At first glance, this pair of custom Softails might appear to have rolled off the H-D assembly line right. It’s only after closer inspection that all the intricate minor upgrades really start to appear. Ryan Reed of Reed’s Ride Designs has been building hot rods since the late ’80s. As his talent and skills have progressed over the years, his creations have been featured on more than one cover of a magazine. It’s his acute attention to detail with the eye to make modifications noticed, but not seen, that has propelled him to the top of his game on both two and four wheels.
We caught up with Ryan at his home-based shop, which is worthy of an article simply because of the amount of cool guy car parts lying around. Just for fun we brought along former Ms. Supercross Dianna Dahlgren to get down into her skivvies during the 40-degree day.

2007 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe

Photo: John Zamora

HB: Tells us a little about the 2007 Burnt Orange Softail.
RR: The Burnt Orange bike is owned by Shawn Dubsky. Shawn originally approached me about customizing his Deluxe for him. For whatever reason, he ended up having another shop do some work to the bike. Unfortunately, afterwards he realized it didn’t have the overall look he was after.

Side-by-side stainless steel exhaust by Ryan Reed

Photo: John Zamora

Stock pan and foam reshaped leatherwork by Gabe Lopez, San Bernardino, CA

Photo: John Zamora

HB: You know what they say: Paying to do it right once is always cheaper than paying to do it wrong multiple times. How did it come back to you?
RR: Shawn ending up contacting me at a later date. He explained he wasn’t happy with the bike and he basically wanted me to “do what I do” with the bikes. I said, “Cool, but what about some of these expensive components that I don’t care for?” He said, “Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit the part.”

2012 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe

Photo: John Zamora

HB: Nice. So let’s hear some more about the 2012 Red Deluxe.
RR: The red bike is owned by Terry Otton in Napa, California. He has an impressive motorcycle collection. Sadly, some of the bikes were damaged in an earthquake. It was at this time that his bike came back to my shop for a color change and other minor changes.

2012 Harley-Davidson 103 in.

Photo: John Zamora

Progressive 2-in. springs/polished fork tubes

Photo: John Zamora

HB: Is each bike a one-off, or do they share common parts?
RR: I build each one of these Harleys with similar components and styling, but every one has subtle differences. But I don’t make or sell individual pieces or parts for people. It sort of ends up being a low-production custom bike. Also, I handle all the fabrication and assembly myself and use the same group of guys for all other areas of the build, such as paint, leather, plating, et cetera.

Dennis Ricklefs, Spun Gold and silver leaf lettering and Pinstriping

Photo: John Zamora

HB: How would you define your style when the bikes are all done?
RR: I build hot rods as well as bikes since they are in the background of the photos. I guess you could mention that most of the bikes’ customizing is subtle. Some of this goes unnoticed, but when one of these bikes catches someone’s attention they usually start to ask questions and quickly realize how much has actually been done.

Model: Dianna Dahlgren

Photo: John Zamora

RELATED | DIANNA DAHLGREN VIDEO

General
Specifications
Owner	Shawn Dubsky, Pomona, CA
Shop	Reed’s Ride Designs, Corona, CA
Shop Phone	(951) 545-0480
Website	reedsridedesigns.com
Year/Make/Model	2007/H-D/Deluxe
Fabrication	Ryan Reed
Build Time	6 months
Engine
Year/Type/Size	2007/H-D/96 in.
Builder	H-D
Cases	H-D
Cylinders	H-D
Heads	H-D
Rocker Boxes	H-D
Cams	H-D
Throttle Body	H-D
Air Cleaner	Modified hot rod air cleaner/Screamin’ Eagle element
EFI Controller	Dynojet Power Commander
Exhaust	Side-by-side stainless steel by Ryan Reed
Transmission
Year/Type	2007/6-speed
Gears	H-D
Clutch	H-D
Primary Drive	H-D
Frame Stock
Year/Type	Softail
Rake/Stretch	H-D
Suspension
Front End	Progressive 2-in. springs/polished fork tubes
Length	Stock
Triple Trees	H-D
Swingarm	H-D
Rear Shocks	Stock/White Brothers adjusters
Wheels, Tires, and Brakes
Front
Builder/Size	Black Bike 19 x 2.75 Sun alum. band, Black Bike hub, 40-spoke
Tire/Size	Metzeler ME 880 120/70ZR-19
Calipers	H-D Blacked out
Rotors	Ferodo drilled stainless steel
Rear
Builder/Size	Black Bike 18 x 4.25 Sun alum. band, Black Bike hub, 40-spoke
Tire/Size	Metzeler ME 880 160/60R-18
Caliper	H-D Blacked out
Rotor	Ferodo drilled stainless steel
Pulley	H-D fully polished
Finish/Paint
Manufacturer	PPG
Colors	Burnt Orange
Paint/Graphics	Dennis Ricklefs, Spun Gold leaf lettering and pinstriping
Plating/Polishing	G&A Metal Polishing, Riverside, CA
Powdercoating	Full Throttle Powder Coating, Corona, CA
Accessories
Front Fender	Repositioned, filled rivets, cast fender brow
Rear Fender	Repositioned, shortened struts, different bolt pattern, filled rivets, welded taillight area
Gas Tank	Filled area around the rear mount
Dash	Hand formed/Ryan Reed
Gauges	H-D
Handlebars	Chubby Knuckle bars
Grips	H-D
Hand Controls	Chrome Harley, hand-shaped levers
Foot Controls	Longer shift and brake pedals
Floorboards	Early H-D
Headlight	H-D
Taillight	’38 Chevy modified to fit the fender
Turn Signals	Rear ones mounted on pegs
License Mount	Side mount off of rear peg
Seat	Stock pan and foam reshaped leatherwork by Gabe Lopez, San Bernardino, CA

Model: Dianna Dahlgren

Photo: John Zamora

RELATED | MORE DIANNA PHOTOS

General
Specifications
Owner	Terry Otton, Napa, CA
Shop	Reed’s Ride Designs
Shop Phone	(951) 545-0480
Website	reedsridedesigns.com
Year/Make/Model	2012/H-D/Deluxe
Fabrication	Ryan Reed
Build Time	6 months
Engine
Year/Type/Size	2012/H-D/103 in.
Builder	H-D
Cases	H-D
Cylinders	H-D
Heads	H-D
Rocker Boxes	H-D
Cams	H-D
Throttle Body	H-D
Air Cleaner	Modified Hot Rod air cleaner/Screamin’ Eagle element
EFI Controller	Dynojet Power Commander
Exhaust	Side-by-side stainless steel by Ryan Reed
Transmission
Year/Type	2012/6-speed
Gears	H-D
Clutch	H-D
Primary Drive	H-D
Frame
Year/Type	Softail
Rake/Stretch	Stock
Suspension
Front End	Progressive 2-in. springs/polished fork tubes
Length	Stock
Triple Trees	H-D
Swingarm	H-D
Rear Shocks	H-D
Wheels, Tires, and Brakes
Front
Builder/Size	Black Bike 19 x 2.75 Sun alum. band, Black Bike hub 40-spoke
Tire/Size	Metzeler ME 880 120/70ZR-19
Calipers	Chrome H-D
Rotors	Drilled H-D
Rear
Builder/Size	Black Bike 18 x 4.25 Sun alum. band, Black Bike hub 40-spoke
Tire/Size	Metzeler ME 880 160/60R-18
Caliper	Chrome H-D
Rotor	Drilled H-D
Pulley	Stock/fully polished
Finish/Paint
Manufacturer	House of Color
Colors	Candy Red
Paint/Graphics	Dennis Ricklefs, Spun Gold and silver leaf lettering and Pinstriping
Plating/Polishing	G&A Metal Polishing, Riverside, CA
Powdercoating	Full Throttle Powder Coating, Corona, CA
Accessories
Front Fender	Repositioned, filled rivets, cast fender brow
Rear Fender	Repositioned, shortened struts, different bolt pattern, filled rivets, welded-up taillight area
Dash	Hand formed/Ryan Reed
Gauges	H-D
Handlebars	Flanders
Grips	H-D
Mirrors	3-in. Peep mirror
Hand Controls	Chrome Harley, hand-shaped levers
Foot Controls	H-D rubber sanded smooth on pegs
Floorboards	Floorboards and foot controls, brake, and clutch pedals made to match
Taillight	’38 Chevy modified to fit fender
Turn Signals	Rear mounted on pegs
License Mount	Side mount off of rear peg
Seat	Stock pan and foam reshaped leatherwork by Gabe Lopez, San Bernardino, CA

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