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Nov 05, 2024

HITTING THE THROTTLE: Custom Motorcycle Parts Business Expands...

Expansion relocation Tom Giffey, photos by Andrea Paulseth | July 9, 2024 When he was a senior at Memorial High School, Zach Boxx was featured in a newspaper article about building a chopper from the

Expansion relocation

Tom Giffey, photos by Andrea Paulseth | July 9, 2024

When he was a senior at Memorial High School, Zach Boxx was featured in a newspaper article about building a chopper from the ground up as an independent study project.

This love of motorcycles wasn’t a teenage phase: Two decades later, Boxx still owns that first custom-built motorcycle as well as a business that fabricates and sells specialty motorcycle parts around the world.

That business, Throttle Addiction, recently moved into a new, larger home at 1106 Mondovi Road, Eau Claire, in the complex formerly known as Artisan Forge Studios. “We certainly believe we have a lot of room to grow,” Boxx said of his e-commerce business. “We have a pretty substantial following and national presence.”

Throttle Addiction and another business Boxx owns will occupy about 15,000 square feet of the 35,000-square-foot complex. His businesses will fill most of the space previously used by Artisan Forge Metalworks, the firm that originally lent its name to the whole complex, Artisan Forge Studios. The entire building, which still has numerous other small-business tenants, is being renamed Valley Commons, Boxx said.

Boxx, an Eau Claire native, graduated from Memorial High and then Arizona State University, where he received a degree in construction management. While pursuing that career in Arizona, he founded Throttle Addiction in 2012 and ran it out of a spare bedroom. At the time, the e-commerce business was one of only a few filling a particular niche: selling parts and accessories for vintage choppers. (And when he says “choppers,” Boxx means the 1960s and ’70s-style choppers made legendary in films like Easy Rider, not early 2000s American Chopper choppers.)

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We certainly believe we have a lot of room to grow. We have a pretty substantial following and national presence.

ZACH BOXX

THROTTLE ADDICTION

Throttle Addiction specializes in aftermarket and custom products for these classic choppers and the people who collect, ride, and modify them. “They’re guys who are in their garages,” Boxx said. “The customers are not weekend warriors. They’re DIY guys.” Instead of replacement parts for a particular make and model of motorcycle, Boxx explained, his business sells custom headlights, handlebars, and gas tanks that could fit an any number of machines.

After moving back to Eau Claire in 2016 following the birth of his first child, Boxx bought the former U-Can Recycling building at 2318 Ridge Road, Eau Claire.

Unlike huge distributors who well thousands of motorcycle parts, Boxx zeroed in on the handful of parts that filled a particular niche, curating a selection for customers who – like himself – appreciate motorcycles that sit at the intersection of transportation and artistry. In the beginning, the business bought parts from distributors, but as it grew it began to directly import parts from manufacturers overseas. In the past few years – in part as a result of pandemic-era supply chain slowdowns – Throttle Addiction has begun to manufacture its own custom parts.

“We invested really heavily in equipment and people,” he said, noting the business now manufactures about 40% of its products.

Despite the change in ownership, the former Artisan Forge complex has retained most of its tenants – which includes fine artists, offices, a salon, a tattoo shop, and more. Boxx plans to continue to cater to artisans and entrepreneurs who need office and studio space.

And this is where the new building comes in, Boxx explained. In addition to providing more space for manufacturing, the new site will allow Boxx to consolidate both Throttle Addiction and King Apparel – a screen-printing business he owns – under one roof. Collectively, the businesses have about 11 employees. They’ll be housed in the high-ceilinged industrial space once used to service semi trucks.

Despite the change in ownership, the former Artisan Forge complex has retained most of its tenants – which includes fine artists, offices, a salon, a tattoo shop, and more. Boxx plans to continue to cater to artisans and entrepreneurs who need office and studio space. Importantly, Throttle Addiction will be just one of the businesses in the complex, but won’t give its name to the entire space. (Thus the “Valley Commons” name.)

“I’m extremely happy to have this property,” Boxx said. “Not only do we have room to expand into with the existing 35,000-square-foot building, but we also have room to build on out back if that time comes. I’m just happy to have peace of mind that this is most likely my last relocation.”

Learn more about Throttle Addiction at throttleaddiction.com or by visiting @ThrottleAddictionco on Facebook or @throttle_addiction on Instagram.