Dealer News Today Podcasts · Dealer News Today

“Our goal is to keep our customers on the road” || Jay Etheridge, Brand Ambassador, Combat Motors

·27 min·1 clip

Jay Etheridge says he personally delivers every bike in the 48 contiguous United States.

1. Dealer News Today talks with Jay Etheridge about Combat Motors and its gas-powered motorcycles. 2. Jay Etheridge is Combat Motors’ brand ambassador, and Derek D. hosts Dealer News Today; Jay’s role matters because he handles customers, deliveries, and product questions. 3. The episode asks what it takes to keep a niche motorcycle brand moving while staying focused on gasoline bikes, customer support, and expansion. 4. Jay says he was born in Pennsylvania, moved to Alabama at about 20, and joined the original company about 15 years ago. 5. He explains that Mr. Lee purchased the Combat brand in 2018 after the original company sold its gas motorcycle business. 6. Combat moved from Birmingham, Alabama, to Hurricane, Utah, because the old space got tight and the owner wanted more room in the West. 7. Jay says Jason, the builder of every motorcycle, is part of the reason the company chose Utah for manufacturing and production. 8. He describes Combat’s bikes as hand-built production models, not custom motorcycles, even when buyers choose options at the dealership level. 9. Jay says each bike takes about 11,000 man-hours to produce and that Jason Reddick builds every one by hand. 10. He names the current biggest engine as a 132 cubic-inch unit and says Combat is working on a 124 with S&S. 11. Jay says the brand’s monoshock, wishbone, double-wishbone front end uses a Race Tech shock in the middle. 12. He argues that a single quality shock helps distribute weight evenly and avoids problems he associates with leaking fork systems. 13. Jay says Combat is considering a model with forks, but only if the parts are quality pieces with similar response. 14. He says every sold bike in the 48 contiguous United States is personally delivered by him, and he loads two bikes at a time in a trailer. 15. Jay says he has delivered bikes from California to Maine and often tries to get new owners on one or two rides before he leaves. 16. He says about 60% of sales already leave the United States, but homologation rules block sales to countries like Canada, Japan, Australia, and possibly Germany. 17. Jay says the company turned down 16 Canada sales, eight Japan sales, and more than 20 Australia sales because the bikes were not homologated for those markets. 18. The tone is conversational and sales-focused, with Derek D. asking direct dealership-style questions while Jay answers in detail about parts, delivery, and production. 19. Listeners who like small-batch motorcycles, hands-on service, and manufacturing details will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting celebrity chatter or broad automotive news will probably skip it.

As heard by us

A clear look at rare motorcycles, handmade production, and overseas shipping.

Jay Etheridge gives Combat Motors a practical, close-up treatment. The episode sticks to how the brand works: low-run production, dealership-level choices that keep the bikes from becoming custom one-offs, and the fact that each machine is handmade by Jason Reddick with about…

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Why you'd press play

If you like rare handmade motorcycles and practical dealership talk, this one stays concrete.

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