Because motorcycles are personal transportation, the passion to personalize them is strong. No matter whether it is a dressed out cruiser, a luxurious touring bike, a nimble sport bike or an off-road mudder, riders are driven to make their bikes an extension of their style and sense of selves. And accessory manufacturers are happy to oblige.
So here’s a rundown of common items to make that motorcycle scream you:
CRUISERS
The all-time classic cruisers are the Harley-Davidsons with their big V-twin engines and traditional look–a look so popular it is hard to tell some copycat cruisers built by Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki from the real McCoy. Even many Harley owners do a double take.
Nowhere is the urge to accessorize and customize stronger than the cruiser crowd’s craving for chrome.
“There is no limit to what you can spend on stuff for cruisers,” says Jake Rickard who peddles parts at Winchester Harley-Davidson in Winchester, Va. What do they want? “Chrome, chrome and more chrome.”
There is no pattern as to what is popular, says Rickard, consistent with the concept that accessorizing is an individual expression.
Not only are there add-on chrome accessories, but many original equipment parts also can be replaced with gleaming silver ones.
Don’t like the stock brake and clutch levers on your Low Rider? For $70 you can replace them with chrome ones. Bothered by the bolt for the seat? Blow $15 for a chromed billet.
Most bike dealers agree that one of the initial systems to be gussied up are exhausts. “The first thing people ask me,” says Jim Myers, owner of Valley Cycle Center, Winchester, Va., which sells Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki motorcycles, “is `does it sound like a Harley.’ “
Of course, even Harleys do not sound macho enough for many riders who opt for “performance” mufflers and pipes with little or no back pressure.
Still not loud enough to get arrested cruising down Clark Street? For a few hundred bucks, straight drag pipes or Porker pipes may be just the ticket. Cost: About $100 for slip-on mufflers to more than $600 for full exhaust systems
The next thing cruisers opt for is a windshield. Even seasoned riders get tired of wind buffeting on the highway though they think the bike looks better sans windscreen. That is why Harley-Davidson has released a line of detachable accessories. Cost: $25 to $300 plus $100 to $150 for mounting hardware.
Because you can’t stuff everything you will need in your pockets, most riders opt for added storage. Cruisers usually go for leather saddlebags to hang over the back fender, a leather tool bag to nestle below the headlight and perhaps a windshield bag and a tank bag to keep frequently needed items handy.
For those who crave more storage, there are touring bags that attach to a luggage rack (optional and chrome, of course) on the rear. Some even double as carry-on flight bags. Saddlebags range from the understated smooth leather to the studded and fringed. Cost: saddlebags run from $100 to $1,000 for synthetics to exotic leathers. Corbin brand hard shell “Beetle Bags” for BMW R1200C: $550. Tool bags: $25 to $100. Tank bags: $40 to $100. Luggage racks: $50 to $200.
Not necessarily at the bottom of the list are seats. Though many riders seem happy with the stock saddle, many cruisers seek a different seat. While some are going for looks, others are aching for comfort. Custom saddlery is big with this crowd.
While the chrome dazzles and glistens in the day, auxiliary lights often brighten the full dresser as the sun sets. There are lights for front and rear fenders, marker lights and miniature lights that get mounted anywhere the imagination for illumination puts them. It makes you wonder whether there is a nuclear reactor under the seat.
According to Chris Ramoser, a spokesman for Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee, the average biker spends about $1,500 a year for replacement parts and accessories.
TOURERS
Touring motorcycles are often ridden by empty-nesters who can live their dreams and hit the open road–without roughing it too much.
Though similar to cruisers and often built on the same frame and equipped with the same engine, touring bikes are a class of their own.
Usually distinguishable by the fancy front fairings, Barcalounger seats and entertainment centers including surround-sound stereos with cassette and compact-disc players, tourers are the kings of the road. You can spend as much or more than for a home stereo setup.
The Honda Gold Wing defines this class, which includes the Harley Electra Glide Classic. The other Japanese manufacturers dropped out of this segment as they entered the cruiser market.
A must for the serious cross-country tourer is a trailer. Most riders who spend the summer going to rallyes and shows need more storage than can fit on the bike itself–especially if they camp.
There are nifty tent trailers that pop up in less than a minute, but most do not provide much additional storage. Many bikers prefer to pack a tent, sleeping bags and other gear in a utility trailer, said Jackie and Tony Parkhill, co-owners of American Legend trailers in Mahomet, Ill. Cost: $500 to $4,000, with most in $1,000 to $3,000 range. Tent trailers–$3,000 to 4,000, according to Keith Snelson, owner Time Out trailers in Elkhart, Ind.
Though a standard hitch is fine, some riders opt for a swivel hitch that rotates in a vertical plane and allows the trailer to stay up, should the bike go down.
Because touring bikers often ride two-up for hours, two-way communication is important. Voice activated communicators can keep driver and passenger in touch and work like a “party line” when riding in a group. Cost: $100 to $275 (two-way between passengers or small group. But the range is limited).
The electronics do not stop there. For riders serious about their tunes, a stereo is essential and the top-of-the-line stuff comes from J&M Audio. Though speakers in the fairing do a fine job, many riders hanker for headphones in their helmets to cancel the road noise.
Once again, comfy seating is essential and the mobile Barcalounger is not far from fact. Seats, especially rear seats with armrests, are one place the touring biker will not skimp. Bottom line: you can ride only as far as your bottom will allow without a break. To that end, there are hundreds of styles and designs from overstuffed pillows to gel-filled and even air-adjustable thrones, and that includes backrests. Cost: Up to $700 for and air adjustable seat/backrest and $200 for “air floatation,’ which look like an egg carton under a cover.
Sidecars, which allow additional passengers, cost $3,000 to $5,000 or more for custom paint, TV, etc., according to Mary Sontag, owner of Motorvation Engineering in Sibley, Iowa. For a Harley Electra Glide sidecars, the cost is $6,500 . Add $1,350 for a backup kit with two speeds in reverse.
SPORT BIKES
With the introduction of the venerable Sportster in 1957, Harley-Davidson says it created the sport-bike segment and today’s Sportster carries many of the original styling cues. Sportsters were the basis for extended-fork choppers such as Peter Fonda’s “Captain America” bike in Easy Rider. Owners often trick out their cycles with many of the same accessories as cruisers.
This segment now is dominated by the much sportier bikes from Asia though Triumphs are regaining popularity and Ducatis remain the Ferraris of this two-wheel world. Bringing things full circle, Buell is the zenith of American sport bikes and it is powered by a Harley-Davidson V-twin engine. In fact, Buell Motorcycle Co. is powered by a large investment from Harley.
The No. 1 appearance accessory might be the rider whose colorful protective clothes and helmet scream for attention. Looking good also applies to the appliques for the plastic parts that cover virtually the whole bike. Accessory graphics kits in bright colors rule. Though illegal in many states, neon light kits are available. Cost: $15 to $400 for individual decals to supreme kits.
Selecting the bike’s color scheme is vital, then complementing it with a matching tinted windscreen is often the first accessory. To make their machines look more like racers, these bikers remove parts such as mirrors and license plate brackets, and replace clutzy turn signals with the smallest they can find. A windscreen tinted to match the bike goes for $50 to $100.
Performance accessories lead the list of hard parts riders hang on their machines. Here, exhaust systems that enhance horsepower top the list but it is as important that they sound good. Cost: $300 (average for slip-on silencers (mufflers) and $500 to $800 with header pipes.
Steering dampers–a shock absorber type accessory that costs from $150 to $300–are popular for these bikes with very little caster. Once a tank-slapper (front-wheel oscillation) gets started, the rider must come to a stop or pull a wheelie to recover control. And that brings us to tires, which last as little as 2,000 miles and get changed as often as the oil. Cost $150 to $250 each.
Magnesium anything is like a magnet to some sport riders. Mag wheels–up to $1,000 for racing wheels–trim a couple pounds as do mag levers, pedals and so on. If the part or accessory is aluminum, it must often be a colored, anodized piece such as foot pegs, swing-arm spools, bar ends or triple tree nuts.
Accessories not made of magnesium are often replaced with carbon-fiber parts, particularly fairings and fenders, case covers and tank guards.
Sport bikers do not usually take long trips, and speed is more important than capacity. When more than a backpack is necessary, they prefer tank bags to saddlebags.
OFF-ROAD
Whether on logging roads, motocross or the Baja, biking off-road offers experiences and sights that asphalt dwellers may never enjoy. Often, however, asphalt is the only route to the outback, which means trucking or trailering your trail bike to your destination.
One of the most popular accessories for the off-roader is a dual sport conversion kit. With head and tail lights, a horn and turn signals and a battery, you can ride your dirt bike on the street making getting there almost as much fun.
“Conversion kits are becoming more common,” says Alan Roach, of Baja Designs in San Diego. “They make the bikes `dual sports’ by making them minimally street legal.” Costing about $380 to 450, these kits are less expensive than many trailers.
Once you hit the dirt, several accessories make riding safer and more fun. Steering stabilizers improve a bike’s stability in rocks and roots. Since this accessory is not absolutely vital and costs $300 to $400, it falls into the “lusted for” category–especially for Honda and Suzuki owners.
Handguards protect the rider from brush and limbs and, in a fall, they also protect the bike’s levers. An inexpensive accessory that borders on a necessity. Cost: $20 to 70
To further protect the machine are frame guards, skid plates and fork/disc guards. Cost: $35 to $65 for frame guards; $55 to $75 for skid plates; and $30 to $50 for fork guards.
Composite frame guards not only protect the frame from the rider’s boots, they usually protect the brake master cylinder and afford the rider a bit more surface area to grip the bike.
Skid plates below the bike protect the engine from rock damage. And a plastic fork/disc guard protects the fork, which is similar to a shock absorber and may leak oil if nicked. It also doubles as a cover for the brake disc, keeping it free of mud. For less than $50, it is nice to have and a worthwhile investment.
Not all riders are built the same, so custom handlebars are popular. Aluminum bars not only improve strength, they also reduce weight and fit the rider as well as his riding style. Cost: $60 to $100 for aluminum.
Off-roading beats up a bike so replacement graphics are popular and give the rider a way to personalize the look. They don’t make the bike go faster, but ease the embarrassment level a bit. Cost: $150 to $160.
Of course, on the motocross course or forest trail, riders want more performance and range (there aren’t many gas stations in national forests). Large-capacity gas tanks may make the day for dirt bikers. High-performance exhaust systems improve engine performance and throttle response, and often reduce weigh. Cost: $140 to $225 for larger capacity gas tank.
Suspensions, and riders, take a beating so stiffer springs, shocks or revalving and other modifications are popular to suit the rider’s ability, weight and the terrain. Cost: $75 to $500 for springs, shocks, etc.
Whether it is for show, go or touring slow, motorcycles and the way they get accessorized are a diverse as the people who ride them.
PSST. THIS STUFF MAKES GREAT GIFTS
Other accessories make great gifts (hint, hint). Among them:
Though some bikes come with them, the tool kits are usually mediocre and a good set is welcome. Tool kits run from $20 to $200.
Unless your biker friend has room to keep his or her Hog in the garage, or better the bedroom, a weatherproof cover is essential. A plastic tarp, which cannot breathe, traps moisture that leads to rust and corrosion. Covers go for $100 or less.
To keep the motorcycle from walking away, a good bike lock is essential and Kryptonite is the most popular brand. Theft alarms are not real popular, but some riders say they are worth having, especially if they get a discount on their insurance. Locks cost $25 to $90 and alarms run $90 to $350.
Another nifty item, especially in the cold weather, are heated hand grips. They cost $100.
Other doodads run the gamut from cigarette lighters to coffee mugs to watches and jewelry and more.
