After beating myself to a pulp at the gym daily (new winter routine, hurts like fire), I stop at the coffee bar with my wife. I drink good, strong Sumatran latte' drinks, she updates her Nook with numerous books, and yaks on the telephone. Well, I yak, too, but at least 2/3s of that is business.

I'm there for fun, so I choose magazines. The knife rags are more for business, and in this time of year the bike magazines are kind of a 'wish book.' In fact, I do not even know the location of my shop's winter storage area, so my ownership of real Harleys is always in question now. That building could have burned to the ground, and I wouldn't know it.

But I have noticed a trend in the magazines, and I wonder if you do, too. I have always been an advocate for "small Dynas or bigger Sportsters." You know, something in the middle. MoCo needs to create that. Well, it appears that the nation agrees. I'm seeing lots of custom Sportsters, and lots of stripped down big twins. One rag had a great little chopper, mostly in white with a girder-type-ish front fork. Just seat and engine.

I also saw two customs with S&S X-Wedge engines. I do wish to drive one--probably to my own funeral, but hey, no one guarantees our longevity in this sport.

Another trend I see is the restoration of old flatheads. I've seen numerous examples. Plus, I've seen advertisements for re-designed and improved flattie heads and one article on restoring exhaust ports. (And that guy is a craftsman, hands down!)

Guess what? I have an opinion. Big surprise.

It appears that MoCo has just about saturated the market with dressers. That's no surprise either. Sell big bikes, make big profits. I get it. But there's a world of old school fudds out there--some were at my wedding--that want real bikes, or at least a bike that reminds them of something real.

Now, I love my little Sportster. It does remind me of a simpler time. It has a digital clock. Yikes.

I often defend the "old school" and the things we trashed for the convenience of just appearing to move forward. Well, bike magazines are also designed to make money, too. And while there are many bagger magazines all showing tarted up parade floats, the cut-and-weld guys are clearly off in a new direction--actually an old direction.

I champion that cause. I like the bang and clatter of old style engines. The 1965 pan was the best thing Harley ever built. I ride to ride, not listen to canned music and radio talk shows. Metal is better than fiberglass. And there's actually intersting things to read about--finally.