Baggers
It’s not often that I see an original Harley-Davidson motorcycle that had a nice factory paint scheme changed to a custom paint job reflecting the theme of the owner’s favorite NFL team, but it does happen. I’ve owned a few H-D motorcycles, and the colors of bikes were always a major factor in making the purchase. The two old H-D scooters (1996 Heritage Special and 1998 Ultra Classic) that I currently own still bear their original colors, and I consider myself somewhat of a serious NFL fan, but not serious enough to change the original colors of my bikes. But being different is really what makes the world so interesting, so I can’t knock a rider who decides to change the original color of his/her bike…It’s a personal choice.
Heck, when I first laid eyes on Michael McKinney’s 2006 custom painted Harley-Davidson Street Glide, it I was impressed. The Minnesota Vikings color scheme was very nicely done, eye-catching even if you are not a Minnesota Vikings fan. Michael has been a Minnesota Vikings fan ever since he was about eight-years-old. “I’ve always liked the Minnesota Vikings, because they always had a great team, and great players,” said Michael. He was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and later moved to Texas, so one would think that his favorite NFL team would be the Tennessee Titans or the Dallas Cowboys, or the Texans. “There are many NFL football fans that live and work in one state, and their favorite team is in a totally different state, and I’m one of those type fans. I don’t have anything personally against any other NFL team, I just like a team who consistently win games and a team that has great role-model players,” said Michael.
This custom started out as a brand new 2009 Harley-Davidson Street Glide, bought right off the showroom floor of Harley-Davidson of Arlington, Texas. Michael’s passion and loyalty to the Minnesota Vikings were soon transferred to his motorcycle. Most of the custom work was done by Mike Desoul Customs, but there were a lot of genuine H-D add-on parts used as well.
Michael enjoys singing and listening to good music, so he switched his original H-D stereo system for Kenwood model, and since the Street Glide does not come with rear speakers, he added a 6×9 speaker in the front portion of each saddlebag. He’s got the sounds. A 21-inch Calypso custom front wheel was added, and Mike Desoul provided the front custom fender. The rear wheel remained stock, as many custom dresser bike owners have a tendency to not customize the rear wheel, because the large saddlebags make them almost invisible. Bagger rear wheels don’t get a lot of attention, unless they are in a bike show.
One of the most interesting parts of this custom bike is the right side cover that’s autographed by Minnesota Viking’s running back, Adrian Peterson. As Mike Desoul was putting the final touches on the paint job, a good friend of Mike and a good friend of Adrian Peterson just happened by the shop. He saw the bike, and was impressed. Within the next couple of days, the friend was going to a Minnesota Viking game, where he planned to meet Adrian Peterson. He asked to take the side cover part with him and have Adrian Peterson autograph it. When Michael heard that his motorcycle would have an original signature of Adrian Peterson, he was very happy.
Michael lives in a part of the country with virtually good weather year round, and he takes advantage of every opportunity he gets to ride. The only advice and recommendation I have for Michael is it that it is probably not a great idea to ride your bike to the Dallas Cowboys stadium during game day, especially if their opponents are the Minnesota Vikings. We’ll see you on the road!
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