THERE'S BEEN NO OFFICIAL announcement, but it's pretty clear that pop culture has found a new two-wheel darling. World, say hello to your new motorcycle honey: the custom sportbike.

Two wheel from Tricked Out Custom Cycles.

As evident in the pages of 2Wheel Tuner and Super Streetbike magazines, on speed TV's "SuperBikes!" show and in countless music videos, custom sportbikes have emerged from the underground of the Deep South and the Northeast. Even the major OEMs are embracing the custom crowd (see story, "How the OEMs Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Custom Crowd"). Distributors like Tucker Rocky and Parts Unlimited have added custom P&A to their lineups. Pirelli just developed a Z-rated 240 mm rear tire. And you know something's gone mainstream when the business world latches on: Customized Hayabusas and tricked-out ZX-14s are becoming commonplace in Madison Avenue media campaigns.

But weren't large-displacement sportbike sales flat in 2007? Yes, but consider the many years of new unit sales growth before that. In 2006, Suzuki alone reportedly sold more than 41,000 GSX-Rs and at least 10,400 Hayabusas. New-unit sales have dropped off a bit, but there are also a lot of service, P&A and accessory sales to be made to existing customers. Given the Bolton nature of many sportbike upgrades, it might be a good time for dealers to notice what guys like Nick Anglada, Gregg DesJardins and Steve Kehler are doing.

Selling Custom

"If you have a stock Hayabusa sitting on the floor, it's going to move," says Anglada, owner of Custom Sportbike Concepts in Florida. "But if you have a Hayabusa with a 240 kit and an exhaust, it's going to draw a little bit more attention. There's so many things out there that can be sold to a customer to change the appearance of a bike — for example, chroming the swing arm and putting frame covers on. It's as simple as taking off the bodywork [and] taking off the seat, and with some adhesive tape and a couple of bolts you have what appears to be a chrome frame."

All types of people are into custom sportbikes, Anglada says. "I have customers who have regular jobs. They work at the oil change place and come in every week and buy a different part for their bike. Eventually they have the custom bike," he says. Other customers include real estate developers, doctors, dentists, attorneys, celebrities and athletes. "They're anywhere from 18 years old to as old as 75 — 75-year-old guys on Hayabusas who will outrun you."

There also seems to be a crossover from the chopper industry. Jesse Rooke, Roland Sands and Hank Young are just some of the builders now designing bikes and marketing parts for the sportbike crowd.