Not just any bike

Andy’s got an old Sportster.  “So what”, you might say.  Well, Andy’s Sportster is what I like to think of as a personalised bike.

Personalised?

Many today use the words customise and personalise interchangeably.  Even the dictionary says that they mean roughly the same thing.  

But to my mind, they are poles apart.  The two words describe much the same type of activities, but it's the thinking process that’s different.  There’s nothing wrong with either, and there’s a lot of grey area between the two.

These days, when auto companies (two and four wheels) are looking for a way to dredge every last sale out of a very competitive marketplace, it’s a simple matter to change a few parts, put on some chrome and paint, and call it a custom.

Based on the way the words are used these days, I’d like to throw my definitions up for consideration:

customise – add or change elements on a bike to make it very different from what might be ordinarily available on a showroom floor.

personalise – add or change elements on a bike to reflect your personality or special requirements

I believe that, more often than not, a customised bike reflects someone else’s, rather than the owner’s, idea of a bike.  Not always, but often.  

A classic example is the Harley-Davidson CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) which is offered as a part of the range.  Limited edition, lots of chrome, bigger engine, go-fast bits, fancy paint – terrific looking bikes.  But, at the end of the day, it’s somebody else’s idea of a great bike. 

Back to Andy’s bike.  He did everything by hand.  Some for appearance.  Some for practicality.  Some because he didn’t have the money to do anything else.  End result is a bike that is uniquely his. 

Sometimes, personalisation only works for the person who carried it out.  My ’94 Fat Boy was personalised.  I did it piece by piece over a number of years, mainly through lack of money.  I’d done a lot of small things as money became available – mostly cosmetic except for a set of Vance & Hines Dual Radius pipes.  The bike was easily recognisable and extremely comfortable, for me anyway.

It was an emotional moment when I finally traded it for my new Road King.  And that is my point.  It’s easy to make a financial investment; that only takes money.  Somewhere along the line, personalising your bike becomes an emotional investment.

And that’s the difference!