YA ITS ALL FAIRLY SIMPLE I GUESS BECAUSE I HEAR IT ALL THE TIME AND THERE ARE ALWAYS THOSE WHO ARE ARE QUICK TO SAY " YA I COULD BUILD THAT" AND PROBABLY THEY ARE RIGHT. ESPECIALLY IF SOMEONE SHOWS THEM HOW TO DO IT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS??.....YOU HAVE TO THINK IT ... BEFORE YOU CAN BUILD IT...AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE AMBITION TO DO IT ... BEFORE YOU CAN HAVE IT!!
YES I KNOW THAT WE WILL HAVE TO MOUNT THE BAGS BUT FEAR NOT....I HAVE A PLAN FOR THAT. IF WE WANTED A STOCK BOLT ON SET UP WELL.....WHY NOT JUST GET A STOCK HARLEY LIKE ANY OTHER YUPPIE. CUSTOM IS CUSTOM.....ONES OWN PERSONAL RIDE...SOMETHING THAT STANDS OUT IN A CROWD RIGHT? THOSE WHO UNDERSTAND THIS KNOW WHY....THOSE THAT DONT......JUST RIDE STOCK BIKES AND ARE HAPPY WITH WITH THEIR 10% HOG OWNERS GROUP DISCOUNT. GOOD FOR THEM. BUT FOR THE UNFORTUNATE FEW THAT CAN'T GET A HOG PATCH OR THEIR HD DISCOUNT BECAUSE THEY CHOOSE TO CREATE OR BUILD THEIR PERSONAL RIDES AND DON'T HAVE THAT GENUINE HD TITLE, I SAY
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THAT FACED US WAS WHAT TO DO WITH THE REAR FENDER SECTION. TED HAD PLANNED TO PUT BAGS ON THE BIKE AND HAD TO HAVE A SISSY BAR ON THE REAR FOR FRAN. AS WE ALL KNOW THERE ARE NO BOLT ON KITS FOR A SISSY BAR FOR A WIDE FENDER AVAILABLE AT ALL, NOT THAT WE WOULD USE A BOLT ON ANYWAY. WITH THE BIKE LOADED UP, AND THE BAGS FULL, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS LOTS OF WHEEL CLEARENCE FOR THE BIG 180 AVON RUBBER AND YET GIVE IT THAT LOW SLUNG LOOK. A DELIMA FOR SURE. THE ORIGINAL STRUTS THAT CAME WITH THE FRAME WERE JUST BUTT UGLY FOR THIS TYPE OF BIKE AND I JUST COULDN'T LIVE WITH THEM, EVEN KNOWING THAT MUCH OF THEM WOULD BE COVERED WITH THE BAGS. SO BREAK OUT THE WELDER, GRINDER AND BAND SAW AND MAKE THEM DISAPPEAR WAS THE ONLY OPTION.
FIRST WE TOOK AN OLD SISSY BAR AND TRIMMED DOWN THE SIDES OF THE MOUNTS UNTIL WE GOT THEM PLACED WHERE WE WANTED, AND AT THE RIGHT ANGLE. WE BENT AND PERSUADED THE SISSY BAR TO WIDEN OUT TO THE FAT FENDER WIDTH AND THEN WELDED THE MOUNTS TO THE STRUT AND FENDER. PIECE OF CAKE RIGHT? WELL ALMOST. THEN WE STILL HAD TO GET RID OF THOSE STRUTS. WE DECIDED THAT A SECOND FENDER LIP WOULD GIVE IT A SMOOTH LOOK AND RETAIN ALL OF THE STRENGTH OF THE STRUTS. IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW IT MANY OR MOST OF THE WIDE FENDERS YOU SEE ON SOLO BIKES HAVE HARDLY ANY SUPPORT AND VIBRATE LIKE MAD AT THE REAR. NO ONE WANTS TO TELL YOU THAT THOUGH. BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE STRENGTH AND BEAUTY. I SEARCHED AROUND AND FOUND A NEW 6" FLAT FENDER AND PROCEEDED TO CUT HER UP. AFTER A WHILE WE HAD IT CUT JUST RIGHT AND FIT IT OVER THE STRUTS AND GIVING IT SOME SMOOTH LINES TO MATCH THE ORIGINAL FENDER. 
ONCE WE HAD IT TACKED INTO PLACE, AFTER A FEW TRIES, WE THEN CUT OUT METAL TO FIT PERFECTLY AND ALIGN WITH THE BOTTOM CONTOUR LIP OF THE NEW SIDE PIECES. THIS TOOK SOME TIME TO CUT AND GRIND UNTIL IT FIT EXACTLY ALONG THE EDGE SO THAT IT WILL BE SMOOTH AND NOT FULL OF BODY FILL WHEN IT IS DONE. WE ARE ADDING A SMALL PIECE OF 3/16 ROD ALONG THE EDGES AND WILL MOULD IT IN TO GIVE A SMALL LIP AROUND EVERYTHING TO GIVE IT EVEN MORE SHAPE. THERE NOW I ASK YOU....DOESN'T THAT LOOK BETTER?
STAY TUNED...WE WILL BE BACK..........
...Shes coming along now!!