View source for Custom motorcycle

{{Short description|Motorcycle with changes to its model}}
[[File:CustomBike.jpg|thumb|A customized [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] with a [[nitrous oxide]] tank]]
[[File:Custom motorcycle Kettering.jpg|thumb|A custom motorcycle in the United Kingdom]]
[[File:CB550.JPG|thumb|1977 Honda CB550 built by [[Lossa Engineering]]]]
A '''custom motorcycle''' is a [[motorcycle]] with stylistic and/or structural changes to the 'standard' [[mass production|mass-produced]] machine offered by major manufacturers. Custom motorcycles might be unique, or built in limited quantities.  While individual motorcyclists have altered the appearance of their machines since the first days of motorcycling, the first individualized motorcycles specifically labeled 'Custom' appeared in the late 1950s, around the same time as the term was applied to [[custom car]]s.

In the 1960s, custom artisans like [[Arlen Ness]] and [[Ben Hardy (motorcycle builder)|Ben Hardy]] created new styles of custom bikes, the [[chopper (motorcycle)|chopper]]. In the 1990s and early 2000s, expensive customs such as those built by [[Orange County Choppers]], [[Jesse James (television personality)|Jesse James]]'s [[West Coast Choppers]],<ref name="FORBES">[https://www.forbes.com/global/2008/0107/094.html "Jesse James' Hooligan Chic"]</ref> [[Roger Goldammer]]  became fashionable status symbols. There are also companies that are bringing back [[pin striping]], such as [[Kenny Howard]] (also known as Von Dutch) and [[Dean Jeffries]] from the 1950s, with a continued effort to keep pin striping alive. The [[Chopper (motorcycle)|choppers]] of the 1960s and 1970s fit into this category.

Some motorcycle manufacturers, such as [[Harley-Davidson]] and [[Honda]], include the word "custom" as part of a model name.
The ''factory custom'' segment has become the most visible in the custom industry in recent years. The original factory custom was the 1971 [[Harley-Davidson Super Glide]], designed by [[Willie G. Davidson]], which, imitating the custom scene of the time, combined the [[Motorcycle fork|fork]] from a [[Harley-Davidson Sportster|Sportster]] with the frame and engine of a big twin [[Harley-Davidson FL|Electra Glide]], thereby founding a style imitated by many other manufactures ever since.<ref>{{Citation|last= Holmstrom |year=2001 |first= Darwin |title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles |edition=2nd |publisher=Alpha Books |isbn=0-02-864258-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VGrp5Pjsf4UC&pg=PA31 |page=31 }}</ref><ref>{{citation 
|title=1971 H-D Super Glide; The origin of the factory custom |magazine=[[American Motorcyclist]] |publisher=[[American Motorcyclist Association]] |location=[[Westerville, Ohio]] | date=October 2003 |volume=67 |issue= 10 |issn=0277-9358 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6voDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA63  |page=63 }}</ref><ref>{{citation  |title=Willie G.; Harleys by Davidson |magazine=[[American Motorcyclist]] |publisher=[[American Motorcyclist Association]] |location=[[Westerville, Ohio]] | date=November 1985 |volume=39  |issue=11  |issn=0277-9358 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36 |page=36 }}</ref> [[Harley-Davidson VRSC]] has often been completely customised by enthusiasts and independent workshops from bodykits to custom wheels and [[tire lettering]].<ref name="LAT">{{cite news|last1=Novoa|first1=Carmen|title=Melbourne, ciudad de alto nivel para fotografos|work=Latin Australian Times|issue=Out of print national newspaper|publisher=Latin Australian Times|date=3 November 2016|ref=LAT}}</ref>

Higher volume producers like American IronHorse, Bourget, Big Dog and BMC build custom motorcycles that also must meet basic safety requirements set by the [[US Department of Transportation]]. Factory customs allow the buyer to select from a wide range of options, paint styles, engine sizes and accessories while still having the confidence, support, warranty and finance options that typically are associated with major production manufacturers. Factory customs typically do not offer the total individuality of a home built bike or a "one off custom", but they share much of the appeal that comes with a custom bike and many of the benefits of a factory production motorcycle.

In the early 2010s, a new generation of motorcycles called [[mini bike]] or [[scooter (motorcycle)]] won popularity.<ref>{{citation |title=First Times Ride: The Honda Grom |work=Los Angeles Times |author=Charles Fleming |date=2013-10-29 |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-mo-autos-first-times-ride-honda-grom-20131011-story.html |accessdate=2022-05-02}}</ref> In mid -2010, numerous small motorcycles flooded the market, including [[Vespa]] and the [[Honda Grom]], which is also known as Honda MSX.

==Types of customization==
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[Bobber (motorcycle)|Bobber]]
* [[Café racer]]
* [[Chopper (motorcycle)|Chopper]]
* [[Cutdown]]
* [[Motorcycle drag racing|Drag bike]]
* [[Rat bike]]
* [[Scrambler (motorcycle)|Scrambler]]
* [[Streetfighter]]
* [[Track Racing|Street Tracker]]
* [[Superbike Racing|Superbike]]
* [[Supermoto]]
* [[Tribsa]]
* [[Triton motorcycle]]
* [[Bōsōzoku|Zokusha]]
* [[Itasha|Itansha]]
}}

==Notable custom bikes==
* [[Bigtoe]]
* [[Millyard Viper V10]]

==See also==
* [[World championship of bike building]]
* [[Outline of motorcycles and motorcycling]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Custom motorcycles}}

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{{Motorcycles }}
{{Types of motorcycles}}
{{Harley-Davidson model families}}

[[Category:Motorcycle classifications]]
[[Category:Motorcycle customization]]
[[Category:Custom motorcycles| ]]