Most of this took place in the early to mid-'80s. Street Chopper went on hiatus but Russell went on. He finished school and became a veterinarian, then later made a run at an acting and modeling career, eventually relocating to Los Angeles. All through that time, though, he rode. Mitchell also made the switch over to H-Ds at this time. First it was a basket Sportster that he mutated into a tough black hardtail (in his surgery waiting room of all places).
In 1991 Russell came to the US with $9,000, and the next day spent $8,650 on a '87 Softail. Then, in 1994 his life hit a turning point. Commercials are big money for actors and after he finished one for Marlboro, he celebrated by building twin customs; making sure to go to town on both jobs. A year went by, and one of the bikes landed him his first American bike feature in Easyriders. Interest flowed in; folks took a serious interest in the ex-pat Brit's one-off parts. He dusted off the old Exile name in `95, first part-time later full, forcing Mitchell to relinquish his other ventures. Like many customizers, it was a home garage op that grew into a full-blown shop once his wife got tired of tripping over bikes all over the place.
By that time, the chopper craze was making a comeback. Part of that meant Street Chopper's resurrection and Russell's first feature in the magazine. "I can't remember whether Howard Kelly approached me first or not. I suspect I picked up the magazine on the newsstand and thought it was perfect for the shop, then called the powers-that-be and set it up. I think we shot around Newport Beach or something," he told us. "That flamed bike was the fourth or fifth we'd ever built. It was the pre-cursor of our barhopper style which is our most popular bike. Every once in a while, it changes hands and shows up on eBay from time to time. The first guy who owned it was given the ultimatum when he got married of having a barhopper or something more comfortable for his wife to passenger on, so he bought a tourer. I bid on it but someone bought it out from under me."
Eight years later, both Street Chopper and Exile are still around. Most of Russell's old scooter buddies have grown up and now ride Harleys. In fact, as we write this he's prepping for the trip back for the group's 30th anniversary reunion in England. "I like the fact that Street Chopper stands for exactly what we stand for here at Exile and it has done so for a long period of time. It's the perfect answer to the nay-sayers who say choppers are dead. Choppers aren't dead, they're just having a nap, know what I mean? We're all still out there, the guys who were out there several years back," Russell said. "It's great fun to be out on them and work on your own bike. It may be unaffordable fun right now, but it's still fun. Even all the laws we have now since the '60s haven't killed it. Now people make real, well thought out, high quality machines instead of a Christmas tree bondo'ed to a gas tank. I just think that the magazine has stood for the chopper scene through thick and thin for 40 years and that represents what we're here for. I've been in the scene for 30 years. Street Chopper's got a decade on me and that's nice to know. Now it just has to stick around another 40 years and it'll see me through."
Kick Start Only II
Like...
Kick Start Only II
Like many Street Chopper stories of its era, Exile's first feature in our Fall 2001 issue followed the bike build from frame to finish. Chris Tondro came into the shop thinking Russell's rules didn't apply to him but a long talk with Russell opened his eyes to other options, like a fat (at the time) 230mm back tire. It's a bit glossier than the Exiles we know (flames, gloss black paint, and polish tend to do that) but other elements (blacked out pipes, Exile rear brake, minimalist style) are pure Exile.
Exile in the USA
Fast forward...
Exile in the USA
Fast forward five years later to this one. Russell made it for John Mellencamp during the height of the neo-chopper craze. Street Chopper was a monthly publication by then and celebrities were stepping out of the woodwork to get high-dollar custom chops. Mellencamp wasn't some fad rider, though. He was a longtime bike enthusiast with more than 35 years on the road. Evolution over that first fire-gilded barhopper is obvious; this fatty sports the shineless look that's Exile's hallmark. What's more, a lot more of the parts were made by Russell's shop than on the earlier cycle.
The Trike: Small World, Big...
The Trike: Small World, Big Bike
Later on, Russell Mitchell ventured into trikes. Love 'em or hate 'em, three wheelers are part of rider culture. Hell, our first issue had a trike in it. We ran this feature in 2006. Trikes were big in Europe and Exile started doing custom versions here in the U.S. This one was bought by Ed Hinkle who was a longtime Exile customer. He was so confident in Russell's design sense he commissioned a lot of his motorcycles over the phone, from the East Coast! Mitchell still makes trike kits in his unmistakable chopper style.