What makes it Custom?

[mikeb]

I think it also depends on who uses the word around here.  I think a lot of people like to rag on RetroSBK for some reason even though he puts out some really nice bikes.  

I'm not looking to rag on Will.  I just don't think the bike on the other page is a custom.  And judging by some of the comments, and this thread, others agree.  Not dissing the man....just that bike.  

And now I have to ask... Is a OCC bike with spinner wheels and a monkey butt gas tank custom? They built it all by hand, but its a pile... lol (im kidding, relax)
Will

I think their stuff is custom.  Without a doubt.  Doesn't mean its any good....or that I like it.  

Just like Norm's stuff.  I'd say its custom.  But for the life of me I can't see why everyone was so into it.  I thought it was all crap.

[Vindingo]

I'm not looking to rag on Will.  I just don't think the bike on the other page is a custom.  And judging by some of the comments, and this thread, others agree.  Not dissing the man....just that bike.  


I think their stuff is custom.  Without a doubt.  Doesn't mean its any good....or that I like it.  

Just like Norm's stuff.  I'd say its custom.  But for the life of me I can't see why everyone was so into it.  I thought it was all crap.

I am in the camp that thinks that any modification beyond what is stock makes a bike a "custom".  Since the question at hand is about semantics and not the bike, why not use the literal definition: "to modify or build according to individual or personal specifications or preference" ? 

What makes this bike a "custom" http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=36801.0 and the 4K Kustom not?  If we go by definition in this thread, neither are custom. Paint and bolt ons.  Im pretty sure the monster dirt bike wouldn't be "custom" either.  Besides the exhaust on the dirtbike, it is paint and bolt on parts too... just like the 4K Kustom.  Obviously one would be pretty naive to think paint and bolt on parts were all that went into any of these bikes but I disagree that "coolness", money, or amount of time spent, has any bearing on the word custom.   

Custom isn't some inherent or innate quality... it is a word used to describe work done to a bike that is in any way shape or form different from the original.

So regardless of where the parts were purchased or fabricated, work done by an amature or professional, if it isn't stock off the showroom floor, it is custom.

[Duck-Stew]

So regardless of where the parts were purchased or fabricated, work done by an amature or professional, if it isn't stock off the showroom floor, it is custom.

according to your definition...  And that's what's at the crux of this whole thread.  What IS the definition of custom? 

Final answer:  To each their own definition.

[mikeb]

What makes this bike a "custom" http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=36801.0 and the 4K Kustom not?  If we go by definition in this thread, neither are custom.

I don't consider that bike custom either.  

Custom isn't some inherent or innate quality... it is a word used to describe work done to a bike that is in any way shape or form different from the original.

So regardless of where the parts were purchased or fabricated, work done by an amature or professional, if it isn't stock off the showroom floor, it is custom.

See, this is where you and I differ.  The any way shape and form aspect.  A tail chop and slip-ons doesn't make the bike a custom.  Changing it from stock off the showroom floor isn't custom.

[Popeye the Sailor]

I don't consider that bike custom either.  


See, this is where you and I differ.  The any way shape and form aspect.  A tail chop and slip-ons doesn't make the bike a custom.  Changing it from stock off the showroom floor isn't custom.

So what is?

[RichD]

A guy who lives near me named Stuart Rust (of AMS Ducati fame) just built
a 1975 Triumph Bobber with a Monster swingarm, 749S suspension, Brembo superbike brakes, and a lot of handmade goodies.


It's a custom!    

 
( and it's cool too! )

[mikeb]

So what is?

In my mind....it has to be built to some degree.  Rather than assembled from a group of parts.

----edit after reading the above post----

You can build a custom from assembled parts....if the parts belong to something else.  Bolting on catalog parts, built for the specifc bike, don't make it a custom.

My opinion anyway......

[corey]

I feel like in the age of the internet... custom is hard to achieve. way back when, when you would see a custom bike or car... i'd imagine it would seem like one of a kind, because for most people seeing it, it would be the only one they ever see like that... For us now, we see similar mods over and over and over again, but forget that this community is WORLD WIDE, and inherently made up of the most enthusiastic of enthusiasts who, to one an extent or another, modify their machines.

Are bolt-on shiny pieces custom? In my mind, yes. Rearsets? Clipons? Shiny Bolts and Grips? Why not?
Without this global community, no manufacturer of these bits would have the level of demand require to support their current scale. Someone buys a new set of grips, or rearsets, or handlebars because something about the stock ones just isn't suiting their tastes. So they change them to FIT THEIR TASTES. That is custom-tailoring your bike to your tastes and needs. That is custom.

My opinion on the RetroSBK 4k Custom is pretty high. It's alot easier to do a custom bike when you don't have a spend limit, much like it's easier for me to design a nice printed piece that doesn't have any restrictions. When you start throwing a budget, and other restrictions into the equation... Well, that's where the real challenge comes in. This bike was made to suit a certain person's tastes, and was done so within a certain person's budget. Doesn't get much more custom than that.

technically speaking of course  
great work rSBK. your machines are always inspiring. 

[Triple J]

My opinion:  

If a bike is a collection of parts from a catalog for that bike, then it is just modified. Nothing wrong with that at all.

If a bike is a collection of parts that someone made just for that bike, and/or if the original bike parts have been changed specifically for that bike, then it is custom. Paint alone does not make a custom though.

It doesn't matter if it is good work or shit work...if it looks good or like ass...or if the owner built it or paid someone to build it...it's still a custom bike. It's always cool when someone does it themselves, but not many have the skill...and they may not have the time/patience/desire to learn the skill...or maybe they don't have the skill to do everything themselves. But they have money and a vision of some sort, and that's just fine.

I think of it in terms of a new house. If you buy a brand new home in a subdivision, you didn't buy a custom home...you bought a tract home and modified it with whatever options you like. A custom home requires a person to hire an architect (or do it themselves) and lay out the house exactly as they want it. Most can't design and build a house all by themselves, so they hire contractors...it is still a custom home though.

[zooom]

After we define what custom means, let's define cool.

Done.  What's next?  

I see your JD and raise you cooler!!

[hbliam]

Vin, thanks, but its not a big deal I tend to follow DiVinici and his thought on pretty much anyone looking at his stuff - "And often, when I see one of these men take this work in his hand, I wonder that he does not put it to his nose, like a monkey, or ask me if it is something good to eat."

If you truly followed Da Vinci you wouldn't have started this thread.  It seems we have a discussion like this every time you post pics of a new bike. You don't like the comments, tell us in one way or another that you are better then us, and then fade away for a while. Kinda sad really. Your stuff is usually fairly cool.

[pennyrobber]

I would say custom really involves changing a bike in a way that takes creativity. Both creativity in a visual sense and creativity in an execution sense. I have bolt on mods on my bike like many other that simply came out of a box and I bolted them on, and I agree, these are mods. The stuff I consider custom usually started with some kind of raw material or a part off of a completely different bike. The custom really comes through in the "making it work" on the bike, weather that means machining or hammering or what have you. But of course this could go on forever.

[Vindingo]

   

according to your definition...  And that's what's at the crux of this whole thread.  What IS the definition of custom? 

Final answer:  To each their own definition.

Custom is an adjective in the English language  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/custom

It isn't my definition, the powers that be have come up with a definition.

[ducpainter]

   
Custom is an adjective in the English language  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/custom

It isn't my definition, the powers that be have come up with a definition.

I don't think that is what Will is asking.

[junior varsity]

A guy who lives near me named Stuart Rust (of AMS Ducati fame) just built
a 1975 Triumph Bobber with a Monster swingarm, 749S suspension, Brembo superbike brakes, and a lot of handmade goodies.


It's a custom!    

 
( and it's cool too! )

make the beast with two backsING BAD ASS is more like it. very cool.

that's a *chopped* up monster swingarm, mind you.


For me, custom isn't mere color changes or bolts ons from a catalog. Most of the stuff on DucCutters, to me that's custom (even if it isn't something i particularly like).