Actually, it ain't the silver motor that looks cheap, it's those sancast silver covers like on the FXST. Silver motor with chrome covers looks great,but not as good as the black motor. What I really like is the dark gray SE motor.

 

They started putting them in when they brought the FXST back in 1998. Before then the FXSTC came with black motor and the bike was dripping in chrome. They stripped the chrome off put in the silver motor with aluminum covers and sold it for $1000-2000 less than the previous years FXSTC. By the time you put it all back on the MOCO made $3000-4000 more.

It's a profit deal. - Navin Johnson