I’m sure most of you who love big wheel baggers could really care if there are saddlebags in the truest sense of the sword as long as there’s a semblance of them that you can relate to. Apparently Joey feels the same way as his ‘bags’ are really just bodywork as far as I can see and that’s more than okay on a bike whose prime mission is to be ogled and envied. Oh it probably doesn’t matter a bit as most show baggers have bags stuffed with electronics or air suspension anyway, not rain gear and extra clothes or whatever.
So it all comes down to who cares? If you’re stuck on that transcontinental vibe, you obviously do, but if you’re an extrovert with a taste for the unique, you don’t and that’s okay on both counts. You just got to be realistic about what have now become two distinct types of bikes with two totally different purposes within the same (?) category. For those of you who love consciously crazy works of art, stay with us. For those who think this is just lunacy on two wheels, please don’t send me any more hate mail. I’ve already got enough to fill the bags on your tourers.
What Joey’s done is break open the show bike bagger category with a set of ‘bags’ that don’t. The unbelievable one-piece bodywork incorporates not only the admittedly stylish one-off fairing into the tank and side panels while the bags and rear fender both have what amounts to viewing holes in them which kinda negates their original intention. Joey could give a damn as you can now see the fancy lad rear wheel through the sculpted open sides and the tire tread through the open fender panel. Both of these style cues would give an Iron Butt rider the willies and I think that was Joey’s point in the first place. Break those barriers and blow some minds.
You might have noticed the overkill engine that’s turbocharged and intercooled, but I’m not sure if it’s built like that to make mega-horsepower or to simply be able to supply enough electrical power for the killer audio system. By my count, there are 16 speakers of various sizes that I can see and probably a few more I can’t. I don’t have the details on what’s on board to power them as audio on a motorcycle is none of my business. But, if that’s your thing, I’m sure Joey can help you out getting the ear-bleed system you’ve been searching for. All I know is there’s a screen on the fairing I could never work that probably connects to all sorts of audio power to make those speakers jump around as much as the engine does at idle.
I do like what Joey did mimicking the sportbike-style headlights at the rear of the bike as taillights. The guy does know a thing or two about creating flow from one end to the other without looking like he’s trying. The bandana-style paintjob finishes it off nicely without trying to be a bandana, just the highlights of one and that’s tastefully done.
As far as to whether this build was a success, I can only point out that the Easyriders Show judges definitely thought so with three first places and one second place in the radical bagger class awarded to Joey and his talented crew. I’d have to say that’s about as sweet a vindication as one could ever ask for.
So I go back to my original question, “Is a bagger without saddle bags still a bagger?”
For more information on what Joey and the lads at Back Yard Baggers are up to, click on http://backyardbaggers.net/ and see for yourself.