Cleveland CycleWerks for sale as founder pivots to LAND electric motorcycles

It's wearing both hats that's killing him.

Colosimo is one of the founders of Cleveland CycleWerks and currently the company's sole proprietor. If you go to the CCW web site, you'll see a banner noting that the company is for sale. That's because Colosimo's time and energy are now focused elsewhere, on a new company called LAND that's building electric motorcycles with swappable batteries.

"I just personally can't run two companies," Colosimo said. "I don't sleep. I never go home."

That — plus the fact that all of his emotional energy and interest are fully invested in the LAND electric vehicles — has led Colosimo to put CCW up for sale.

If you're not familiar with Cleveland CycleWerks, the company was founded in 2009 in the city it's named for. CCW sells small, gas-powered motorcycles, many of them retro-styled, that sell for under $4,000 new. They combine U.S. styling, air-cooled engines (usually 250 or 400 cc) based on dated Japanese designs and all manufactured in China.

In 2019, Colosimo bought out his partners and investors, did away with U.S. dealers (many of whom were not all that interested in selling the bikes) and began selling direct to consumers. The company also has distributors and dealers in the motorcycle-crazy countries of Indonesia, Vietnam and Nepal.

At the same time, CCW was working on its first electric model. We wrote about the bikes more than a year ago when they were branded CCW FALCONs. Now, that initiative has been shifted to the new company, LAND, and Colosimo wants to sell CCW.

Colosimo is unusually frank about his motivation to sell. It's a combination of his personal interest in the new electric motorcycles, business frustrations with CCW and self-preservation.

"I mentally can't go back to gas motorcycles," he said. "I've made this jump. My heart's not in it any more."

On top of that, he admits he's tired of the difficulty of working with his Chinese supply chain, having intellectual property stolen and dealing with international shipping disruptions.

"I was spending three to four months a year in China. I have small kids," Colosimo said.

So now he's looking to see if there's a buyer who wants to take over the company, which currently has four employees in the United States and a general manager in China plus the relationships in the other countries. Colosimo said the CCW models are "high margin" and the company is profitable, but he added, "Whether there's a buyer there, I don't know."

Switching to electric

Colosimo is fully invested, personally, in LAND. I've been saying for years that motorcycle companies should focus on what electric two-wheelers do well and build two-wheelers that address that, instead of competing to build 150 mph superbikes that can be ridden for maybe 70 miles before needing a charge. I believe that's why electric bicycles are taking off while electric motorcycles remain an insignificant niche market. Colosimo has somewhat similar views, only his are more informed, and instead of just being a guy yakking on the internet, he's actually building something.

The LAND District First Edition and Founders Edition bikes feature swappable batteries and a top speed of 65 mph. The look is as far from the traditional lines of a CCW Misfit as a powered two-wheeler can get. That's one reason for the new, separate company. Beyond appearance, the focus is on building useful, stylish transport.

"We're looking at the technology where it's at," he said. "We're not trying to make the technology do what it can't."

LAND has been selling the pre-production bikes online and Colosimo admits they're being bought by people who want to support the venture. All but two of the 20 $15,000 Founders Edition models have been sold. Sixty of the $8,000 First Edition models are being built.

"These are all bespoke, handbuilt bikes," Colosimo said. "We'll probably not make any money on them."

Right now LAND is in its Series A funding round and plans to be able to begin regular production later this year, turning out Districts at more reasonable prices. Moving more of the sourcing and production to the United States, instead of relying on China, will reduce some of Colosimo's headaches. At least that's what he hopes.

Colosimo sees some of today's uniquely styled electric motorcycles as being anti-motorcycle in spirit, but although his District models have that look, that's not the attitude.

"We love motorcycles. We love everything about motorcycles," he said. "We just think there's another way to do motorcycles."