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I know there will be shtufft flying from almost every corner, especially from the purists, but I am hanging on one side of a fence, fingers are slipping and just want to throw this out to see what comes back. While I respect and don't discount others' observations, opinions and comments, my final decisions will be my own based on what I ultimately want to do.
So here is the deal. I ride a 2018 FLHTK ANV bike, 1st photo. I have made some changes to it to fit both my likes and dislikes with respect to comfort and aesthetics. The bike is a full dresser at this point and I want to be able to pull the tour pack and ride it as a street cruiser. That is not in question open for discussion as it shall be done. The core of the issue is not if the modification will get done, but more appropriately the approach taken on how to accomplish the modification. As a late model full dresser it is set up for touring, which is the bulk of my seat time. All of the lights except for one tail light are built into and operated through the tour pack, ergo, sans tour pack / sans turn signals, flashers, legality, etc. H-D and a myriad of 3rd party suppliers offer a multitude of options to paste on the bike and supplement the rear lighting if there is no tour pack. Filler lights and bag bar lights seem to be the most popular approach. When I said I know my likes and dislikes, I know I dislike the idea of either of those configurations attached to the *** end of my bike. While they look great and add a significant increase in lighting on the back on others' scooters, I just am not a fan of putting them on mine. Such is the root core of the driving issue behind this thread.
My original approach to solving this dilemma was to add a 13" taillight bar under the taillight similar to what has been on the back of Harleys for as long as I can remember and something that absolutely screamed biggest, baddest bike in the hood, heavy metal and lots of chrome. Often copied, never duplicated. If you are not familiar, see 2st photo. Unfortunately, an aftermarket offering of that configuration is not available for the bke, or I could not locate one. They are however available on eBay and in the used market. Unfortunately, those parts to not fit on the '18 FKHTK rear fender without some modification of either the fender, the taillight bar or both. A modification that I could have accomplished myself, but I just did not want to do it myself. I wanted a highly skilled professional trained in the mystic arts of motorcycle/hot rod customization to perform the said modification. After a couple weeks of hearing, "We no longer do that type of work." meaning if it don't bolt on, they don't do it, or "We don't have time to do something like that." meaning take your little, tiny, no money piddly-assed project and go down the street. Unfortunately, after 2 weeks of not finding "down the street" I started to more seriously consider some alternate options that I had originally considered. Options that might be considered outside the box with respect to the current Harley-Davidson "must retain resale value" culture. And that brings us up to current topic of discussion.
My alternative approach to tour pack delete and added safety lighting is quite adequate to accomplish my objectives as well as be a bit more unique than some off-the-shelf pasties. Okay, maybe a bit cynical on that one. As mentioned earlier, my tastes tend toward the earlier, more iconic motif than the current in vogue styles. Just how I am. That said, I can appreciate either the total restoration or the resto-mod approaches to vehicle upgrade and styling, depending on the vehicle, obviously. As such, the older style taillight bar for my late model dresser had high appeal. This is where I may be getting into trouble with the current bagger, or more broadly, the H-D culture. After searching through the H-D and 3rd party product offerings, I broadened my search from exclusively H-D to general motorcycle and then even wider to the automobile restoration and hot rod market, Drag Specialties, Summit Racing, Speed Warehouse, etc. What I settled on appears in the 3rd attached photo.
The light fixture configuration I selected is most agreeable to my sense of style. I will leave it up to the OG out there to know where they came from. I chose the larger of two similar installations, primarily because it offered additional functionality over the smaller option. Here is the kicker. These are not motorcycle OEM parts from any year, and they are not stick-ons. They were styled and used in the late 30's for the car industry, so they bolt on . . . through holes in the sheet metal. That means that to install them there is going to be major violations of the factory tins, the saddlebags in particular.
I am just going to say it, I have to drill holes in the [plastic] tins to mount the light housings and to run the wires. OMG, there goes the resale value! And, this is why I am at all the least bit on the fence. I like the look, even if I may be the only one. They robustly meet my intended objectives on functionality, style and safety. However, they do somewhat violate my own sense of integrity when it comes to permanently and irreversibly modifying a factory piece of equipment, especially one of styling. As mentioned initially, the decision on how to proceed will be mine, and it will be based on how well my own objective subjunctives are satisfied. That said, however, I thought this would be a good opportunity to poll the group and get a sense of just what opinions on styling are out there. This is not a custom motorcycle with no intent ever to be. The modification is more driven by functionality with adaptation of styling that is acceptable to the owner.
If you decide to participate in this discussion, please leave the nasty out of it. If you find it displeasing, you are more than welcome to express why. However, "It looks like ****." is not constructive, appreciated and, for the sensitivities of other forum members, certainly not welcome. It will be interesting to know who likes what, what other approaches may be out there and different perspectives on modification of style beyond the factory approved stuff out there for sale.
I will be responding to this thread in a couple of days with the final before and after pictures of the bike.
that's what i was thinking. i got really lost on what the question was, if there was a question.
is the end result the bottom pic? doesnt look bad honestly. kinda like that it's different. although I could go without the tri bar or whatever that is on bottom part of fender lip
It looks cool, and I am all for more lights. I would want a real easy quick disconnect for the wiring. Bags come off more than you think, and sometimes in places you don't plan.
If I had to give up much space in the bags, I probably wouldn't.
I like the concept but not the look of either picture. First one you could replace the rear with that of a Road King, nice but not my style and would need paint to match the bike. Second option looks interesting but the shape of the lights do not fit the style of bike, so they stand out too much. Bullet lights from an old car might fit the style of the bike a little better. Personally I would just change the tail light to one with integrated blinker/flasher. I am a bit biased though, as that is what I did on my bike. I like the clean look of it.
Outside The Box
