The Personal Touch

The other day I was watching a video on YouTube of a mechanic who works for a Polaris dealership. Each of his blogs usually involve him doing one of two things; either test riding a brand new trade in or taking a longer trip where he rambles on in a motovlog format. I find both to be pretty entertaining and they have definitely taught me a fair amount of differences between makes and models.

One vlog in particular amused me a bit. They had just taken a lower end Harley in for trade so he decided to take it for a test ride. When he pulled back up to the dealership, one of his co-workers was waiting outside. They looked at the bike for a bit, admiring it's clean glimmer before noticing some stickers. The other employee remarked that it wouldn't be a Harley without skull stickers. The vlogger replied back in jest that each skull on a Harley adds 2 horsepower. I had a good chuckle about this.

Over 25,000 ways to add more horsepower!

If you search EBay or go to any of the major aftermarket suppliers you will quickly notice the obsession with the skull motif. There are loads upon loads of accessories and accents that employ the skull in any location imaginable. I didn't realize that it was so popular that it became a parody unto itself.

But that is OK. To each their own. If someone enjoys the skull motif, why not do it? There is certainly a demand for this style of trim. Adding this bit of style to the bike is someone's way of personalizing it. Just because I don't care for it, doesn't mean its stupid.

Everyone has their own idea. I've seen some people insist everything be stock. I've seen some who put brown on black and I've even seen some who think dragons and octopuses airbrushed onto the gas tanks are cool.

You put those on a Harley?

I know it's hard to believe, but as a 30 something year-old male on the internet, I have grown up around videogames. From the early days on the Nintendo Entertainment System to the current generation of PS4, WiiU and Xbox One I have spent a stupid amount of time and money on video games. I wanted to add a small personal touch the bike that would reflect the other part of me that has been so important over the years.

Trying to find the right thing to put on the bike was difficult. I knew whatever I put on it would have to be a vinyl decal. I also knew that the back of the saddlebags was the best location. I wanted whatever I chose to put on the bike to be subdued and blend seamlessly with the structure around it. If I wanted something loud I would have painted the bike.

For awhile I wanted to go with one of the Metal Gear Solid Fox Hound logos. There are lot's to choose from and it was one of the first games I remember hating on the old NES. Oddly, it's a series that became better over time and really was one of the first series my wife and I played through together. Nostalgia alone almost sold me.

My first choice just was not working out.

But there were so many other games. If you head over to Etsy, a store for handmade goods, there is practically no limit as to the decals you will find. I spent a ton of late evenings browsing through pages upon pages of decals, never finding anything I liked.

I'm not sure how but I must have seen something on a Google image search that led me to the Smash Bros. series. This long running franchise pulls characters from all over the Nintendo universe along with numerous 3rd party franchises (including Metal Gear!). This would be perfect. I could have representation from my favorite series in their most minimalist forms. Each series is assigned an icon that reflects an important symbol from the series. These symbols appear as a silhouette behind each character. They would be ideal!

Perfect!

The most useful aspect of Etsy is that many of the sellers will do custom work if you ask. I emailed the lady who ran the shop and asked if she would be willing to do a custom order. She agreed and quickly made and shipped the order. Here is how we applied and measured them.

You only get one chance!

The decals themselves are printed or cut onto clear contact paper using black ink. You can request other colors but black worked best for my bags. A grid paper is then placed on top of the image in order to better align in.

The classic rails of the police model provide the perfect frame!

We decided that the least invasive location for these decals would be the rear of the saddlebags around the guard rails. On the Road King Police models, the guards are an older style that leaves around a one inch gap visible on the rear of the bags.

The bags and decals before application. 

I held the bike upright in place while my wife used a ruler and pencil to lightly draw a 1 inch by 1 inch line across the top and bottom of the rail gap. This line would serve as a guide, letting us know the visible area we could place decals on.

Mario, Yoshi, Kirby, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Pikmin

We removed the bags from the bike and brought them inside where we had more light. Once inside my wife slowly began the adhesion process. Removing the backs and sticking them on firmly and rubbing for around 1 minute each assured a solid bond. After each decal she would stop to space out the remaining images ensuring she did not go over or under.

Zelda, Earthbound, Metal Gear Solid, Xenoblade, Sonic, Pac-Man

The end result looks fantastic! It is subtle enough where it does not distract from the natural beauty of the bike but clean enough that those who see the symbols will recognize them. As always the black on white look maintains a classic, minimal look that is hard to beat. I'm excited I could add some personal touch to this project and find a creative way to merge my hobbies.

Looking great!

Etsy Store that made my decals - https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/DesignbyCasey
YouTube Vlogger I enjoy - https://www.youtube.com/user/fzrsmkr