Cobra Motorcycles produces premium race-ready mini motocross bikes for youth riders that are serious about competing. Our three models offer the most competitive performance in the mini category and Cobras have claimed more than 45 national titles since the company was founded in 1993. Cobra Motorcycles is the only producer of off-road motorcycles that are truly ‘Made in the U.S.A.’.
Bud Maimone, who owned a tool and die shop, raced with his son Brent in the fledgling 50cc class during the early 1990’s. In those days, there was no out-of-the-crate solution for purchasing a race bike…The class was made up of highly modified recreational models, and Bud got tired of seeing bikes breaking and kids being heartbroken after all the money and time that went into race preparation. After trying to convince several manufactures to produce a race-ready bike, Bud finally took the plunge himself when all of his avenues were exhausted. What resulted was a dynamite little bike, and over the years Cobra has developed quite a following and expanded everything from its product line to its manufacturing space. Cobra made its home in the Youngstown, Ohio area by recently opening up its new factory, and over the past 10 years, both Bud Maimone and Cobra Motorcycles have become legends in the motocross world.
Cobra has developed a unique set of capabilities that is difficult to match. Based on need and a desire for performance, Cobra doesn’t just assemble bikes; we design and manufacture most of the components that go into our bikes, including frames and engines. That allows us not only to innovate on our designs more frequently and successfully, but we also have the confidence to stand behind our products, as proven by our new Frame and Wheel Guarantee. Cobra can do everything from its own dynamometer development work to building plastics molds to cutting our own wheels. These capabilities have been developed to ensure that Cobra can always produce the most capable – and FASTEST – minis in the world.
Bud Maimone, a tool and die maker since 1972, opened his own plastic injection mold shop in New Middletown, Ohio in 1983. He and two other operators produced and repaired molds on manual machines for Rubbermaid, among several other manufacturers inthe greater Youngstown, OH. After 2 years, Main Street Molds moved fromits garage shop to a nearby 4,000 sq ft building. Due to a lack of in-house capability, Main Street Molds was outsourcing a considerable amount of precision work. Even so, at its peak, the company generated sales in excess of $500,000 annually. Like most smart businessmen, Maimone reinvested surplus income in his business. Unlike many entrepreneurs, however, Maimone had other interests outside his business, namely his wife, son Brent and his long-term interest in repairing motorcycles. He also became heavily involved in youth motocross racing.
Pursuing his interest in motocross, Maimone soon learned that youth racing cycles in the 50cc class were little more than lawnmower motors on a bare-bones frame with motocross trimmings. They lacked the suspension, strength and handling of a true dirt bike. He also discovered that a high-quality, true racingclass 50cc bike was available nowhere. This, he calculated, was a real opportunity. Maimone envisioned starting an entirely new business that he would call Corbra Motorcycles. The problem was that, if he dropped all of Main Street Molds business, he would be risking everything on an untried venture. Also, he would have to begin at an extremely high-quality production level in order to capture the market from existing manufacturers like Japan's Yamaha and the Austrian KTM cycles. It also would be difficult to obtain financing with no immediate cash flow to back up the monthly payments.
In 1993, Bud Maimone met with his banker for advice on raising the money necessary to finance the Cobra startup. Since Maimone deliberately had established an excellent credit record, his banker was very receptive to the new proposal and recommended development of a business plan. The banker suggested a visit to a local group of retired businessmen, who would help him form the plan. As it turned out, the idea was such a good one, Maimone began receiving funds even before he had a business plan. Ultimately the plan included continuing the Main Street Molds operation as-is while Bud and wife Sunny began Cobra Motorcycles, living on income from Main Street Molds and plowing all profits from motocross sales back into Cobra.
During the 1994 motocross season Bud Maimone's new Cobra bike gained notoriety as his son, Brent, won numerous events, up to and including the national championship for 7 and 8 year olds. In fact, Cobra riders took every American competition during the bike's first year of production. So into the mechanics of the bike was Brent that, when dirt fouled his carburetor in a championship run, he upended the bike, cleaned the carb, and took off again to win despite the impromptu pit stop. The 1994 Cobra sweep immediately propelled this American-made rocket to the forefront of 50cc racing. Every rider who hoped to contend in the following season (See photo previous page.) realized they would have to purchase a Cobra to be competitive. The result was that Cobra Motorcycles instantly gained a large market share in this small market. This is probably the most significant factor in the growth of Cobra Motorcycles; instead of trying to compete against large companies by introducing a variety of models, Mr. Maimone chose to specialize in a class where he could take a major market share without being challenged; it was only a small piece of a very large pie.
Because of the Cobra's success and the cost of research and development to compete in such a small market, most of the large competitors opted to leave the class. As a result, in 1995 Cobra was required to increase its staff to eight to meet the soaring demand.
When the 1997 season rolled around, Cobra introduced a smaller bike, the CM50, to compete in the four to six-year-old class. This class is even smaller than the seven- and eight-year-old class but its long-term effect was powerful. Cobra became the young racer's first bike: a real racer rather than, as Mr. Maimone puts it, “a lawnmower on two wheels.” As a result, riders were more inclined to stay on Cobras when they moved up to the next class. Additionally, these new sales helped the company increase cash flow and profitability. While many parts and assemblies could be adapted to the CM50, it's reduced seat height, shorter axle-to-axle length and, for safety, slightly reduced horsepower required some reprogramming and purchase of a different scale of outsourced parts.