The combination of decreasing jobs and increasing oil prices has been enough to drive more than one American to buy a motorcycle. "The number of American households that own motorcycles jumped 26 percent from 2003 to 2008, while the overall number of U.S. households increased roughly 5 percent." (Web bike world .com)

With those stats in mind, American manufacturers of aftermarket motorcycle parts and accessories have stepped up to the plate to take care of the growing demand. Below, are just a few of American companies that manufacture motorcycle accessories and parts, so the next time you need to make such purchase, you know you can trust the quality and workmanship of a product proudly made in the U.S.A.

The daddy of 'em all, Harley Davidson choppers, have been around since 1905. ".Four young men experiment with internal combustion in a tiny wooden shed. Not only does the shed not burn down, but the motorcycle they build goes on to serve for over 100,000 miles, under 5 owners." (HarleyDavidson .com)

Harley Davidson manufactures both parts and accessories, for all of their models, out of the Juneau Ave., Milwaukee, WI plant - incidentally, in the same location as the plant built in 1912. Today, Harley-Davidson also has parts and accessories manufacturing plants in Tomahawk, WI and York, PA.

In 2007, Harley-Davidson introduced the Screaming Eagle Pro Racing parts. The disclaimer on H-D's website regarding the catalog for these parts says it all, "The catalog you are about to view contains parts for race use only. Harley-DavidsonR motorcycles modified with Screamin' EagleR Pro performance parts must not be used on public roads and in some cases may be restricted to closed-course competition. All performance parts identified with the crossed flags symbol are intended for racing applications only and are not legal for sale or use in California on pollution-controlled vehicles. Alterations of emission related components constitute tampering under the US EPA guidelines and can lead to substantial fines and penalties." (Harley- Davidson .com)

This year, only, H-D is advertising over 1,000 new bikes, parts, accessories, gear and apparel. (Harley - Davidson .com) One of those new accessories is the helmet designed for women - the Skyline. "Harley-Davidson hosted seminars at dealerships and at outreach events for women to help them design the new helmet. They found women get a better fit from a helmet that is deeper in the crown. The reason is that women usually have more hair than a man. This leaves the helmet sitting too high on a woman's head. Harley-Davidson worked with supplier KBC to come up with a helmet shell and liner that is 10mm deeper than standard motorcycle helmets. This gives more women a better fit on the forehead and back of the head." (Harley- riders - guide .com)

Clyde Wiseman started making motorcycle pistons for himself and a few friends, in 1940. A year later Wiseco Piston opened its doors in Cleveland, OH. Today, the plant has been relocated to Mentor, Ohio and boasts of having "attained that instant brand-recognition by being the only U.S. manufacturer of forged pistons for the motorsports market, and carry a full line of applications for just about any 2 or 4-stroke engine you can think of."

In order to remain competitive, Wiseco now also offers other products such as extreme clutch kits, VM ring sets and On-Road Cycle EFI Units (CARB legal).

This company started out selling motorcycle seats and luggage for touring bikes. Using state-of-the-art technology, they developed their saddle gel in the early 1990's. "The proprietary SaddleGel technology was gleaned from the medical industry with specific origins in wheelchair pads and hospital beds. The gel was used (and still is) to prevent bedsores for those confined to beds for long periods of time and for people in wheelchairs. isolates engine and road vibration, a common cause of rider fatigue. Saddlegel is a molded solid with fluid-like properties that will not slide to one side or move around in your seat like water in a plastic bag; instead the proprietary design eliminates pressure points at the hip bones and tail bone by evenly distributing your weight across the surface of the seat..." (saddlemen .com)

By integrating what they refer to as Saddlemen's Comfort System Technology (CST) which includes distributing weight evenly and an exclusive composite construction variable density foam throughout the seat, Saddlemen was able to take their motorcycle seats to another level.

Rob Muzzy, the owner, has been involved in the sport of motorcycle racing, as a top engine builder and tuner, for over 5 decades with some impressive results: "earning 21 AMA National Championships in Superbike, Supersport, Drag Racing, Dirt Track, Motocross plus a World Superbike Championship, victory at the Suzuka 8-hour endurance championship race and 4 Daytona 200 wins." (muzzys .com)

Muzzy's range of products includes, but in not limited to, air shifters, steering dampers, intake plenum kits, clutch baskets, off road systems. Some of the new motorcycle parts and accessories that Muzzy's has come out with include big bore kits, dual slip on exhausts and radiator upgrade kits, to just name a few of their numerous products.

One of the coolest products for sale is the new Bonneville Pro for the ZX-14. "It removes the factory speed limiter allowing the rider to achieve speeds over the factory limited 186mph. The speedometer correction feature allows adjustment plus or minus 50% from standard. This allows precise recalibration of the speedometer to account for factory inaccuracies or changes in tire size and/or gear ratio." (muzzys .com)

Delkron opened its doors to the public in the late 70's, manufacturing high performance aftermarket motorcycle parts for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. (delkron .com) Since then it is considered "the racer's choice for engine cases" with their bullet proof cases.

One of their new products is the 120 inch Complete Square Block, which they guarantee "has been finished off with a recipe that has yielded a modest 121 HP and 138 lbs. of torque at the rear wheel." (delkron .com)

Another new offering is the Diamond Cut Heads. " .top end components with Diamond Head's patented Diamond Cut. This added bling not only makes our big fin packs sparkle but also helps dissipate heat." which they guarantee will cool your engine 12% faster than stock. (delkron .com)

The Nice Raxx are motorcycle accessories for racing enthusiasts who need to transport their bikes to the track. "It is constructed out of T6 anodized aluminum and zinc plated steel, has built in protection to avoid cosmetic damage to your stand, weighs less than 2 lbs. and is designed to last a lifetime in the rough world of motorcycling. The Nice Raxx can be used to floor mount stands in open trailers or truck beds to provide a quick and easy means of stowage during transport." (nice raxx .com) Installation of the Nice Raxx requires very few tools - i.e., a chalk line and a screw driver.

A new product, the Nice Raxx for those with Pit Bull One Arm stand, has recently been introduced to the market due to an overwhelming number of requests at the tracks. Also new to the market is their mounting brackets which are now sold separately.

This American company located in Boca Raton, Florida offers "the sport bike rider the most innovative and unique accessories available today." (St Machine .com) The beauty of this company is that it has not limited its market to a single model. ST Machine offers motorcycle parts and accessories for models such as Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Ducati and Buell.

(Photo courtesy of ST Machine.)

One of the most fun products sold by ST Machine is the customized Pig Spotter 2 motorcycle mirrors. These mirrors come in very cool airbrushed designs such as shark (in attack mode), checkered flag, skull and multiple skulls. The mirrors also come with LED lights which may be used as either turn signals or running lights, depending on your bike's wiring and are available in black and chrome. You can also purchase illuminated Pig Spotters in red, blue and green.

(Photo courtesy of ST Machine.)

Other motorcycle parts and accessories sold by ST Machine include, license plate relocation kits, frame sliders, chain guards, wheel chocks and three models of grips.

(Photo courtesy of ST Machine.)

The founder of this company, Richard Fouhy, started out manufacturing parts for M-1 tanks, helicopters and space shuttles. (aeromachmfg .com) Today, the company is located in North Carolina, and they like to consider themselves as a "contract job shop", focusing on the manufacture of difficult and specialized parts. This company started out manufacturing motorbike mirrors where they were able to reduce the vibration factor by a whopping 40%!

"Stripper Juice" is the name of their unique motorcycle cleaner. After 12 years of research, Eric (Otis) Ward and his crew have come up with this cleaner which they guarantee will leave your bike "gleaming like a freshly polished stripper pole." (aeromachmfg .com)

This company, out of Suffol, Virginia specializes in "hand-made motorcycle parts and machine components for V-Twin, English and Japanese custom motorcycle industries and individual builders." (kilby deuce .com)

Here you may find parts such as Grommet inserts, fittings and bungs, tank mounts, fuel site gauges and valves, risers, license mounts and much more.