What makes a bike custom?

You see and read all the time about custom bikes. You may have an example in your garage. What does it take to call a bike custom in your opinion? Is it just a new paintjob? Pipes? What? I'm not wanting to start an argument but I believe that this will make for a good discussion.

it takes whatever you want it to beB)

Wrenches. Mighty hard to make a bike custom without wrenches:blink: :blink: Which reminds me... last week they had a WENCH sale at Sears. But my wife wouldn't let me buy any.

Sidenote: Any bike I sit on is automatically custom... I just have that effect. Once I touch one they're just never the same.:whistle: You can take that any way you want.:pinch:

Post edited by: jjdwoodman, at: 2007/08/31 21:58

My KZ900 became a custom as soon as I fitted a set of Z1R needle bearings to the swingarm. Most every KZ on the road is custom by my definition.

KZCSI

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom_car

What made me think on this subject is that a guy I work with has a brother in law who is trying to get his master builders liscense. In order to get this he is going to have to place his bikes in certain shows and pay somebody some money to be "officially" declared a MASTER BUILDER:ohmy:
I told him it sounded like a scam to me. Then to prove my point I took a large screwdriver and knighted a sleeping electrician as a "master builder" and a welder who walked in as a "Master Baiter" (He loves to fish). I pointed out that my old KZ had probably more "Custom" components than most of the customized HD's parked outside.
I guess it is the old racer in me but I still consider it to be stock.
What is the least custom yet described and/or bragged upon custom you have ever seen? I have a riding buddy with a HD ultra classic that he describes as highly customised but yet everything he has done to it is merely a bolt on from the HD catalog. Its a beautiful bike but its a stocker in my opinion. Of course he's the one paying the note so his opinion is the only one that counts.

Post edited by: Wildh2oskier, at: 2007/09/01 00:05

ape hangers, carbon fiber blinkers, the matching helmet and loud pipes.

themachine wrote:

ape hangers, carbon fiber blinkers, the matching helmet and loud pipes.

Helmet? Must be a helmet law state. :laugh: Around here they wouldn't be caught dead modifying a bike to that degree and wearing a helmet. :whistle:

I consider neither of my 650s to be customs. Yet, they sport replaced grips, manual petcocks, ACCEL coils, and Dyna S2 ignitions. The 650B was repainted long before I got it and will get another, probably this winter.

Technically, a custom is any vehicle that isn't 100% factory stock, but do factory installed options move a vehicle into the "custom" category?

Each customizer has in their mind what defines a custom. That is going to vary from people who believe that changing the oil and air filters is customizing to those who eschew any stock part on their build.

A custom machine is in the eye of the builder/beholder.