THE FAMILY / Jesse James

 

With a collection of skulls, pet sharks and pitbulls, and tattoos illustrating his exploits, JESSE JAMES depicts himself as the consummate motorcycle rebel. Some of that rebel blood was even acquired honestly - after all, his great-great-grandfather was the famous Wild West legend’s cousin.

Jesse began his company, West Coast Choppers, ten years ago, in a corner of a friend’s garage. He started with no loan, no partners, and built it from the ground up, in the painstaking way Jesse builds his bikes. Now he has over 50 employees, and sells his bikes for $60,000 to $150,000 each. It’s there that he crafts unimaginable bikes for the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Kid Rock, and model Tyson Beckford.

Jesse James sometimes can’t believe that he gets paid so well to do what he loves. Of course, Jesse’s other great loves are spending time with his children, and riding his bike - with the gleaming chrome, day-glo metalflake paint, and a 140 horsepower engine roaring underneath him.