Rick Ball

Rick Ball: The Drag Racer Who Revolutionized Motorcycle Wheels

Born and raised in Sylmar, California, Rick Ball’s story is a testament to a lifelong passion for speed, innovation, and determination. Growing up in a family where his dad worked as a tool and die machinist at Lockheed and his mom as a nurse at the Veteran’s Hospital, Rick was surrounded by hands-on craftsmanship and hard work. By the time he was a pre-teen, Rick was already tinkering with his minibike, pushing it to go faster—a clear sign of the gear head he would become.

In his teenage years, you could find Rick cruising Van Nuys Boulevard in his Z28 Camaro or racing his motorcycle on weekends. His love for anything with a throttle led him into drag racing, where his focus was always the same: to go quicker and faster than the year before.

By 1985, Rick’s obsession with speed saw him building a race-only, turbocharged Kawasaki for a class called Pro Competition. But a frustrating four-month wait for a set of wheels, followed by receiving incomplete parts, ignited a turning point in Rick’s life. Disappointed by the experience, Rick realized there was a gap in the market for reliable, high-quality wheels. A meeting with legendary customizer Boyd Coddington sparked an idea: Rick would design and produce his own wheels.

With the help of Boyd’s team, Rick designed his first set of custom wheels, crafted from aircraft-grade 6061T6 aluminum. When he debuted his bike at the local racetrack, the reaction was immediate. People were fascinated by the unique wheels and soon started asking where they could buy them. That’s when Rick’s entrepreneurial instincts kicked in, and RC Components was born in 1989, a natural evolution from his auto body shop, RC Acrylics.

Initially, RC Components made a name for itself in the drag racing world, but Rick soon recognized that street riders were also interested in his race wheels. Knowing these wheels couldn’t withstand the abuse of daily road riding, Rick designed a stronger, more durable wheel specifically for street bikes. His 1991 Softail became the testing ground for what would become the first billet aluminum wheels designed for Harley-Davidson street bikes.

In 1992, Rick debuted these groundbreaking wheels at the famous Motorcycle Trade Show in Cincinnati. With just a 10x10 booth, Rick experienced the thrill of watching customers line up to place orders. It was at that moment he realized he had created something entirely new—the first billet aluminum wheel specifically designed for Harley-Davidsons. RC Components quickly made its mark on both the racing and street bike worlds.

As RC Components grew, Rick’s drive for innovation only increased. His team became the first to design brake rotors and pulleys that matched their wheels, pioneering the clean, seamless look that became a hallmark of the custom bike scene. During the height of the chopper craze, Rick’s team even developed a brake rotor integrated with the pulley, allowing for a more streamlined, minimalist design.

Starting from his three-car garage in Sylmar, Rick moved RC Components to Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1993, where the company eventually expanded to a 56,000-square-foot facility. Over the years, RC Components has become synonymous with high-performance, precision-crafted motorcycle wheels and parts, influencing custom bike builders and enthusiasts around the world.

Reflecting on his journey, Rick says, “It’s been a dream come true to actually make a living doing what I love, and I’ve been very blessed with the 32 years that RC Components has existed.” His dedication to pushing design boundaries and delivering top-tier products has left an indelible mark on the motorcycle industry.

When asked what it means to be inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame, Rick humbly replied, “I’m honored, to say the least, to now have my name up with such legendary icons of this industry.” From his early days racing on the streets of California to revolutionizing the world of motorcycle wheels, Rick Ball’s legacy is one of innovation, determination, and a lifelong passion for motorcycles.