The Accutronix forward controls...
The Accutronix forward controls were too far out for Chris, so KEK chopped the levers down 3 inches and then re-welded and re-chromed them.
Just like a father with his newborn son, Chris wanted to be there to watch his two-wheeled pride and joy every step of the way, but at one point his persistence was a little too much for Kirk and the guys. "There were a couple weeks there when we had to ban Chris from the shop," Kirk told us. "We put some tape across the front door and wrote 'Chris, do not enter.'"
Most of the fabrication was complete, except there was a slight problem with the fairing. They had decided to remove the engine guard (which also supports the lower portion of the RG fairing and is where the turn signals sit) and replace it with a Lower Fairing Support bar from Drag Specialties. The problem was where to put the turn signals. The idea came up to put the blinkers in the fairing; everyone liked the idea so they did it. "They cut two holes in either side of the fairing and used two pieces of PVC pipe to recess the turn signals into the fairing.
While the frame and sheetmetal were being tended to, the engine was torn down so that RC Cycles in Dublin, California, could install a 95ci kit. For that extra bling effect to catch the judges attention, the heads and cylinders were treated to the diamond process by Diamond Heads in Henderson, Nevada. Chris decided to stick with the stock H-D primary and transmission, but wanted them color matched to the frame for a more complete look. For the exhaust, a set of true duals from Vance and Hines were used, then Kirk had Mike fabricate a custom rear exhaust section that slipped between the bags and the swingarm and met right behind the rear wheel into a diamond-shaped collector that barely peeked out of the end of the rear fender.
Color was a big part of Chris's final plan and Kirk laid down a red Sikkens undercoat followed by a SEM Color Horizons Wine Fire topcoat. Once the topcoat was dry, Eric applied some pinstriping and silver leaf accents to just about every piece of the bike, yes, even under the frame.
Final installation included replacing the stock gauges with an all-new setup from Dakota Digital; the stereo was ditched in favor of a more flashy and visually stimulating Pioneer head unit with a flip-up video screen. And to keep the handlebar area clean, a set of Custom Cycle Control bars with all the cables, lines, and wires stuffed inside them were used.
After 14 months of work, the bike was finally complete and it was ready for show season. "I named the bike, Bagger Dragger 2 and entered it into just about every show in the Bay Area," Chris said. "So far the bike has won 32 trophies and $9,000."
The exhaust tip fits in perfectly...
The exhaust tip fits in perfectly with the tail of the rear fender.
We know what you are wondering, "what about winning best in show?" Yes, Chris finally got his best in show award, in fact, he's won multiple. Most notably he won Grand Champion at the Arlen Ness show, Best in Show at the Santa Maria Motorcycle Madness Show, and won the D'Elegance award-Most Elegant Motorcycle (first time for a bagger) at the San Francisco Rod and Custom Show. The Bagger Dragger isn't just a show piece though, Chris says so far he's put more than 5,000 miles on the bike.
"It has been a great year for me and my wife Denise, with lots of awards and lots of prize money, but being in HOT BIKE magazine is icing on the cake."