As far as I’m concerned you can have them both in the same package. To illustrate that point just take a good gaze at the 2012 Harley-Davidson Road Glide that Performance Machine has heavily customized from there long list of aftermarket bits and pieces. That ain’t no factory bike anymore and it’s something that would not be too hard to duplicate in your own garage as long as you had a paint booth and some talent.
Or, farm out the paintwork to whatever you’d like and it could all be done in-house, your house, by anybody with a bit of knowledge or some smart friends. Like any custom bike, it’s gonna cost you if you go whole hog, but since it’s a bitsa bike anyway, you could do it a bit here and there depending on how much moolah you can scrape up. Now I don’t think that was exactly what PM had in mind when they built this showcase for their products, but they’ve actually just made a nice blueprint to follow or work around.
Obviously the first thing you notice on this bike like any custom bagger is the paint. No, it’s not the engine or the wheels (sorry PM) or whatever, it’s the paint. Having bagger-sized acreage of custom-painted bodywork (even stock bodywork) just tends to grab your retinas more than a paintjob on a chopper’s peanut tank will. On this custom FLTR there’s not a lick of new bodywork anywhere. It’s all Motor Company sheet metal (and glass) other than the larger front fender with the PM logo colors of white, black and light blue and an added dash of gold leaf adding some glitz and glamour by AirTrix. Like I said before, just send out your bodywork and get your own paintjob you’ve always dreamt about.
Not fitting a big front wheel might cost you a couple of show points, but it sure makes for an easier build and a much better riding and handling bike. No frame to cut and re-weld, no needed paint after not cutting, it’s more like full speed ahead with the PM mods like their Contrast Cut 21-inch Del Rey front wheel and matching rotors that brings on the custom quickly. Out back a matching 18-inch setup including a drive pulley finishes off the rolling stock. Cradling the front wheel is PM’s Contrast Cut radial brake FL fork legs and covers. Besides looking mighty nice, the legs have mounts for PM’s four-piston radial calipers that not only provide stronger braking, but more feel too. The aft end couldn’t be left out and has a PM four-piston working back there too. Hey, it’s a PM party so why not?
Matter of fact, anywhere and everywhere you look over this bike it’s been PM-ized from the windshield trim to the bag latches and most anything that could be unbolted in between. From what I can tell the only other aftermarket accessories on this Road Glide are the Vance & Hines Power Duals exhaust and the tire-hugging front fender, everything else is PM ─ everything. It’s a Contrast Cutpalooza and it’s all nice stuff in my opinion that I wouldn’t be upset having on my bike. Well, maybe not all of it, but most of it. High quality parts are not cheap, but I am. A long time ago I learned to get the reputation of being cheap instead of being poor. Selected bits and pieces like the wheels, forks and brakes right up front would be just fine with me. Momma always said, “Don’t be greedy.”
So what’s not to like about a good looking custom bagger that just happens to have not lost a bit of its interstate mojo? Not much in my book and probably yours too. Do it a piece at a time or spend a winter in your garage and you’ll have a new ride for spring of an older bike that will knock out people today with its good looks and thoughtful approach. There’s really not much to complain about a ride like this Performance Machine showcase unless your only interest in life is winning Baddest Bagger at Sturgis or Daytona. Hey, at least this way you could easily ride to either show and have a great time getting there and a lot of admiring glances when you do. And, to answer the question that started all this, yes, it is a custom bagger.
For more info on Performance Machine and exactly what’s on this bike, just click on http://www.performancemachine.com/inspiration/2016-custom-bike/2012-Custom-Harley-Road-Glide-FLTR.aspx and see for yourself.