Best Motorcycle Dyno

My Dream Motorcycle: The Custom Built Harley

When I was a kid, I discovered the motorcycle. It happened while walking around my neighborhood in a suburb of Memphis. It was summer, humid, surface-of-the-sun-like, and I was enjoying the time off from third grade. From a smallish house with the garage door open, I was attacked by the deafening, infernal growl of some "thing" inside the garage. I stood amazed. There it was: the most beautiful machine I had ever seen: the custom built Harley.

The man working on the machine noticed me and motioned for me to "come take a look." He was proud, and deserved to be.

The first feature I noticed was the brilliance of the bike's finish. He had obviously just polished the engine block and Dyno-tuned pipes. The engine block, he said was 1300 cc. "Of course the bike has no leaks, " he told me.

I asked him, "Could I build my own bike?" He encouraged me to start making a list of the things I wanted. He said, "Add the electronic ignition." The electronic ignition makes it a more reliable starter.

The bike had no odometer (like there was nothing behind him).

The most unique aspect of the Harley Chopper was the extended fork. I had never seen anything like it. I had never seen "Easy Rider."

He had welded the frame himself. However, I will buy a ready-made frame considering I'm not a welder. In fact, most companies sell build-your-own kits for their bikes.

His gas tank was a skull. (So, maybe I'll do without the skull, but he said it helped his gas mileage.) "It's better than any car." Gas mileage is important these days. I think I will paint an oil rig on mine.

What I love is that he assembled the bike himself, to every nut and bolt. This man's custom built bike was gorgeous, a mark of pride and a life lesson.

The man put on his gloves, glasses, jacket, and helmet and spoke a parting word: "It rides like a dream." I thought, "A dream, indeed!"

He peeled out of the garage. The road was steaming from the heat and the man road away across the surface of the sun as if nothing really mattered. After all that, the best motorcycle I ever owned was the first motorcycle I never owned'"the dream machine'"the custom built Harley.