Rich and Kirk designed/fabricated the seat pan, then Obie Beaver covered the top with an alligator-pattern black leather insert.
Rich and Kirk designed/fabricated the seat pan, then Obie Beaver covered the top with an a
"Once the bike was all torn down, we started collecting parts and cutting them up and making them fit," Rich said. "The first part at the center of the bike was the gas tank. We started with a CCI gas tank and built a new tunnel, shortened it up, added some new mounting tabs and built an adapter to mount the tank to the frame and also cover up all the exposed wiring. At the rear of the bike, we cut off the stock fender mounts and went with a CCI One Ton Ho rigid fender. We made some struts and custom brackets to mount the fender to the swingarm using the stock mounts with the exception on two bungs that had to be welded on. We then moved on to the seat and wanted to keep with the same bolt-on vibe, so we got busy bending and cutting up brackets so that we could use the stock side mounts. With the seat mounts out of the way, we started in on the seat pan and hammered one into just the right shape and at this point we stepped back and took a look at the bike and realized we were done with the fabrication work and had accomplished our goal. I then left the sheetmetal with Kirk since he is not only one hell of a fabricator, but also an accomplished painter." Wanting to stick with the raw and gritty look and feel the bike had before it did the two wheel limbo, Rich decided to stick with a raw metal finish and have Kirk dress it up with some contrasting gold leaf graphics and pinstriping.
Clean and simple, this new top clamp from MotoGadget provides LED speed, RPM, trip meter, and odometer feedback.
Clean and simple, this new top clamp from MotoGadget provides LED speed, RPM, trip meter,
With the sheetmetal in capable hands, Rich hauled the bike back home to finish it off with some key components that would really help it stand apart from its old self. For a narrow lane-splitting profile, Rich picked up a set of 41mm triple trees from Joe at Vulcan Engineering. Jesse at Legends Air Ride supplied a rear air ride system to help keep Rich comfortable when on the road but give the bike that down-and-dirty stance when parked. "For the wheels I wanted to mesh an old-school feel with a new-school influence, so I went with a set of RevTech 'Midnight' series Dominator-6 wheels," Rich told us. "Wanting to make the bike stand out, I decided to stuff a 23-inch front wheel into the mid-glide and went with an 18-inch out back. I followed this up with a set of matching brake rotors, pulley, and finished it off with a set of Wilwood four-piston calipers." Instead of going with a standard top clamp on the triple trees, Rich went with a new digital speedo top clamp from MotoGadget. Cycle Kraft provided the headlight, grips, pegs, and exhaust, and then Rich finished the bike off with a trip through the 2010 CCI catalog for the remaining parts needed to finish the project.
"Once Kirk was done with the paint work, I could see the finish line and was putting in some late nights to get the bike finished and back on the road," Rich stated. "The following weekend, the bike was completed and ready to roll off the lift to fire up. I pulled the bike out the garage and hit the switch and took the first tes tride. The bike rode great and looked even better! Wherever I take the bike people have a hard time believing that it was a stock H-D, and when I show them how everything bolts-on, they don't believe it."
As was stated at the beginning, Rich didn't plan on making this into a new product display bike, but in the process of the build, CCI decided to put the gas tank, rear fender, and seat kit into production. So far the thinking is that CCI will offer the kit as a complete package for about $1,200, or you could buy the fender, tank, and seat kits individually. In total Rich says he's got about $6,000 to $7,000 in parts into the bike. So basically for about $17,000, he was able to turn a stock sleeper into custom eye-catcher on a reasonable budget with mostly bolt-on parts-proof that you don't have to spend 25 Gs to have a cool, reliable, and rideable bike.