Featured Builder of the Month - Alex Fox

Michelle: How did you get into motorcycles?

Alex: Well, I grew up in the industry. My dad is a professional race car driver, and my uncle was Fred Fox. So I grew up around the whole distribution network and all the brands and the whole deal. So, I caught on fast.

Michelle: How long have you been riding motorcycles?

Alex: Ever since I was probably 6 or 7. Started off on the little peewees.

Michelle: How long have you been building bikes?

Alex: Well, I started building Harleys in 2014. And then before that, I was always kind of a dirt bike kid.

Michelle: Did you ever race dirt bikes?

Alex: A little bit. More so go-karts. When I was younger, my dad was an open wheel guy with sprint cars, midget cars, Indy cars so he wanted to get me into it. And the first step is go-karts. I was 7 or 8 when I raced go-karts.

Michelle: Do you still build go-karts?

Alex: No, my focus is more on the V-twin world. I follow all the racing but as far as me personally building or creating parts for my own brand- it's all V-Twin.

Michelle: When did you start SlyFox?

Alex: 2018 is when I decided to start but then Sturgis 2019 was the official unveiling of the brand at Black Hills Harley.

Michelle: What does SlyFox specialize in?

Alex: We do a wide variety. I would say our carbon fiber body work. We have seats, exhausts, handlebar risers, triple clamps, I try to cover the whole spectrum of the bike. A wide variety of it and not just specialty.

Michelle: What is the most popular product SlyFox sells?

Alex: Probably our carbon fiber front fender. That's the one we can't keep on the shelf. The carbon fiber line itself does really well, but the front fender would be the most popular, being a simple four bolt install. You can change it in under ten minutes and you can take 15 pounds or so off your bike. Our fender weighs one pound and stock is between 12 and 20 pounds.

Michelle: Does your company currently build bikes for customers or are you more on the manufacturing side?

Alex: It's more manufacturing. We're focused on getting the brand out there. I'm actually going to look at a new warehouse today. Kind of broaden the line and bring more business in.

Michelle: Do you guys have a store front right now or are you mainly online?

Alex: Mainly online and through Drag.

Michelle: Do you currently have any mentors?

Alex: Unfortunately, I just lost my biggest mentor. But I have a handful of companies that are willing to help. I live in Southern California so I'm kind of surrounded by great companies like Saddlemen, Darryl Bassani... I have a handful of brands that help mentor and are willing to work with me. Suburban Harley-Davidson out of Wisconsin is a big one too. I race with the Suburban HD race team.

Michelle: Why did you decide to choose the DD7 for the Drag Specialties cover bike?

Alex: Past builds for the Drag cover bike, sometimes they don't get the transmission or motor love because you don't really see it and no one really rides them or anything. This being a purpose built bike, I dove into the motor, full on. It's a race bike and BAKER is a trustworthy name and Drag carries them so it was a no brainer.

Michelle: What do you strive to learn next when it comes to customization?

Alex: We're always striving to make the bike perform better. Through the racing outlet, we're always learning little tricks here and there. I'm just striving to be faster and more efficient on the track.

Photo by: Jason Soria Grant Strogatz

Michelle: Do you currently race in both the Bagger Racing League and King of the Baggers MotoAmerica?

Alex: Just the BRL now. We participated in the first King of the Baggers MotoAmerica. That one was really fun because it was the first one to ever happen and everyone was kind of building their bikes how they thought they should be built, and we all learned a lot. It was fun because people were blowing up motors and breaking things and we were all just helping each other out to get everyone out on the track.

The BRL pushes our industry. The vendors, the dealers, the grass roots, and the playing field is pretty level. For MotoAmerica, people have accelerated ahead at a higher rate.

Michelle: What is your dream stock bike?

Alex: Off the showroom bike? I've always loved FXRs.

Michelle: Any particular year?

Alex: Like '89 or '90.

Michelle: Are you working on any bikes or projects right now?

Alex: A couple more race bikes have been introduced and our team has doubled in size. We went from having three riders to now having six or seven. We have two baggers, an XR, a Dyna, we have a whole fleet. So, Joe and the whole team are going to be pretty stressed but it'll be fun. The cool thing about our industry is that none of this is a necessity, it's all passion driven. Other than the race bikes, I just bought a Lowrider S, that I'm currently customizing. It's more of a personal bike. It's kind of an R&D bike for my own brand. But I always got my eyes out for bikes.

Michelle: What events can we catch you at this year?

Alex: We will be a part of all of the Bagger Racing League events, Daytona Bike Week, Biketoberfest, Madison NVP, Sturgis, Born Free, you name it, I like to get around to all of those.

Michelle: Will you be at the 120^th HD Anniversary?

Alex: Yes, it falls on the same weekend as one of our races, but it's at South Beloit so we'll race during the day then get up to the 120^th at night.

Michelle: Is there anything else you'd like to share about your history, bikes, or company?

Alex: We're not slowing down! That's for sure! It's still in its infancy but like I said, we're going to look at the new warehouse today and bringing on more employees. We're growing! My uncle said "You have to crawl before you walk" and we're finally jogging a bit so we're just chipping away at it.

Michelle: What's the best way for customers to check out your products?

Alex: Our Instagram is really pushing our popular products and showcases them well. But Drag is the best outlet to check out or buy the products. We don't really sell parts direct.