Bobby Haas, the collector I mentioned in Dallas. We decided to build something unique with the goal of setting a land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. We bought a Motus MSTR, an American V4-powered sport touring bike as it is an incredibly engineered motorcycle but also qualifies for the pushrod class category. After mounting two turbos, we’ll be aiming for 300 horsepower, making it a very fast ride. The goal is to build the bike from scratch and break the world land speed record all in 2019. After that, I’ve got another KTM project. A rotary (wankel) engine is also on my wish list too.
The bikes are built from bare steel - what about the engines?
I usually find an engine I like then modify it to fit the needs of the project/design, often using turbochargers and superchargers in addition to extensive tuning. Custom intake and exhausts are possibly the most impactful parts of the engine and is something that each bike gets.
Since this is very technical, do you have an engineering background?
Actually, no, my dad was in the garment industry but a woodworker in his spare time, he taught me a lot, and was a wealth of knowledge when I was younger. I ruined most of his woodworking tools using them to make Aluminum parts but it was his TIG welder (that he never used) that was the most valuable tool. I taught myself to weld Aluminum and steel completely by trial and error 20 years ago, long before YouTube existed (laughs). Sometimes it takes ten attempts to achieve the result I have in mind but the finished product has to be right.
How do you create a new design?
The process comes naturally. Strangely enough, I kind of fell into the business of building bikes, it was a hobby for me and now I am fortunate enough to have people come to me and give me a ‘blank canvas.’ I have been lucky to have had the opportunity to build some wild designs and now most clients come to me and just say “I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
What about the oil for your builds?
Every bike I build is totally different, but one thing never changes – “I’ve been using Motul forever, from Mineral oil in the vintage bikes to 300V in my track bikes, it’s the only brand I use.”
Do people ride your bikes?
I have a client in France, who rides his turbocharged Ducati often and despite the distance still fly out to maintain/repair the bike when needed… It’s difficult to bring a bike like that to a standard repair shop. I do test run them all extensively, but often they end up in an office or a museum, which really doesn’t bother me, as long as somebody is enjoying my work and appreciates it.
Picture credits: Shaik Ridzwan