Make it your own

My Stock FXDB on day of purchase

   I've made a few references to social media in previous blogs, and the heart of this blog will beat to that very topic. Social media influence.

    If you're anything like myself or those I hang out with, you probably belong to a few groups on Facebook dedicated to your make and model of motorcycle (The Dyna Page in my case). In addition, you'll probably have liked pages such as "The Bikers Code" or "MC Brotherhood 101". These groups and pages share a common interest between you the individual and the biker culture/community. So its not out of the ordinary to naturally feel obligated to ask for input on your personal horse.
   
    "Hey brothers, I'm thinking about getting 16 inch T-Bars for my Dyna Wideglide, but I can't decide between chrome or black.", you scroll down a bit and see some dude asking for input on what it would "look" like with Willie-G gas cap covers or casting a vote between Vance & Hines short shots or Thunder-header 2-1s but only considering the cosmetic opinions of others. Honestly I don't understand it.

    It's your bike fellas (and ladies), why do you rely so heavily on the input of others? Have you ever wondered why 8/10 bikes look virtually identical but belong to riders across the country, or even the world? I understand that riding a cookie cutter like myself, that there is a limited amount of "customizing" that one can do.

   With that considered, there is a considerable portion of things you can build yourself (or a friend) to make it 100% unique. You can make your own bars, you can make your own exhaust, you can make your own luggage racks and your own sissy bars. You can make your own air filters and you can

Rocked bars, travel bag, and 18'' machete

make your own crash bars. You've still got a large amount of control over the design of your bike. So why do so many default to purchasing manufactured items that cost triple, or even quad that of which it would cost them to design and build it themselves? The answer is ease. Sure, it's a polished cookie cutter design that makes your bike look sharp, but it's going to make your heart sink when you pull into a rally and walk past a bike that looks virtually identical.

    Don't get me wrong, a sharp looking bike is a sharp looking bike. Going cookie cutter doesn't mean that you're bike looks like shit; all I am saying is that it takes away from your personal identity and character.

    I'll use myself as an example. I personally don't know how to fabricate, but I have friends that do. I had been considering purchasing a sissy bar off eBay for $200 so that my ole lady could comfortably relax while riding with me. It turned out that my ole lady had a 3 wheeled bicycle that she traded to her cousin in exchange for a custom made sissy bar. I brought my bike up to his place one afternoon and we made some plans. Originally we were going to just utilize the fender bolts to mount the side plates since I have no desire to ever remove it. After realizing how the turn signals were made, we decided to design the plates to slide over the signal bolts without having to disassemble the lights, leaving the front bolt to secure the plates; a "quick attach" type design. The sissy bar now stands 4' tall from the fender as suits my taste and satisfies my urge for that old-school feel.

    Now being that I'm your typical biker that you heard about in the days of old, always being broke and bouncing job to job, I don't have the money for things like grips or pegs. So I utilized the options I do have, and created my own "grip covers". My father has been a leather crafts man for decades, and had some extra leather supplies hanging around. I took some buckskin chap hide and fashioned grip covers out of them, lacing them with heavy duty brown and yellow boot laces, giving it a retro feel. It looked absolutely ridiculous at first being that the leather was super bright, but a couple weeks of use and time in the sun, a few rain showers and having dried up and tightened; I now have grip covers that look aged decades with signs of wear and solid use. Another plus is that you never see "grip covers", let alone out of leather. Only back in the day.

Tan Chap Hide Grip & Lever Covers Newly Made

    I take pride in the days of old which I never personally got to experience (I'm 27), and admire the creativity those ole boys showed when customizing their bikes. If I could learn how to make my own exhaust, I'd go that route too. I fancy the idea of true dual pipes stretching along each side of my FXDB Street Bob, which you never see done because of the electronics that block the left side. But it could be done with the proper amount of patience and creativity.

    Never forget that the small things matter. My bike looks drastically different thanks to even the small changes, like a home made 3'' gas tank lift, and having rocked my handle bars much more forward than you'll see on any stock FXDB, both contributing to giving its stretched look.

    The point I hope to get across is that you should have zero concern as to what others think of your bike and what you've done with it. Instead, do what you like and desire then expect the input to follow. So what if someone doesn't dig your white wall tires (I get grief for it), so what if someone doesn't like your exhaust, bars, or air filter. It's one thing to get opinions on the feel of something like bar height or style, but you'll never get anywhere seeking the public's cosmetic opinions because you'll always be severely divided. If they dig your style, right on man; if they don't, tough shit.

   Be yourself, express yourself. Don't settle for cookie cutter conformity if you can help it! Be sure to check out more blogs regarding all things bikers life from the list above, or direct link here (The Idaho Hog)

MLH&R
Ziptie

Rocked Bars, Travel Bag (Front), Softail swing arm bag (back), 2+ setup,
Worn Chap Hide Leather Grip & Lever Covers, 4' Sissy bar,Shinko White Walls,
Cycle Shack Mufflers & Smoked Signal Lenses. My W.I.P