history of
Mule Motorcycles Worldwide!
My name is Richard Pollock (see interview with Richard) owner of Mule Motorcycles, a one-man operation. Going back to 1969, my interest in motorcycles became serious and I purchased my first real bike, a CL72 (250 Honda Scrambler). Two years later, I bought a used CZ and began racing motocross. I was unable to leave any bike alone--I'd begin cutting and carving them up almost immediately upon their arrival in my garage.
Next was work in an aircraft factory, then formal motorcycle mechanical training at AMI (American Motorcycle Institute, Inc., now named WyoTech). Following that I received specialized training at Honda schools.
While working for a Honda shop in Vero Beach, Florida, I was invited to try the owner’s flattrack bike at a local track. I was hooked on flattrack after the first few laps! The ride, the look of the bikes with the chrome and nickel plated frames, the speed, atmosphere, the brightly colored leathers, everything about it was very exciting to an aspiring young gearhead.
It seemed to me at the time, Summer of 1975, that Southern California was the center of the motorcycle universe and there was a strong magnetic field pulling me into it. However, upon arriving in San Diego, I was at the bottom of the food-chain. Buying, building or racing exotic bikes would be way over the horizon. Gradually, I worked my way up the food-chain.
E ventually, I was working at a Yamaha shop where Roadracing was the main interest. There were two TZ750’s being run out of the shop. One was ridden by Dave Aldana, the other by Kevin Stafford, and the shop had a heavy RR clientele. I spent eleven years as service manager at this shop before I switched to aerospace in 1988.
Aerospace metal working is different than everyday motorcycle repair and requires a different set of tools and skills as well as extremely strict quality requirements. In the rocket building business, mistakes are heavily frowned upon. One mistake is one too many.
Meanwhile I continued to modify bikes in most of my spare time and eventually began doing complete bikes for other people. Orders grew and now I've built more than one hundred bikes and have shipped them to customers all over the world. Japan, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, Holland, Switzerland and soon Australia. Even New York City! The Streettracker style is timeless and is appreciated by almost every type of motorcycle rider, no matter where they live. The "Streettracker" is my speciality.
If you have ideas or want to build a bike let me know. I get a lot of emails and phone calls from people that just want free advice. Free advice is free at Mule. Don't be afraid to ask. But be forewarned. I'll tell you the truth whether you're expecting it or not. If you've got a good idea or need help sourcing a component, I'll tell you everything I can to help you. If your idea is all wacked out, you'll hear about that as well. But it'll probably save you a lot of money and hassle. If you want more pictures from a particular bike project, just ask. I've got tons from every one I've built. There just isn't enough room on the website or time to load them all. So most bikes featured just hit the highlights.
A lso, if you have pictures of your bike project I'd love to see them. I really like seeing innovations guys come up with in their shops or garages.
-- Mule