www.choprods.com

LA County Choprods is the brainchild of Gard Hollinger.  It was born from the desire to blend creativity, innovation and raw materials into Functioning Art.

As a self taught designer, engineer and fabricator he has drawn on his experiences for inspiration.  Introduced to motorcycles at the age of 8, Gard's life long love/hate affair with two wheels ensued.  An addiction to dirt and motocross garnered him success at a professional level that lasted well into his 20's, despite the fact that he didn't belong to a "racing family".  Next came a stint racing and building Jetski's, which offered a softer landing pad in the event of a "get off". Managing pain and injury in the pursuit of sports that favor youth, he gave in to life and "adult" responsibility.

A number of years rolled by as he pursued other ventures.  In the early 90s his friend Russ Tom, whose family owned Downtown HD in Seattle, involved him in some projects that blended age-old HD stylings with the styling and performance they knew from their racing days.  Like Michael Corleone said in the Godfather III, "just when I thought he was out, they pulled me back in.

He relocated to the Los Angeles area a few years later, and shortly thereafter, opened his first LA based shop, Ziggy Harly Custom Motorcycles.  After years of name, location and focus changes, Choprods settled into it's current Gardena location about 7 years ago.  The move was prompted by Gard's desire for a haven away from the Indian Motorcycle Dealership he owned in Marina Del Rey.  He needed someplace where the focus could be to create unique Choprods and a parts line, inspired by a blend of artistic vision, creative engineering and function, without losing sight of motorcycling history or his personal connection to motorcycling rooted in racing.

One of the great things about moving to Gardena (besides getting away from Westside rent prices ) is that the area  is steeped in motorcycle and motorsports history. A stones throw away from Choprods is the site of historic Ascot Park.  A couple blocks to the west is Carroll Shelby's Shelby Racing Headquarters, where it's been for 30 years or more.   Gardena was also home to chopper mavens like Phil Ross and his Super-Max, the infamous Dick Allen and is still the home of our friend Sugar Bear.

Over the years, Gards unique style has captured the attention of some well-know motorcycle enthusiasts, with a customer list that could pass as a Hollywood "A List."  He and his work have been featured in magazines and on televisions around the world including Speed TV's Build or Bust, Discovery's Great Biker Build Off, ESPN's Chopper Nation and the UK Series All The Gear, No Idea to name a few.  He also has the distinction of being the first custom motorcycle builder featured in a National TV Commercial for the American Express Card.

Other highlights have included his chapter in the highly successful book Art of the Chopper II, featured builder on the 2006 Hard Rock Road House Tour, invitations to many prestigious custom motorcycle exhibits including the AMD World Championships, Las Vegas Bikefests Artistry in Iron and Michael Lichters '06 Schools Out & '10 Eternal Combustion Sturgis exhibits.