he said "Recently, there's been a trend toward dark, gritty, edgy, stripped down bikes, and it has been driven by young riders," says Andy Benka, director of market outreach for Harley-Davidson. Skateboarders, snowboarders and BMX-ers, for instance, share the same rebellious, subversive characteristics found in the traditional Harley rider. "They want to ride without being hassled," Benka adds. "That's the person we want Dark Custom bikes to appeal to, and it's why we went back to building street bikes the way we did post-World War II—simple and raw."
The latest bike in the Dark Custom series is the FLSTSB Softail Cross Bones. It's got a shiny Springer front end and other post-war bobber styling cues, like a sprung solo seat, gloss black round air cleaner cover, chopped front fender and half-round rider footboards. Mini "ape hanger" handlebars drape over custom-style dual gas tanks, which are split by a glossy, black "cat-eye" console that houses the speedometer and other gauges. Halfway down the tank the chrome gives way to a hand-laced leather panel that disappears under the sprung solo seat. Fat front and rear tires give the bike a brutish stance. Even so, she's a real looker.
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