I went to the dark side… sort of.

[Grimly]

One thing I'll never understand is the many H-D owner's obsession with skulls.

Not just H-D, my XS came with skull indicators and a tombstone tail light. They got tossed in the bin fairly sharpish.
Load of nonsense I don't want on my ride.

[cloudbreakmd]

I think I’m going to have my XS650. Too many bikes and too little time.

[rphillips]

Maltese crosses are also prominent for the Harleys, is there a meaning for that.

[GS1150Pilot]

Do you mean the Iron Cross? Yeah, there is a meaning to that. Probably not a good one.

[cloudbreakmd]

Maltese crosses are also prominent for the Harleys, is there a meaning for that.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Cross

[rphillips]

Yep, a lot to read about them, but wanted to know how they got on Harleys a lot? Mirrors, tail lights, etc.

[Vmass]

Yep, a lot to read about them, but wanted to know how they got on Harleys a lot? Mirrors, tail lights, etc.

How the Iron Cross Became Bikers’ Symbol


In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, crowds of young people who returned to the United States after the Second World War were extremely disappointed with what they found at home. Puritan customs, commercial spirit and the general ostentatious hypocrisy of ordinary Americans did not cohere with the notion of the great American dream, which was defended by former soldiers. Many of these people could not find themselves in a society that was alien to them. Some of those individuals saddled motorcycles, dressed in black leather and started decorating their steel horses with trophy swastikas and iron crosses as a protest against the government. Soon they began to unite in motorcycle clubs and live by the old front principles. Since then, the Iron Cross has taken a new place in history. It became one of the main symbols of bikers and motorcycle customizers around the world. You can find crosses in many elements of biker culture, from the colors to cross rings, pendants and other jewelry. Today The Iron Cross personifies itself as belonging to the world of choppers, to the world of independence and freedom.

[Gorminrider]

You make it sound like a lot of people..

"In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, crowds of young people who returned to the United States after the Second World War were extremely disappointed with what they found at home.

'though I'm from afar in Canada, or because I have never met a Veteran of WW2 or WW1 (including Germans) who badged a skull or the German Cross so I'd think it was a very small "crowd" of veterans plastering themselves with the symbols of the enemy they had just fought.
Symbols of intimidation is what they are even if the wannabes or "stylers' don't appreciate the symbolisms.
* (skulls were the cap-badge of the nazi SS)

[cloudbreakmd]

After draining the tank, doing an evaporust treatment, changing the fuel pump, oil/filter, plugs and battery… she fired right up. And then I promptly shut it down because my ears were bleeding.

Time to pack some baffles and install them.

Replacement fenders went off to paint today.

https://imgur.com/a/gaSCnUt

[rphillips]

Hard to imagine that paint job was covered with flat black Plasti Dip... Maybe he was drunk when he did it... I hope he was... Looks like you got her slicked up pretty good, You figured if you gonn'a to ride it or flip it... Maybe ride it a while then decide... Nice work, congrats.