Comoto Holdings Inc.

Comoto Holdings

Company type	Private
Industry	Motorcycle parts and accessories retail
Founded	2016
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States
Key people	Zach Parham (Chairman and CEO)
Products	Motorcycle parts, accessories, helmets, GPS application
Number of employees	Over 750 (combined RevZilla and J&P Cycles employees as of acquisition times)

Comoto Holdings stands as the foremost aftermarket retailer for motorcycle parts and accessories in the United States, established in 2016. That year, the company combined RevZilla and Cycle Gear under one umbrella and later expanded in 2020 by acquiring J&P Cycles along with the motorcycle GPS application REVER. Its collection of brands features BILT, Sedici, Street and Steel, Reax, and Hot-wired. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Comoto manages RevZilla, Cycle Gear, Rever, and J&P Cycles as distinct sister entities. In 2021, the company upgraded its order fulfillment processes by integrating Exotec's Advanced Handling Systems robotics technology. As of December 2023, Zach Parham holds the roles of Chairman and CEO.

History

In 2016, two leading U.S. motorcycle aftermarket retailers, Cycle Gear and RevZilla, united under Comoto Holdings in a transaction estimated between $400 and $500 million. Cycle Gear, established in 1974 by David Bertram (who was CEO at the time of acquisition), operated 112 stores across 34 states, maintained a growing e-commerce platform, and distributed over 13 million catalogs annually.

Founded in 2007 by Nick Auger, Anthony Bucci, and Matthew Kull, RevZilla employed approximately 450 staff members by 2014 and was headquartered at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, which housed its flagship retail location. The company’s valuation reached $75 million in 2015. In 2016, J.W. Childs Associates formed Comoto to consolidate these two companies, having already owned Cycle Gear. The expansion continued in 2020 with the acquisition of the motorcycle GPS app REVER and J&P Cycles.

Rever, headquartered in Colorado, connected powersports enthusiasts globally via its complimentary app and website that featured route maps and off-road trails for shared navigation. At the time of acquisition, the app had surpassed one million downloads.

J&P Cycles, founded in 1979 by John Parham, operated retail outlets in Ormond Beach (Florida), Sturgis (South Dakota), and Anamosa (Iowa)—the latter being its original location as a small motorcycle shop. John Parham was inducted into both the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame (2006) and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame (2015). When acquired, J&P Cycles employed over 300 individuals and was led by Zach Parham, John’s son, who assumed the CEO position at Comoto Holdings Inc. in December 2023.

Leadership

Anthony Bucci, a co-founder of RevZilla, briefly served as Comoto Brands’ leader until his departure in late 2016. He was succeeded by fellow RevZilla co-founder Matt Kull from 2017 through 2019. During Kull’s tenure, RevZilla introduced the Reax brand. Subsequently, Ken Murphy was appointed President and CEO of Comoto Holdings in August 2019, overseeing both RevZilla and Cycle Gear until December 2023. Under Murphy's leadership, Comoto completed acquisitions of Rever and J&P Cycles. Currently, Zach Parham serves as President and CEO, responsible for all four brands.

Helmets

Cycle Gear introduced two helmet lines—BILT and Sedici—in 2011. By directly collaborating with manufacturers located in China and Pakistan, Cycle Gear bypassed middlemen to maintain competitive pricing. Initially, BILT helmets came with a five-year warranty while Sedici, a premium European-inspired collection, offered a lifetime guarantee. Following the merger into Comoto Holdings in 2016, these warranty periods were shortened by May 2017 to one year for BILT and two years for Sedici.

On January 13, 2023, Comoto announced a safety recall affecting certain BILT helmets: specifically the Vertex models manufactured after September 1, 2021, and Route models produced after March 1, 2020. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that nearly 18,980 helmets failed penetration testing and did not comply with U.S. Department of Transportation safety standards—posing an increased risk of head injury to riders. Additional recalls covered select BILT Amped and Grommet helmet models.