The Challenge
Cobra Motorcycles has produced premium race-ready mini motocross bikes for youth riders since 1993. Cobra Motorcycles is the only producer of off-road motorcycles that are truly made in the U.S.A.

In 2006, Cobra recognized a gap in the market and decided to introduce a new motorcycle to their line, a 65cc bike that would enter them into a new race category. Their team designed and engineered the entire motorcycle from the ground up. Once the design and engineering were finalized, and Cobra was ready to produce parts, they called Catalyst PDG, Inc. for their injection molding expertise. Cobra’s low volume production needs and the need for speed to market, made offshore tooling unrealistic.

The new motorcycle would be launched at theWinter Mini Olympics in Florida, so the parts Catalyst produced had to be dead on. The motorcycle, as an introduction into a new category, would be scrutinized carefully by riders, vendors and other manufacturers. The parts had to be flawless, the assembly perfect.

The entire program consisted of a total of nine individual parts including a left and right shroud, left and right side number plates, a seat pan, rear fender, air box, chain guard and the front number plate. Nine individual aluminum tools and hundreds of parts were made and shipped to support the new product introduction.

The Catalyst Difference
The ability to actually tool and mold parts right inside of Catalyst facility sets Catalyst apart from other product development companies. While many companies outsource such projects,having the parts made in a facility with design, engineering and CAD services under one roof results in a more flexible process.

Throughout production, Catalyst worked closely with Cobra to integrate design changes while maintaining the original schedule. Other injection molding companies would have to involve a third party, creating a time delay and potentially missing the deadlines.The product development process at Catalyst does not end with design and engineering. Every department of the company plays an integral role in developing new products, whether it is designing from a napkin sketch or injection molding
a large program.

The Results
The new 65cc motorcycle was enthusiastically received during the launch at the tradeshow. To date, Cobra Motorcycles has sold more than half of their annual capacity of this unit and expects the popularity to continue to increase as races are won throughout the year.