Ding ding ding... class is now in session. Today's lesson will be devoted to the subject of bling. First, a definition: Bling, n. Hip-Hop. 1. Expensive, flashy jewelry worn in the hopes of attracting the opposite sex. 2. Expensive, flashy components (especially chromed or custom-painted components) affixed to late-model sportbikes in order to attract the opposite sex.
Attracting attention, that's what custom sportbikes are all about, right? And nothing makes the birdies sing like bling. Believe us, no one understands the art of the bling quite like riders in Southern California. Bigger than some foreign countries, the area generically referred to as SoCal--the 200-mile stretch from Oxnard down to the Mexican border--is home to the greatest concentration of sportbike riders in the world. And then there's the matter of those legendary California girls. With so many riders clamoring for attention in such a small area, well, you really have to do something to make your bike stand out.
Enter the bling.
One guy who has done more than most to make his ride stand out in the cutthroat SoCal scene is Eddie McCoy, owner of the shimmering 2001 Kawasaki ZX-12R featured here. McCoy's ZX-12R, known on the street simply as "Big 12," has been given the full treatment, with custom paint, a massaged motor, an armload of hand-built custom parts and, of course, a few thousand dollars' worth of chrome. As you walk toward the bike, the overabundance of chrome is immediately apparent. All the chroming was done by Parts Unlimited Custom Paint and Chrome in Stanton, California, and the list of brightened bits includes the rims, brake components, rear-axle hardware and swingarm, sprocket, subframe, gas tank, pegs and heel guards, triple clamps, levers and so much more. (Let us catch our breath for a moment.) And as if that weren't enough, at least a dozen more parts were at the chrome shop just waiting for the check to clear when we shot these photos!
Even though Big 12 is almost blindingly bright, you could hardly describe it as gaudy. No cartoon characters, obnoxious colors or fuzzy murals on this bike, no sir. Big 12 sweats class, thanks mostly to the near-monochrome combo of chrome on silver and the tasteful, almost subtle tribal-flame paint job laid down by Stanton's Garage Graphics (of recent Monster Garage fame).
Look beyond the brightwork, and trick pieces of metal begin to catch your eye. Notice, for instance, the custom-flamed heel guards and the equally custom "spiked" swingarm spools, front axle caps, bar ends and frame sliders. Underneath you'll notice the color-matched rear hugger and undertail, the latter incorporating LED turn signals and a clear taillight fitted with an LED insert. Up front the windshield has been chromed, and carbon-fiber ram-air tube covers run beneath the chrome grips and chromed handlebars. Even the rear shock, spring and shock linkage shine. And if it's not chromed, it's painted silver to match, like the coolant reservoir and ram-air snorkel. Beauty ain't just skin-deep here--McCoy's attention to detail is thorough. When the sun goes down, nine strips of blue LEDs emit a neonlike glow from within. All this makes Big 12 one of the hottest bikes in SoCal.
The ladies notice McCoy's bike, too, which gets us back to our original point. McCoy and his gorgeous girlfriend, Dawn Goode, have put more than 16,000 miles on this multiple Best of Show winner, cruising all around Southern California with the L.A.-based Xtreme Habits crew. Boosted with the usual Power Commander and pipe combo (Muzzys full titanium system, in this case), Big 12 cruises to the tune of high-160s horsepower, more than enough for the reedlike, 130-pound McCoy and his 100-pound passenger.
So what did we learn in class today? Chrome gets the chicks (that's what you can tell yourself, at least, when the chrome bill comes due). And the one with the most bling always wins.