The complete store for a motorcyclist

MOSES LAKE — Gary and Rachel Schoessler’s reasons for opening Desert Thunder Custom Cycles are simple.

They like motorcycles, and they’ve gotten tired of retirement again.

The Schoesslers are proof that retirement is a function of finances and not of age. They’ve done it a couple of times, and he is only 53, and she is younger.

On the other hand, the Schoessler’s are proof retirement isn’t necessarily the ultimate goal. They can only take about four months of idleness before they have to think of the next thing to do.

This time it’s Desert Thunder, which is located at 524 E. Third Ave. in Moses Lake.

In August, it was just a place to work on the Schoesslers’ bikes and those of a few friends. But word got around, and other motorcycle enthusiasts started to show up. The Schoesslers put up a sign in January and opened for business. They were swamped the first day.

“At one point we had 31 motorcycles in here,” Rachel said.

Customers can purchase nearly anything, from leather wear to oil to cycling memorabilia.

The Schoesslers have long resumes. Their most significant accomplishment was Computer Resources Center, an Internet service provider they developed in 1996 and sold to General Telephone in 1999.

“Rachel did Web site design. I was the server guy,” Gary said.

Originally from Wenatchee, the Schoesslers moved to a ranch in Odessa in 2005. The Desert 100 Motorcycle Race is held on the property. About 10,000 people and ESPN show up.

In 2009, the Schoesslers sold the home portion of that property and moved to Moses Lake.

“Our idea was that we were going to kick back and enjoy the sun,” Gary said. “But that works only for a while.”

The custom cycle business is a natural for the Schoesslers, especially for Gary. He’s been riding since he was seven years old and was a mechanic for Harley-Davidson and Honda in Wenatchee and Seattle.

Rachel likes motorcycles too, but not to the same degree as Gary. She cruises around with him on the bike but never at breakneck speeds.

“I’d get scared, and I’d never get back on again,” she said.

Rachel plans to take the motorcycle training course in April. It will allow her to add the motorcycle endorsement to her driver’s license.

Gary has his speed limits too. He became aware of that when he rode a black bike he made from scratch.

“I got it up to 142 mph and wimped out,” he said. “I’m sure it will do 170 or more.”

Gary has made several motorcycles from scratch. He sold one — a bobber — a couple of weeks ago.

The black one, which is priced at $24,000, can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in three to four seconds.

“That chopper is a rocket,” Rachel said.

“That bike would have been worth $45,000-$50,000 when the economy was good,” Gary said.

If Gary were to make a motorcycle with all the best options, parts alone would cost $60,000, he noted. The total worth would be $150,000.

Rachel said, “custom cycles” does not mean “made from scratch” only. It is customization when Gary changes a fender or a headlight for a customer. It’s customized if he changes the controls or the pipes.

“Most of the parts on the custom bike you can get anywhere,” Rachel said. “Almost anything that would fit on a Harley would fit on a custom bike.”

Cycles are not toys, Gary noted. They cost as much as cars. He recently purchased a 2010 Harley-Davidson Electraglide for $20,000. He kept the cost down by ordering black. Fancy custom painting would have added $15,000.

“Motorcycles are a major investment,” he said. “That’s why owners bring them in for mechanic work, even oil changes. They don’t want to risk making a mistake.”

To that end, Gary is planning some classes in the spring for motorcycle owners. He plans to teach basic maintenance procedures for those who want to minimize their cost of ownership.

But it would be no surprise if those classes turn into chat sessions. There is nothing Gary likes to discuss more than motorcycles.

“I love the choppers,” he said. “That word comes from back in World War II. Soldiers used Harleys, and they were heavy old things. They wanted one when they came back from the war, but they started chopping off fenders and other things to make them lighter. That’s where the term came from.”