Before striking out on his own, Shawn Dow, owner of Warwick-based Bad Mouth Bikes, had more than 20 years of experience rebuilding and repairing motorcycles, mostly for friends and locals within the motorcycle scene who were impressed with his craftsmanship.
A graduate of William M. Davies Jr. Career and Technical High School and the New England Institute of Technology, Dow was a machinist and welder in West Warwick for 17 years while moonlighting part time out of his garage.
Today, Bad Mouth has customers from all corners of New England and sells custom-made choppers with price tags up to $100,000 and more.
Though the colder months can dampen sales, Marketing Manager Nicole LeBoeuf said the warmer weather making way for sunny roadways is usually a boon for the business.
“The New England bike season may be short, but it shines bright during the summer months,” she said.
While specializing in custom builds, Bad Mouth Bikes also provides maintenance and repairs, tune-ups, consignment and assistance with sourcing parts. The company is a certified dealer for more than 100 vendors and the only official Lloydz Tuning outfit available for Harley-Davidson, Victory, and Indian bikes in Rhode Island.
The team recently returned from Florida’s Orange County Choppers Invitational Bike Show with multiple awards, including 1st Place in the People’s Choice for its 1991 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200, the same bike that won the 100th Anniversary Laconia Biker Build Off in 2023.
They also won two awards for a custom Road King Harley-Davidson Firefighter Edition dedicated to honoring fallen firefighters. The floorboards alone took 40 hours to fabricate.
The company remains active in the local biking community, hosting various events throughout the region.
And back in Rhode Island, business is once again heating up.
Despite receiving multiple accolades, remaining independent in this industry is a constant grind. Bad Mouth is still in the process of getting a certificate of occupancy, one of many examples of state and local red tape necessary to navigate but which takes valuable time and resources, LeBoeuf said.
“Much of our [revenues] go to paying taxes, and there are many obstacles to overcome when it comes to growing our reach and expanding that require upfront investments,” she said. “It can be arduous to balance investing in our future with making ends meet on a day-to-day basis.”
Manager Samantha Alice agrees.
“We are not a large dealership like Harley-Davidson,” she said. “We are still just a small business trying to do something different.”
But the effort to be different is worth the expense. It’s not everyone that gets to go to work somewhere that operates more like a tight-knit family that fights to stay independent.
And this year has been particularly eventful as the shop is gearing up for its debut in an upcoming reality TV show that is filming this summer and will be nationally televised.
“It takes more than determination and resiliency to keep a small business thriving in Rhode Island,” LeBoeuf said. “We’re lucky to have a team with the resolve to do so.”
OWNER: Shawn Dow
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Custom motorcycle shop
LOCATION: 2329 Post Road, Warwick
EMPLOYEES: Six
YEAR FOUNDED: 2016
ANNUAL REVENUE: WND
