“I get separation anxiety after I make a kustom piece and it sells. Sure, I can work and create another but nothing is ever, truly duplicated!” laughed Jerry Cerqua.
812 Inc. remains his passion and Cerqua continues crafting handmade parts utilizing several found object antiques from yesteryear. As an avid collector, Cerqua makes it a point to hit estate sales and flea markets to repurpose Americana’s golden age of craftsmanship.
“I’ve really enjoyed crafting jockey shifters and sissy bars. Want a classic doorknob for a shift knob? No problem! I scavenge for pieces from the ‘30s-‘50s. The craftsmanship that originally went into things seems lost these days and I hope I can preserve it while using them to create something new. I’ve always been into art and it still can blow my mind how talented artists like Dali and M.C. Escher can still play tricks on my mind, no matter how familiar I am with their work,” stated Cerqua.
812 Inc. draws its name from the late hours that Cerqua keeps while crafting his unique moto accessories. While he quickly notes the impacting legacies of Ed Roth and Von Dutch, Cerqua still cites Dali, Escher, and Indian Larry as primary sources of inspiration. Hailing from New Jersey, Cerqua challenges the idea that kustom kulture is strictly relegated to the West Coast.
“I don’t feel that is true. The last couple of years there has been an increase of hot rods here. I see more lowriders moving in but as for motorcycles, I can say there is a different flavor to the build styles. Right now, ‘70s style is very in. I feel a lot of West Coast buyers of kustom choppers have more money to spend and there are beautiful machines out there. East Coast, I feel they’re a lot of home builders and due to budgets, I see people hand fabricating as much as possible. There are differences but I’m happy to see people keeping things going, no matter the style or budget,” said Cerqua.
Additionally, the chopper resurgence has attracted a newer generation of supporters that may not possess the skill to build but have adopted the ideals and style, while adding their own personal twist.
“At first, I can see how someone might complain because you have these younger people emulating a lifestyle they were too young to originally witness, but that line of thinking is silly because the younger people are keeping it alive! They’re organizing events, creating cool brands, keeping the bikes in view. There have been too many things dying down and I am happy to see the comeback! They’re preserving things so maybe the following generation can make their own contributions,” said Cerqua.
Cerqua was quick to remind HUSSY that nobody immediately begins as a talented builder. He didn’t come from a family of riders or artists but perhaps discovering it on his own is what helped make his passion for moto culture so enduring.
“If things were easy perhaps the appreciation would be taken for granted. I didn’t come from a motorcycle background. I remember a senior would ride to school and I was very interested in bikes. My first bikes were race bikes, I didn’t know anything about wrenching let alone building!
Eventually, riding just for speed gets boring. I couldn’t afford much else and I eventually got tired of stock bikes, it would actually bother me if I saw someone else riding what I had. I started small, learned some skills, and slowly started changing my bikes,” reflected Cerqua.
Utilizing his skills as a housebuilder and building on his knowledge of structural integrity, Cerqua slowly learned wrenching and ultimately, fabrication.
“I wanted to put my twist on things and focused on frames, handlebars, fenders. I’m a big fan of repurposing! I love using things like an antique doorknob on a shifter. I feel a lot of what I do at 812 is not solely focused on selling but to create something, challenging myself, and seeing someone enjoying what I built.”
812 Inc. began as a strictly word-of-mouth enterprise. Cerqua would complete his bikes with his personal touches, while his friends would drop in and marvel at his unique touches.
“I didn’t even think about creating a business at that time. It just snowballed from friends digging what I built and asking if I could make parts for them. Then, they would pass my info on to others and more people would drop by. I was eventually showing at events like Cheap Thrills in Asbury and they would quickly sell. I love to scavenge for parts and when I go to estate sales, I simply view things as ‘what can this become’ as opposed to what it is. If I find something useful among boxes of discarded stuff, then I win! I still view it as finding buried treasure and it makes my day,” laughed Cerqua.
For 812 Inc., the future remains strong. Cerqua proudly shared he has more than enough kustom orders keeping him busy, while his ultimate goal appears more in reach.
“My property has a lot of character and it can be overwhelming to people but I really want to continue creating and utilizing things from back in the day, I don’t want that time forgotten. I hope to purchase property in South Carolina and create a life-size town with like a bank or jail using all my antique finds but putting a kustom twist on it. I feel I’m just getting started! I don’t feel old, I was just born a while ago,” concluded Cerqua.
Photos by Steve Soraci, Evel Eye Photography
IG: @steve___666
