Demon's Cycle (http://www.demonscycle.com) offers the best pricing on parts for custom Harley Davidson motorcycles. The author, Art Gib, is a freelance writer.
So, you are thinking of getting your first Harley-Davidson motorcycle? Well, there are a few things that you'll want to become knowledgeable about if you want to have any hope of fitting in with the custom Harley Davidson crowd.
Owning a Harley-Davidson motorcycle brings you into a tight knit brotherhood with a culture all its own. But getting a Harley doesn't automatically mean you'll be included into this self-proclaimed elite group of America loving, free spirited souls. The Harley culture is a proud one and, like any organization, they have traditions, expectations, and unwritten rules that each biker is expected to follow.
Right off the bat, you should know that your Harley isn't really a Harley unless it's a custom Harley Davidson. In other words, you don't want to pull up to the local biker bar in an "off the shelf" Harley bike. A man's (or woman's) bike should be a reflection of themselves, and therefore no two Harleys should be alike.
Your bike tells others who you are, what you are like, and may very well be the thing that other bikers judge you by.
Secondly, make sure all your custom parts are made by American companies. You bought a Harley because of the pride, sophistication, and attention to detail that went into its creation. By customizing your bike with non-American parts, you go counter to the made-in-America attitudes of the Harley culture. If your bike has parts that aren't made in America, then the bike itself is no longer a work of American art.
And when it comes to the helmet that you wear, forget the face mask. Those are for wimps!
Sure you can buy a Harley motorcycle and not follow any of the brotherhood's rules, but you can expect to be shunned by every other Harley biker on the road. Think I'm joking? Maybe the following story will change your mind.
One part of the Harley culture, as mentioned earlier, is to buy American. Harley-Davidson is an American company and owners of these American-made bikes are very proud to be riding on a machine put together by American hands. That means your bike should be running parts from American manufacturers right down to the spark plugs.
A biker entered a parts store one day and complained about the rough running of his V-twin engine. The parts manager recommended replacing his spark plugs with the NGK (a Japanese company) brand. The biker did so reluctantly. Turns out he liked the NGK spark plugs much better and chose to run them instead of the OEM plugs that his bike came with originally.
Only problem was that he knew he would be shunned by his fellow bikers for running a Japanese part on his bike, so he manually painted the HD logo onto his NGK spark plugs to prevent any suspicion.
When working with your custom Harley Davidson, remember where your "hog" came from and be sure to honor the culture that you have joined.
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I've written alot and bashed the author of the article, Art Gib.
I don't apologize one bit to Mr. Gib (or whomever he really is). He is putting out VERY dangerous information with no regard to the sense or safety of readers who may be new to the sport and may take his ilk as gospel.
He is possibly guilty of reckless endangerment simply by suggesting that behaving in a deadly manner is the correct thing to do. Why do I dispise his misinformation so much?
He's putting innocent people at risk of life and limb with his irresponsible writing.
Should anyone doubt my suspect that he's never ridden anything since he owned a Schwinn, just find the articles and look at all the others he's written. He write on every subject. He is not a motorcycling expert of any kind. He's just a hack writer who is positioned to do alot of harm should anyone be intimidated into believing his trash.
"Forget the face mask, those are for wimps" NOT.... this guy is dillusional.
If you've never had a case of road-rash count yourself as lucky. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and if you loose enough of it to road rash either the pain or lack of skin will kill you. If you have any doubts at all about what I'm saying, visit your local ER and ask about the trama they have to treat because of knuckleheads like this guy who think protection is for sissies.
Fact; over 80% of impacts in a cycle crash involve hitting your head. Fact; over 60% of head impacts in a cycle crash involve hitting your chin. Fact; less than 2% of cycle crash impacts are on the top of your head. Do the math. How smart is it to look cool but leave your face totally unprotected because you want to wear a little skull cap? It doesn't look cool to have your face torn up (maybe permanantly) 24/7.
If this guy was more than a dreamer and actually did ride he'd be what we call (an organ doner). Riding without protection from road rash or a crushed brain is nuts.
I don't play when it comes to safety. I want to be around a long time to enjoy my ride.
All the cool in the world won't help when you're crippled or your organs are being harvested. Thank God for the stupid, cause I may need a kidney some day......
If you want/need to ride a Harley, go get you one but don't be cajoled into buying a truckload of "special" add-ons to "customize" it just so you won't be "shunned" by the brothers.
The only Harley riders who will shun you are the actual Real-Deal Bad-ass biker gangs who's names most people already know. They will respect you as a fellow Harley rider but don't ever imagine that an approving nod from one of them is an invitation to think you're one of their friends.
Most other Harley riders who are not members in a gang will acknowledge you first as a fellow biker and second as having the same make bike as they do. They won't take inventory of your accessories and check the data base to see if you've bought a chinese clock.
I ride with bikers of all faiths and while we exchange ideas on trinkets and we ooh and aaah over new things someone might have installed we never critique anyone for what they have or where they bought it.
This misguided soul is a legend in his own mind and I have doubts that he has ever taken to the road on anything less than four wheels. You notice, he doesn't say what he rides and he writes about the Harley mistique as someone who has read way too many books and articles about it.
Harley riders can be Just as ignorant as anyone but the vast majority of them are decent, normal folks who have a personal preference for the Harley Brand.
Ride what you like, like what you ride....
I've had Harleys, Knuckle head chopper, '63 full dress Pan Head, '68 Sportster, I've been left abandoned by the best in more places than I care to think about.
I have never been left by a Honda, never.
I drive a Toyota corolla made in california. My wife drives a Toyota Avalon made in the southeast. My current bike is a Kawasaki Vulcan made in Lincoln Nebraska. I have nothing against Harley except that they don't live up to their press and origin. Maybe I should say that it's the riders who are so brainwashed and narrow minded about HD that they actually participate in violance against other brands of bikes and their riders, how sick is that? If you're gonna fight as a patriot for God's sake, fight against the bastards in Washington who are stealing our taxpayer's money for their own interests.
Every bike manufacturor is traded on the stock exchange openly. That means the profits from sales don't go to Millwaukee or Japan. They are paid as dividends to stock holders allover the globe.
My vehicles are all made by men and women who take their American paychecks home to their American families and shop for dinner in American food stores while planning to see an American movie and eat American snacks.......I think the point is clear.
Ignorance and narrow-mindedness is the only thing that makes Harley American and my vehicles foreign.
Ride what you like and like what you ride.......Dan
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