American IronHorse

American IronHorse was an American motorcycle manufacturer that was founded in 1995 by Tim Edmundson and Bill Rucker.^[1] At one time, AIH was the largest factory producer of custom motorcycles in the USA. Their 224,000-square-foot (20,800 m²) factory was located in Fort Worth, Texas, and housed the complete manufacturing process under a single roof. Although most (305) parts for the bikes were made in-house, such as the seats and wheels, all American IronHorse motorcycles were built with S&S engines and were assembled in-house. In Spring 2008, American Ironhorse ceased production on all cycles and most company assets were liquidated at auction.^[2] According to company management, William (Bill) Rucker during 2004 sold his majority interest in the company due to disagreements with the then current board of directors who desired to make a public market for the company stock and Rucker's desire to keep the company in private hands. AIH over the next 4 years had 5 CEOs attempting to replicate the success which Rucker enjoyed during his tenure. Tim Edmondson the second largest shareholder and director of design was bought out of his ownership the following year after Rucker. Customer complaints about the quality and design of bikes currently in production and troubled relationships with employees, the final CEO Buck Hendricson, who ran the company during second bankruptcy continued to deal with as major problems after the final purchase by Textron Inc in bankruptcy court. Textron liquidated company in 2008 according to inside sources due to lack of operating capitol, low demand for the product, and lack of a solid business plan to capture the failing custom bike market in 2008. Several of the company directors continued operating failing dealerships in the custom motorcycle market in Tarrant County Texas.

Models

an American IronHorse Custom Texas Chopper in Hamburg, Germany

Roadster

References