Advertisement |
Jesse Gregory James (born April 19, 1969) is an American television personality and CEO of West Coast Choppers, a manufacturer of custom-made motorcycles. James was the host of the reality TV series Jesse James is a Dead Man on Spike TV, and of the reality series Monster Garage, on the Discovery Channel, and the focus of the documentary Motorcycle Mania, also on Discovery. James also appeared in the Tony Hawk's Underground 2 video game.
After several years working as a bodyguard for Danzig and occasionally for other bands such as Slayer and Soundgarden, James opened West Coast Choppers in his mother's garage in 1992. The company grew quickly and soon moved to a larger facility for select customers and companies. About 200 bikes have been built at West Coast Choppers. West Coast Choppers is also sponsoring race teams in Top Fuel Drags and Super Late Model NASCAR. James recently bought custom car business Austin Speed Shop and has expanded into the custom car business. James has also built and is racing an off-road Trophy Truck and a Figure-8 race car.
He is the owner of the Cisco Burger restaurant, which opened on April 28, 2006, just down the street from West Coast Choppers. The 1950s style hamburger stand — named after his beloved pit bull who is now deceased — features Angus beef burgers, low-fat burritos, organic vegetables, and biodegradable wrappings. James also has partial ownership in the South Austin Speed Shop in Austin, Texas.