Maker of cycle trailers set to grow

The trailer makers moved to Warren because vendors are within a 25-mile radius.

By TIM YOVICH

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Loran Circle and his wife, Pam, were taking a vacation on their motorcycle when it began to rain.

Circle said he looked for a trailer to haul his bike but couldn’t find the right one to either rent or purchase.

During their search for a proper trailer, Circle found current ones unsafe and cramped to get out of after tying down the bike.

As Circle talked to trailer manufacturers, he said they wanted to cut corners in production. So, he decided to design and manufacture his own trailer.

It just so happened that Circle met Edwin R. Romero, a Youngstown attorney and former Youngstown city law director, at a rally. Romero is a motorcyclist.

From their meeting, Circle was put in touch with the Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corp. and The Regional Chamber.

Now, the couple is manufacturing three trailers daily at their RallyTime Trailers out of a 10,000-square-foot, once-empty building at Warren Commerce Park.

With his own design in hand, Circle, company president, received financing through Huntington Bank and the Mahoning Valley Industrial Loan Fund administered by MVEDC. The organization also arranged a lease of the building and provided technical assistance.

Circle, who has moved here from Buffalo, N.Y., has been manufacturing trailers with eight employees in Commerce Park for about a year and is preparing to expand.

“I wanted to be sure we could produce the trailer to meet the high demand that I know is out there for the product,” Circle said Wednesday during a press conference at the plant.

RallyTime will begin manufacturing five trailers daily in about six weeks.

Circle said he decided on Warren because of the work force and because vendors that supply parts are within a 25-mile radius.

“You guys have a real good area,” he added.

The bottom of the trailer looks like the shell of a small boat on wheels. The top appears as if it is a large egg atop the boat, making it a lightweight, aerodynamic trailer.

It can carry two full-size motorcycles or three smaller ones with enough room for tools, clothes and coolers.

The back is a hatchback with a nonskid ramp so the bikes easily can be put in and removed from the trailer.

“I designed it from the point of view of a biker” rather than a trailer manufacturer, Circle said.

He’s establishing a dealer network across the country, and RallyTime will be on display at the three-day Cycle World International Motorcycle Show beginning Friday at the IX Center in Cleveland.

yovich@vindy.com