CCCP - Coni's Custom Chopper Project
When most people think about CCCP they think the old Soviet Union. Goose stepping soldiers, rusty old T-72 tanks, MiG fighters, and so on, and so on. But if you drive down Autobahn 2 and get off at Lucerne Switzerland, take a couple of lefts and right you will find yourself out in beautiful the Swiss countryside and surrounded on both sides by snow capped mountains.
Now roll down your window...do you hear that?? Yup...it is unmistakable. Coni and his band of chopper freaks are tearing up the Swiss mountainsides and riding some of the most awesome Sporty choppers in the world. And here CCCP does not mean the Soviet Union. No, here in the Malters valley CCCP means Coni's Custom Chopper Project.
CCCP bikes is located in the small Swiss town of Malters and Coni has been here building custom bikes full time since 1998.
Malters itself is over 500 years old and full of history but in my opinion CCCP bikes is the best thing to ever happen in this small town.
Remo (Coni) Bernasconi is the owner of CCCP and the main
builder although he has two other mechanics working with him.
CCCP only uses Harley-Davidson motors and when I asked why Coni told me that because of the very tough motorcycle inspection rules in Switzerland, using any other V-Twin motor would be too complicated and too expensive.
On 12 March 2005 my wife Sabine and I visited Coni to get a good close up look at the awesome custom chppers and bikes he builds and let me tell you, we were not disappointed. Coni builds some of the most beautiful customs in the world. The quality and craftsmanship is hard to beat.
If you need some thing done special to your bike give Coni a call or drop him a letter and I am sure he and his crew can take care of your needs.
CCCP
Eistrasse 3
6102 Malters / Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)41 497 3001
Fax: +41 (0)41 497 3002
e-mail: coni@cccp.ch
Web: www.cccp.ch
Shop Hours
Monday 13:30 until 18:00
Tuesday to Friday 09:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 18:00
Saturday 09:00 to 11:30
Give them a call if you plan to stop by to insure they will be available.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A NINE MINUTE VIDEO FEATURING CCCP CHOPPERS (40 MB)
XLFORUM: How long have you run CCCP Bikes?
Coni: I started building custom choppers in my free time, weekends and evenings, in around 1983. In 1998 custom bike building became my career.
XLFORUM: How many custom motorcycles have you built?
Coni:
Approximately 120.
XLFORUM: Do you have an inspiration for every custom bike that you build and what is the inspiration?
Coni: Yeah sure, normally my inspiration comes during an evening of heavy Vodka drinking!!
XLFORUM: Are you inspired by other bikes?
Coni: Not really, my ideas are basically my own creation. Sometimes I have some great ideas but it does not work on the style of bike I am trying to create.
XLFORUM: How many people work for CCCP?
Coni: 4 right now. 3 Mechanics and 1 office person.
XLFORUM: How many of your bikes are special orders?
Coni:
All of them. We only build them when they are ordered. All of our bikes are
one-of-a-kind and built to the customers preference. With customs bikes it is
too expensive to build one on the hope that someone may like and buy it.
XLFORUM: How much does a custom bike from you normally cost?
Coni: Normally from 50,000 to 100,000 Swiss Francs ($45,000 - $85,000)
XLFORUM: Are any of the parts on your bikes created and built by you?
Coni: Yeah, at least ½ of the parts on the bikes we build are designed and produced here in house and many times up to ¾ of the bike parts are custom parts from us.
XLFORUM:
How long does it normally take for you to build one custom bike?
Coni: From the moment it is ordered until it is delivered is about six or seven months. This is because each bike is one-of-a-kind.
XLFORUM: So I could not come to you and say, “Hey, I would like my idea bike and I want it in one month?”
Coni: No, I have found that it is not good to work under pressure when you are building a one-of-a-kind bike.
XLFORUM: How many custom bikes do you complete in one year?
Coni: About six or seven.
XLFORUM: Most custom bike builders use only Big-Twin motors when they build custom bikes but I notice that you build quite a few with Sportster motors. Why is this?
Coni:
Well the first thing is the price, and second is there no border with the
Sportster Motor, there are so many things that you can do with it that will make
a crazy custom chopper. Third is because of the Sportster motor has less
problems getting trough the technical inspections required by Switzerland and
Europe.
XLFORUM: Do you have a style of bike that you prefer to build with the Sportster Motor?
Coni: Yeah, I love the Swedish chopper style, long forks and an auto time on the rear.
XLFORUM: What is special about you bikes? What sets them apart?
Coni:
Our specialty are that bikes have little or no chrome, matte paint, military
colors and styles.
XLFORUM: What does CCCP stand for or why did you choose that name for your shop?
Coni: CCCP means the Soviet Union and is the farthest thing I can think of from Harley Davidson which to means the USA. Actually though, my first nami is Coni and CCCP stands for Coni’s Custom Chopper Project.
XLFORUM: Where do you ship your parts to?
Coni: We ship worldwide, it is no problem for us to ship to the USA or anywhere else. We have shipped to Indonesia in the past.
© XLFORUM.NET - March 2005