Black as Night; Reliable as the Dawn | 2004 H-D Night Train

“Legal” isn’t far from “reliable,” and Jim had every intention of complying with the local law, partly due to the amount of time he expected to spend on the bike, but mostly because he didn’t need any more tickets (who does?). He customized and modified a set of fender blanks to cover both the new Avon tires, molding the rear to the swingarm to complete the look. A custom stingray and leather seat was made for the bike by Mark Milbrandt; specifically designed to conceal the gap between the seat and the fender. Pearson Customs drag-style handlebars were bolted to the frontend, along with a black painted H-D headlight. Behind the handlebars, Jim mounted a custom gas tank and a slick, flush-mount gas cap, but the stock, wrinkle-black coated oil bag wasn’t moved from its original location. An LED taillight/license plate holder was attached to the primary and a law-enforcement–approved swept mirror rounded out the accessories necessary to keep the bike on the road while maintaining its custom appeal.

When the sheetmetal work was finished Jim had to decide on a color to paint the bike. He chose not to take the “night” out of Night Train, and painted it vivid black to match the other darkened components. The dark theme continued into the sole graphic, a ghosted Zee’s Customs logo located just above the seat on the gas tank allowing the basic aspects of the drivetrain and sheetmetal to stand on their own, unadorned with unnecessary decoration.

As soon as the Loctite dried on the fasteners required for reassembly, Jim got the bike on the road. “This bike was intended to be seen, and I had it at all the local events and shows for more than a year. It’s been a great advertisement for the shop, and it still starts right up every time!” Jim says. HB