2004 Heritage Softail - Custom Looks, Reliability, And Good Manners

Major cosmetic changes on the bike can be seen in three separate kits, including the tank kit, seat-pan kit, rear-fender kit, and Phatail kit. For major visual impact, Roland went with a sort of hybrid-style flat track-inspired gas tank with a flat bottom that sits high on the backbone. Not liking the unfinished look of the stock backbone, Roland designed a backbone cover that completely cleans up the entire area. An added bonus of the cover is that it allows for relocation of the stock ignition switch by the neck. Making installation even easier is the fact that there is very little modification needed to relocate the switch.

Sticking with the feel of El Borracho, the seat kit includes a steel seat pan, chrome springs, mounting hardware, and a battery cover that makes the area beneath the seat clean and sano. From there you get into the rear fender kit. When used in conjunction with the PM Phatail kit, it allows the fitment of a 240 rear tire. In this case, the rubber (both front and back) resides on PM's contrast-cut Judge wheels. Those are the basic kits offered up by both RSD and PM. But the fun doesn't stop there-Roland decked the Vintage out with lots of other PM parts.

Adding to the nostalgic look of Vintage is the 2-inch-under black powdercoated Paughco Springer, one-off Vance & Hines exhaust, and Headwinds headlight. Roland tells us that most of the parts you see on this bike are already available from RSD or PM, or they will be in the near future.

Paint for the bike was handled by Chris Wood at Airtrix. Roland and Chris go back a long way, and when Roland pitched the idea of going with a butterscotch and plaid-style paint scheme, Chris was all over it. Now, these are certainly not colors or patterns you would normally see on a motorcycle, but the combination of Roland's vision and Chris' talent resulted in a stunning look.

Rumor has it that the last time the PM truck was loading up for a event, they had everything packed and ready to go. All but the Vintage-no sign of it anywhere. After turning the shop and showroom upside-down looking for it with no success, someone decided to give Roland a call on his cell phone. When asked about the bike's whereabouts, he replied, "It's in my garage at home-where else would it be?" Guess that means he really likes it.