One year after the death of its owner, Onyx Motorbikes is back with a bang

A year after Onyx Motorbikes owner James Xatiblou died suddenlya brand that left customers with backlogs and millions in unpaid debt has been revived by its original founder.

“I’m excited to announce that I’m reviving my original brand, Onyx, with incredible backers!” founder Tim Seward wrote in a LinkedIn post on monday. “Onyx is literally going back to the future now!”

The company is selling just 100 RCR electric dirtbikes to start. It is not known if these are newly manufactured units or if they are part of the e-bikes that were kept in limbo by Onyx’s Chinese supplier earlier this year after Khatiblou’s death.

Seward did not respond to TechCrunch in time to comment on the company’s revival and what investors it has secured to back the company.

Seward, which builds e-bikes for Bird and Ubco, developed the RCR, the first Onyx e-bike, in 2016. After launching the company with an Indiegogo campaign two years later, the design became a cult hit. Following customers who love the made-in-USA feel, the wood-frame appeal of the 1980s design, and the bike’s powerful capabilities.

In 2019, Seward gave his stake in Onyx to his friend and former colleague Khatiblou, who first stumbled on as an owner while trying to expand the company. Many of his decisions created a web of legal and financial problems that are still unresolved. Khatiblou died without a will or succession plan, causing a crisis that halted all operations, including deliveries to customers and payments to suppliers and creditors.

Oxygen Funding, an Orange County lender, claimed it owed $2.2 million. In May, Oxygen attempted to apply to the Los Angeles County probate court to become the administrator of Khatiblou’s estate, which would allow it to control Onyx’s remaining assets and sell those assets, apparently to recoup itself.

Oxygen CEO Adam Lomax told TechCrunch on Tuesday that he had no knowledge of a revival of Onyx under Seward. He also noted that Oxygen’s application to take control of Khatiblou’s estate is pending an unscheduled court date and that his company has yet to be paid.

Oxygen wasn’t the only creditor fighting for the piece of onyx. Under the 2019 operating agreement, Kenneth Ames, a a former engineering and procurement executive In the Simi Valley-based LED lighting business and Troy Smith, a independent accountant Based in Carlsbad, it owns a 37.5% stake in Onyx LLC. Onyx LLC is also the owner of the Onyx brand under a trademark assignment agreement.

It’s unclear if Ames and Smith were involved in Onyx’s revival. TechCrunch reached out to Ames, Troy and their counsel to learn more. TechCrunch will update the article if it responds.