With so many trying to get the all black look on their bikes these days, (even HD on the bandwagon)I'd like to see if you guys and gals know the real reason or impetus if you will for the all popular theme of the all Black look you see on so many bikes these days.

My bud and I were talking today about how "chic" so many think that it is to have their bike all blacked out but do you really know the real reason behind it?
Let's see how much you really know about this... Care to take a stab at it?

I think that most of the ol' timers should know this...

 

It's a cycle of life as things go in and out of style. People are blacking out now and in a couple years someone will "Discover" chrome all over again and then chrome will be the new thing. There's also little trends that come and go in between bigger trends. Look at a custom bike from 10yrs ago. Thick heavy billet all over everywhere and that was the bee's knee's then. Now it looks dated and you can't virtually give those parts away.

I like chrome, always have. I will have my RG chromed out one day like a CVO except for the pegs and grips.

 

Black doesn't show all the oil leaking on the bike back in the day.

 

always goes that way on ten year cycles i guess!! look at TVs and stereos, always going back and forward between blk and silver??

 

I like chrome too, and have been accused of being a "chromeaholic" a time or 2 and it is much more durable than is "wrinkle", or powdercoat or even rattle can, but rattle can is by far the cheapest. That still is not the reason though of the black theme.

 

hippies like chrome

punk rockers like black.

the punk rock kids fron the 80's and 90's are buying bikes now.

why would an ol' timer know this?

maybe because pre hippie times were the bad boy rock and roll times? don't know. wasn't around when James Dean was cool.

 

Chrome wasn't really big back in the 70's, as most Harleys had un-chromed cases and rocker boxes.......particularly the Shovelheads. My 73 Ironhead Sportster had crinkle black cases and un-chromed rocker boxes. Those that wanted chrome usually sent out to places like Brown's Plating in Kentucky to have it done, like it did.

 

exactly. you probably grew up in the hippie era of the 60s with bright colors and wanted chrome. so you customized your bike to reflect your ideals.

the punk rock kids of the 80s and 90s were buying bikes in the 90s and 2000's full of chrome and rattle caned them black to reflect thier style.

just my $0.02

 

... and spraying from a properly oiled chain. And handprints because more time was spent wrenching that washing.

 

Or perhaps if you've "been around" you might know, but no one's close yet...