Shaved Legs- Shaving Motorcycle Fork Legs

Customizing bikes these days usually entails taking more off the bike than you started with. Cleaning up all of the OEM chingaderas such as turn signals, bulky saddles and reflectors can have a favorable effect on an otherwise stock bike. Delving further into custom territory takes a bit of skill and a few power and hand tools. When we decided that the front fender had to go on our 2005 Softail, we also decided that we needed to remove any evidence that there was ever a fender there in the first place. That meant the cast-in fender mounts on the fork legs had to go. This project took less time than watching a few NFL games on a Sunday and required taking the forks apart, cutting the mounts with a band saw, sculpting them with a die grinder, and chucking the lowers up in a lathe to get them super smooth. If you don't have access to a lathe a hand file can be used, but make sure you have a good amount of time and patience. When we finished shaving the legs we used some emery cloth to get them ready for paint.

1 We started with a bone-stock Wide Glide pulled from an '03 Night Train.

The end result is a truly custom look with very little out-of-pocket expense.

The Lowdown
Man Hours: 4.5 (7.5 Without Lathe)
Difficulty: Moderate
Aftermarket Parts Used: None
Total Cost: $6.56 (3M Emery Cloth), $45 (Machinist's rate for lathe)

2 The springs were taken out and the fluid was drained.
3 The stanchion tubes were removed and the seals and bushings were checked for wear.
3 The stanchion tubes were removed and the seals and bushings were checked for wear.
4 Large parts of the fender mounts were removed with a bandsaw,

5 but a hacksaw could do the trick as well.
6 The parts we couldn't get with the saw were smoothed out with an electric grinder.
6 The parts we couldn't get with the saw were smoothed out with an electric grinder.
7 To achieve the factory-like looks we were after, the lowers were put in a lathe and machined. This can also be done with a hand file, if you have a few extra hours.
7 To achieve the factory-like looks we were after, the lowers were put in a lathe and mac

8 We finished off the shaving with a bit of sanding with Emery Cloth.
9 Lying next to a pair of unshaved legs, you can see just how clean the shaven lowers look.
9 Lying next to a pair of unshaved legs, you can see just how clean the shaven lowers loo