Young motorcycle entrepreneur sells links to speed

By DONNA CALLEA
Business Writer

Last update: October 19, 2005

DAYTONA BEACH -- The motorcycles most closely associated with Biketoberfest and the annual March madness known as Bike Week may be Harley-Davidsons.

But they're far from the only bikes around.

"When the Harley bikers go to sleep, the sport bikes come out," quipped Kris Van Orden, whose budding business, Naarden Inc., aims at filling a niche market for riders of Yamahas, Suzukis, Kawasakis and Hondas.

The 21-year-old entrepreneur, who recently became one of the newest members of the Volusia Manufacturers Association, mass produces 57 varieties of shiny metal cylindrical parts that can increase speed for those whose lifestyles and careers revolve around drag racing -- legal, of course.

Easily adjustable "Speedlinks," as they're called, lower sports bikes closer to the ground. Which is good thing when the goal is going really, really fast.

"The lower you are, the less likely you are to pull a wheelie, so you can launch harder," he explained.

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They're also popular with female riders who tend to be shorter and like riding lower, according to Van Orden, a 2002 Seabreeze High School graduate. He went on to Auburn University, where he majored in industrial design for a year

But he didn't much like college, he said, although he did enjoy working in a motorcycle shop part time while at Auburn. Deciding what he really wanted was more hands-on experience, he used his Florida Bright Futures scholarship to enroll in a basic machining program at the Advanced Technology Center in Daytona Beach. And his father, Wayne Van Orden -- a software consultant with the petrochemical industry -- agreed to invest the money he had put aside for his son's college education into a business for him.

"It's his livelihood and my hobby," said the elder Van Orden, a motorcycle enthusiast himself, who serves as his son's business mentor as well as backer.

About a year ago, they bought the Speedlink name, basic design and contacts from an Indiana man who was making the parts for only about a dozen models in his garage part time, and had trouble keeping up with the demand.

The Van Ordens named the business Naarden Inc. after the town their family came from in Holland many generations ago, and Kris set up shop in a 1,600-square-foot industrial building. Machinery and other equipment was bought, and the fledgling manufacturer hired his longtime friend, Tom Sejnowski, also 21, as his primary co-worker.

He also began designing and producing specialized Speedlinks for just about every sports bike model, working closely with distributors who sell the parts retail for about $150 to $160 each.

Naarden Inc. also sponsors professional drag racers, including Holly Wallace, the AMA-Prostar 2004 rookie of the year. And the company's lowering links have been installed on many custom as well as drag-racing bikes, including one belonging to basketball star Michael Jordan.

"Since Kris took over he's been making new and innovative products," said Mike McCoy of McCoy Motorsports in Kentucky, the largest "after-market" supplier for Yamahas, and a well known name in customizing sports bikes. McCoy said he regularly orders shipments of Speedlinks from Van Orden.

"His product is really needed, mainly in the drag racing world," noted McCoy, whose company will be part of Biketoberfest activities this year.

Naarden Inc.'s other major distributor is MPS (Motorcycle Performance Specialties) in Sanford.

Financially, Van Orden said his company is doing well so far. In fact, business is so brisk, he noted Naarden Inc. will be expanding its facility soon to make room for more machinery.

Not much work, though, is likely to get done during Biketoberfest. At least not in the machine shop. Van Orden plans to be out and about on his own Yamaha R1 -- equipped with Speedlinks, of course.

But neither he nor Sejnowski will be drag racing.

"If we get hurt, we go broke," said Van Orden. "So we play it cool."

donna.callea@news-jrnl.com@news-jrnl.com