We’ve seen those neighbors who ride home on a brand new shiny and beautiful two-tone factory colored Harley one day, and a couple of months later the bikes goes through a complete transformation. I’ve always advocated that if you are going to completely customize your new bike, buy the basic model in a particular series. For example, if you plan to buy a dresser and then fully customize it, then it’s probably a waste of money to buy an Ultra Limited. It would probably be a financially wise decision to settle for the FLHT standard, or the basic Sporty model, or the introductory line of the Softail model, and then have the bike customized to your particular liking. The other option is to build the bike as a ground up custom, but that can become very expensive and the final product isn’t as reliable as a Harley.

Rich Burkholder developed a love for motorcycles at an early age. When he rode bikes as a kid on the trails, he found it to be a great way of having fun and hanging out with friends. At the ripe young age of 15, he purchased his first street bike, a Yamaha 280. He had a gig delivering the local newspaper, and he saved up enough money from his job to buy his first motorcycle. Since then, he’s owned eight other various models, including a 1996 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, a Yamaha 850 Special, and his current 2005 custom FLHT Harley-Davidson Standard.

Procuring his Harley FLHT Standard was done in a somewhat different manner than most riders normally get their bikes. Rich went to North Carolina to help some friends trailer their bike to Virginia, and by the time he and his friends returned home, he had talked them into selling him the bike. Normal title and government transactions were done on this used, low-mileage, bone-stock, black FLHT, but it wouldn’t stay in its original condition very long. At an early age Rich developed a craving for creative airbrushing and painting. His childhood dreams evolved into his adult profession. He is currently employed as an auto painter, and he does custom paint jobs on motorcycles. “The flip/flop paint on my bike is what people notice most. The second aspect of the bike that draws attention is the absence of the front fender. Most people think it was by design for the bike to be missing the front fender, but it happened by accident. I was out riding one day and two of the main fender bolts came losoe, and two rear bolts came out; the fender literally shot off the bike. I never put it back on, and today having no fender gets much attention from admirers,” said Rich.

Having the ability to design and paint your own motorcycle is a skill that many riders can appreciate. There are few who can receive a nice compliment about their bike’s paint job, and be able to say, “Thanks, I did it all myself.” Other noticeable and important features on Rich’s FLHT Standard are the Sony stereo system, RC Components front wheel, and the Vibaride Seat. This is one of the advantages of buying a FLHT Standard; it does not come with a stereo system; this gives the owner the option of choosing his own particular music setup. The RC Components front wheel is also an interesting custom feature on this bike, especially since there is no front fender. Without the front fender, more attention is focused on the wheel. Finally, the Doug Pollet Ostrich skin vibaride seat cannot be seen clearly when riding, but it has provided many rear-end massages for Rich’s passengers and made the rides a lot more comfortable, especially on those long hauls.

Rich rides his motorcycle approximately nine months of each year, and when the cold weather arrives his scooter gets put away. Being a seasonal rider, he still manages to ride approximately 10,000 miles annually. We’ll see you on the road!