Anyone who'll go that far for a Softail shock probably makes his own bodywork too, right? Absolutely! Both the low, hunched gas tank and it's oil-containing counterpart were hand-fabricated by Ken using a hammer, shaping tools, and a week's hard work. That rear fender is stainless steel, notched, and molded seamlessly to the frame on the outside. Unfortunately, creating the headlight housing was anything but smooth sailing. Ken recalls: "First, I milled one 8 inches in diameter out of aluminum, on the lathe, but it sucked! I broke it immediately, and then rolled an 8-gauge one from 5052 aluminum. I spent all day hammering and shaping it before the light was sitting inside the nacelle." The ensuing cuss fest was worth it, though. Just check out how well the slanted V-Rod lens flows with the raked out frontend.
Crafting this chopper was all Ken. Painting was done by his good friend, Masa, who's worked with Ken for more than 10 years. Ken says Masa always has something new to say with his sprayer. In this case, he spoke in solid black, silver, and gold leaf.
In the end, it's the craftmanship that really defines Velvet Fang. When Mr. X picked up his latest toy, he was ecstatic. Ken's considerable talents served him well in tailoring this chopper to his customer's desires. In the end, that's part of what defines a lasting motorcycle builder.