Customizationâwhere to begin?

Harley-Davidson owns customization. If youâre considering some tweaks to your ride, follow our guide to get started.

Words by Jeremy Pick
Images courtesy of Moonshine Harley-Davidson^Â®

No other brand of motorcycle encourages customization to the degree Harley-Davidson does, which is why a vast range of official H-D^Â® parts and accessories has been developed to make individualization of your ride as accessible and varied as possible.

So how do you begin the customization process? A few simple rules apply.

First, decide what you want to achieve. Customization can cover everything from changing the riding position of your bike to fit your physique or riding style, to changing the look based on personal preference, to changing your bikeâs performance â or a combination of all these. So start by noting what it is youâre trying to achieve and set a rough budget.

Next, choose your bike model and year on the Harley-Davidson Parts & Accessories section of H-D.com. This allows you to view authorized parts and accessories built specifically for your bike by the people who designed and built your bike.

Initially, make sure your bike is optimized to your stance and riding style. How your Harley^Â® rolled out of the factory may be just right for some, but itâs easy enough to adjust the ergonomics to make your ride easier and more comfortable if youâre straining to reach the controls, or feel too cramped or stretched out when youâre riding. If you feel too tall or too short for the riding position of your bike in its standard form, thereâs a host of different seats, handlebars, mirrors, and foot controls to give you the perfect ride and enhance your feeling of control once youâre on the move. Your local authorized Harley-Davidson dealer will be able to guide you through the availability and the fitment process.

If you wish to individualize the look of your bike, a logical starting point might be to select a custom accessory collection that suits your style, allowing you to mix and match elements to fulfill your vision and your budget, swapping out elements like handgrips, air cleaner trim and engine inserts. Harley-Davidson offers more than 30 individualized collections in a range of styles and finishes. Authorized parts such as these have been designed to ensure installation without difficult fitment or finish issues, or concerns about impact on your factory warranty.

Once youâre comfortable on your bike and happy with the look, you may wish to turn to performance upgrades. Harley-Davidson^Â® motorcycles are optimized for performance as they leave the factory, but itâs relatively simple to ramp up the performance a notch â the only limit is the size of your budget. The Screaminâ Eagle^Â® range is a great starting point as all components are optimized and tested to work with the original equipment on your bike as well as with other items from the Harley-Davidson line.

Performance upgrades can range from something as simple as fitting Screaminâ Eagle plug leads to the tried and tested route of Stage I to Stage III performance upgrades. Stage I consists of optimizing the air filter, exhaust system, and fuel metering system to run as efficiently as possible and increasing the available power; with many riders opting to follow this route when the bike goes in for its first service.

A Stage II upgrade involves swapping out the cams for higher lift items optimized for higher torque for maximum acceleration and passing power, or higher overall power into the upper RPM range; while Stage III is for those with a real desire for high performance and a bigger budget involving a big bore kit, and optimized cylinder head and piston architecture to increase the engine displacement and efficiency. Stage II and Stage III upgrades are best undertaken by qualified Harley-Davidson technicians to ensure the work is carried out to the highest standard, and to avoid invalidating the factory warranty.

Improvements to your bikeâs performance should always go together with considerations of the stopping and handling of the upgraded bike, so, itâs essential to consider braking and suspension upgrades at the same time â Harley-Davidson authorized parts are optimized for exactly this.

Remember, if inspiration fails to strike or if youâre not fully confident in fitting parts and accessories to your bike, you have friends in the custom bike building business â the staff at your local Harley-Davidson dealership. They eat, sleep, and breathe Harley-Davidson, so they can help you build the bike you always wanted, from friendly advice to undertaking a full customization. After all, they are the kings of custom.