In the '80s and early '90s, it was difficult to modify a metric bike. Bolt-on parts were not readily available because the production numbers were not there to justify prototyping and producing them. A company has to justify to their bean-counters that a part will pay for its long road from idea to finished product, and make a profit.

Can you tell the difference? One bike is a 2002 Honda VTX1800R, and one is its 2007 incarnation. About a decade ago, some of the metric OEMs stopped their yearly model changes, giving the aftermarket impetus to build up an astonishing array of bolt-ons and accessories for the bikes.

Then about a decade ago, as metric sales rose, the accessory manufacturers took notice. Now there are enough metric bolt-ons to justify their own catalogs from some of the larger motorcycle retailers. No longer do we have to modify a custom Harley frame or part to fit our metric custom.

Speaking of Harley, it's good to see its new products, the fresh designs and vastly improved mechanics, all user-friendly. It's not our dad's or grand-dad's Harley anymore. Neither are the metric bikes.

I believe that the Big Four OEMs are watching the customizing world. The metric bikes are more "accessory-friendly" than they were years ago. It had seemed as if model changes happened every year, and if an accessory maker stepped up and offered a part, it was good for only one model year. As I said, the sales numbers just wouldn't be there to justify the time and cash outlay. I've seen many good products get shelved or discontinued just because the numbers and demand just weren't there the next year.

In the '90s I saw a change in this trend. Now some models have changed little in their production runs, allowing aftermarket companies to stock an exhaust system or bolt-on part to fit a 10-year model run. That's a chance for the manufacturer of those parts to see a return on its R&D and set-up costs, and actually make a profit. This rolls over into new products, more model-specific parts, and bigger catalogs to show our friends at the parts counter.

The OEMs' costs also go down because they're not prototyping a new model every year, trying to reinvent the wheel, but improving that existing model with slight changes, new colors and the usual "bold new graphics." It's a win-win situation.

I've discussed this with riders who couldn't understand why no one made a specific part for their one-year-production-run metric bike. It is because the "numbers gotta crunch," as we say in the business.

Malleable Mills

The metric engines are also getting more customizer-friendly.

Metric air-cooled, non-shaft-drive mills are a great choice for a radical custom. Stretching a rear frame or a wide tire conversion is always easier with a belt- or chain-driven bike. Water-pumpers and shaft-drive motors are a little bit tougher, but still manageable in a custom frame.

New metric engines look more like an engine than their ancestors ever did. I still like to see fins, oil line plumbing and the working parts of an engine.

I'm glad the Harley guys no longer accuse the metric OEMs of "copying" the Big Twin motor. Sure, most metric cruisers are V-twins now, but that's where the similarity ends. Just look inside: offset crank-pins, counterbalancers, smooth transmissions/clutches, water cooling and better induction systems that have been on metric cruisers for years.

Denny Berg

Now who's copying who?

But it's all good. Competition has always created better products and happier customers.

Denny Berg is director of Cobra Engineering's Special Products Division. Cobra/Berg bikes were displayed at the Guggenheim's Art of the Motorcycle.