$100 Minimum

Perhaps one of the most common reasons given for not riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle is cost. Indeed, cost can be quite prohibitive considering a new Road King starts in the $16,000 range. With a so many zeros on the price tag in an environment in which riding season is roughly (on occasion VERY roughly) half the year, it is no wonder why this is the most common complaint.

I cannot disagree with this sentiment. The motorcycle I purchased is 13 years old and still cost a very pretty penny. It is no wonder why many often flock to more cost effective Japanese bikes or even British bikes. These other bikes can often be had for very little when making direct comparisons (engine size, features, type) when compared to their Milwaukee branded cousins.

I would be lying if I said I did not consider going to another brand. I don't buy into the HD lifestyle. I do not own anything with the HD logo, which has smeared itself across all imaginable products. I appreciate the design of the motorcycle and the fact that they are tinkerers dreams.

Learning to tinker and customize are the reasons why I went with a HD motorcycle in the first place. The sheer amount of customization options available can be very, very intimidating. A simple search on a site like JP Cycles can return over 8,000 results. Hours of time can be consumed on EBay browsing what seems like endless pages of products. When you decide to buy a HD bike you are making an investment in a well established brand.

What strikes me as odd, is that even though this brand is well established and there are hundreds if not thousands of after market parts and accessories manufacturers, everything is still obscenely expensive. Let's say, for example, you buy a bike and would like to
change the exhaust. On the low end of the spectrum you will still pay around $300 for a set of exhaust pipes. Want a trusted manufacturer? Expect to pay at least $700 for a set. Do you want a different color? Add $300 to that price. We haven't even begun to discuss full duel style exhaust system changes. Something so drastic can often end up in the $2000 range.

A $50 piece of rubber.

I was fortunate. My uncle was able to immediately help me save around $650 since he had a set of mufflers lying around. Those looking to break into HD customization may not be so lucky. However, if you are willing to put in the time to browsing Craigslist and EBay on a daily basis you could land some deals.



What did you learn that can help me?

Set a budget. Know right from the start how much money you would like to spend and go from there. There are so many websites with so many motorcycles out there. Educate yourself. Find a style you like and find out how much it will take to get there. One of the wisest choices I made was understanding, at least to an extent the amount of money I would need to spend in order to stylize the bike the way I wanted.

Understand that there will be extra parts to buy during the process. Let's say you find a seat for almost nothing. Instantly you buy it and go to install it. Do you have the correct hardware? Is there an adapter? Does it fit your bike? Use fitment resources on parts websites to determine without a doubt what will fit your bike before you spend the money. Also remember never to buy used electrical parts.

The amount of customization that can be put into your motorcycle is practically limitless. Ensure that you set a budget and try to stick with it. Be on the lookout for sales and used parts to help you get there. Remember, when you're buying for a Harley Davidson motorcycle, everything has a $100 minimum price tag on it.