Blacked-Out
Even as adults we can experience peer pressure. While it might not be as obvious or overt as when we were kids and that Johnny kid from down the block coaxed us into taking the first drag off a Marlboro Red. Instead peer pressure as adults is more subliminal, like when your neighbor buys a new car and next thing you know you find yourself face to face with a smug car dealer.
Come to think of it, maybe it's not so much peer pressure as it is one-upmanship, or maybe it's a combination of both. Either way, in Harley circles it's not that uncommon to see a group of friends who not only have the same bike model but might also have some of the same components. Such was the case with Rich Andaya of Oxnard, California. Rich and a handful of friends have all fallen in love with the outlaw look of a blacked-out Dyna with a mini fairing and hot motor.
Rich's bike is a '07 Street Bob, that he took to the dark side with heavy doses of flat and gloss black, black Progressive Suspension springs out back, and a set of Hardcore Products Reaper wheels. Hidden behind the fairing is a drag bar set in 9 1/2-inch risers with an Auto Meter tach with built-in shift light. To add more go to his flow, Rich worked with Greenrock Services to build up his motor to 103ci, then added the standard issue Thunderheader, which not only performs well but sounds bad as hell!
While peer pressure or one upsmanship might be the root of Rich's fascination with the direction he took when modifying his Dyna, one thing is for sure, both play a significant role in how he rides the hopped-up Street Bob-hard, fast, and loud!
Two-Week Build
Richard Hamilton and his friend Marcus "Z" set out to customize a bike in less than two weeks just to prove they could. It all started when Z told Richard that he was tired of the look of his '01 Sportster and wanted to customize it. Richard was glad to hear this and was ready to do the work but since he's in the Air Force, stationed overseas in Italy at Aviano Air Base, he was only going to be home for about two weeks. Richard told Z to order up all the parts and with his two-week leave they would work around the clock to get it done. Richard said, "If they can do it on TV in two weeks, so can we." All the parts were at Z's house waiting for Richard to get there and over the next 13 days the two worked around the clock and got it done before Richard went back to Italy. Nice work, guys!
Sitting in a Shed
David Via of Williamsburg, Virginia, was tired of seeing his dad's 1980 Shovelhead just sitting on the side of the shed. They spent more time covering it up then riding it, so when David and a friend were tired of seeing the old girl getting rusty they started the makeover. The bike was stripped to the frame, which was sent out for powdercoating. Then everything that could be saved was and re-chromed. Anything not salvageable was replaced. They wanted to keep all the H-D numbers so that the bike would have the same value today as it did 29 years ago. Once the bike was done and David's dad saw the bike, it was like a flashback but with new paint and wheels.
The V-4 Harley
Jeff Stanford set out to find as much horsepower as possible from his Shovelhead but when one engine was't enough he added a second engine. How you ask? Jeff says the Shovelheads sit side by side and were each built up to 100ci for a total of 200ci with STD cases, S&S flywheels, S&S Big Bore barrels, Sifton cams, dual plug heads, Crane ignitions, and S&S carburetors topped with Pro Series Hyperchargers. A jackshaft with a 3 3/8 and 4-inch belt connect the five-speed trans, and ART clutch. A 630 chain setup and Performance Machine wheels and brakes complete the driveline. The dual engine setup sits in a custom frame fitted with a Wide Glide frontend. All custom fabrication was done in his shop and Art Gangster handled paint and graphics. The bike is licensed and is street driven.
Tribal Warrior
Richard E. Klinger has been a Sergeant in the U.S. Army for 10 yrs. He bought this Softail back in 2004 as a birthday gift to himself and liked it in its stock form, but he really wanted to personalize it. He was deployed for the second time to Iraq for 15 months in August 2007 and had plenty of time to do research on what customization he wanted to do to it. Once he got back to the states the bike underwent a transformation in Richard's living room much to the dismay of his wife. The bike has a ton of cool parts on it like a DIY wide tire conversion and Ride Wright wheels. Topping off the looks of this bike is a tribal theme, which is a variation of the tattoo Richard has on his back.
Rockin' Night Train
Marty Pascuzzi from Niagara Falls Ontario, Canada has owned many Harleys in his 48 years and his latest is an '04 Nightrain with some major face-lifting. The bike features a blacked-out Big-Un front fork kit with a set of OEM H-D Rocker wheels which he had powdercoated. The rear fender is the original that has been widened to accept the rather wide 250 Avon tire out back. To get that big meat smoking Marty modified the motor with Screamin' Eagle Heads, Woods cams, and a Keihin big bore carb. The bike cranks out 106 hp and 108 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheel and can be heard from blocks away through a set of Vance & Hines pipes.
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