What makes a custom
#41
07-25-2022, 01:55 PM
Outstanding HDF Member
99% of bikes are not CUSTOM......they're personalized....with bolt on, or bolt in, replacement/aftermarket parts.
i don't care if you've bored out your 883 Sportster to 1450cc;'s, it's not REALLY a custom.
A completely overused word.
Same as on TV I hear all the time "you're my hero" Pffffffffff, there are so few of those people around. Maybe some soldiers and firefighters but not 99% of folks who claim to be a hero.
i don't care if you've bored out your 883 Sportster to 1450cc;'s, it's not REALLY a custom.
A completely overused word.
Same as on TV I hear all the time "you're my hero" Pffffffffff, there are so few of those people around. Maybe some soldiers and firefighters but not 99% of folks who claim to be a hero.
#42
07-25-2022, 02:10 PM
I think a lot of people confuse the words custom and customized. I would say adding an air cleaner, some pipes, some grips or pegs would make a bike customized to that owner and their tastes.
But in my mind a custom bike has some custom paint, maybe a chopped frame and fenders, or hand fabricated parts. Buying parts and hanging them on a bike doesnt make a custom.
But in my mind a custom bike has some custom paint, maybe a chopped frame and fenders, or hand fabricated parts. Buying parts and hanging them on a bike doesnt make a custom.
#43
07-25-2022, 02:50 PM
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#44
07-25-2022, 04:35 PM
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#45
07-25-2022, 05:39 PM
Grand HDF Member
I remember a guy here on the forum who's signature was "If it said custom when you bought it, it isn't."
#46
07-25-2022, 07:00 PM
Seasoned HDF Member
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ve9aa (07-25-2022)
#47
07-26-2022, 06:52 AM
Club Member
For the most part, I agree with you guys about bolt-on parts and catalog shopping. A custom rifle might have a non-standard stock with the drop at heel or length of pull modified to a particular shooter. I would expect a bike to have similar changes if it were truly customized. However there is another angle that is legit .....
Then you'd miss out on a good clean Super Glide if I ever list mine, because as Reindeer said .......
My Super Glide is an FXDC; Super Glide Custom. I've often wondered what feature(s) Harley Davidson added in order to call it a custom. It has factory two-tone paint; perhaps that's all. I really don't know. It's fairly stock, except for the 10" bars and risers that it had when I bought it used and I plan to leave it that way. I didn't call it custom, Harley Davidson did. I'm not trying to be argumentative or obstinate in the least; I would welcome your factual knowledge about the feature(s) that Harley Davidson added in order to call these bikes customs.
I should let this thread die, but a thought popped into my head on the ride in this morning:
The irony of this stuff (using the word "custom" in a used bike ad) is that at least for guys like me, that is probably the most negative word you could use.
For me, shopping for a used bike (and I'm not personally interested in anything that's not at least 25 years old), the ideal example is one that is 100% factory stock. Every single deviation from that is a negative. In the real world, you always have to accept some modifications, but the fewer the better.
If I see the word "custom" in an ad, I move on.
The irony of this stuff (using the word "custom" in a used bike ad) is that at least for guys like me, that is probably the most negative word you could use.
For me, shopping for a used bike (and I'm not personally interested in anything that's not at least 25 years old), the ideal example is one that is 100% factory stock. Every single deviation from that is a negative. In the real world, you always have to accept some modifications, but the fewer the better.
If I see the word "custom" in an ad, I move on.
My Super Glide is an FXDC; Super Glide Custom. I've often wondered what feature(s) Harley Davidson added in order to call it a custom. It has factory two-tone paint; perhaps that's all. I really don't know. It's fairly stock, except for the 10" bars and risers that it had when I bought it used and I plan to leave it that way. I didn't call it custom, Harley Davidson did. I'm not trying to be argumentative or obstinate in the least; I would welcome your factual knowledge about the feature(s) that Harley Davidson added in order to call these bikes customs.
#48
07-26-2022, 05:42 PM
Seasoned HDF Member
#50
07-27-2022, 06:12 AM
Seasoned HDF Member