This is my first Harley.  Coming from a sportbike, I figured it was time, as I am now 30 and it is time to settle down and just cruise!  She started off as a brand new Crimson Red Denim Street Bob.  I did the normal "First Harley Owner" deed and went the Willie G. collection route.  I soon found that to be too common and decided to do things my way.

Without pockets overflowing with cash, I figured a bike couldn't be that much harder to modify that some of the cars I have built.  The wife was out of town and the bike went under the knife!  The breathing had to open up.  Vance and Hines Sideshots black were put on.  I then thought about the color.  While everyone seems to have a desire for black, as do I, I wanted to be different.  I like the old school look of Bobbers and well, as its name implies "Street Bob" I figured it should have some of that flair.  The red denim soon left me thinking "I sure hope I don't pull up next to someone with the same color."

Anything that was chrome or polished came off and got powdercoated a solar satin black.  Everything from fork sliders, triple clamps, headlight housing, forward controls, etc received this treatment.  Choosing the right bars was crucial as well. I didn't want to go too radical so I stuck with some 13" apes with a 1 1/4" diameter...yes, in black!  I ran all of the wiring inside the bars to clean things up and tossed on some Drag Specialties cables and lines.  I chose the H-D Diamond Black collection for pegs and grips.

Next was the paint.  I knew I wanted the brightest white ever!  So, some bright white Spies-Heckler paint was sprayed on there with a matting agent.  Not to be over glossy, I wanted a more satin finish.  Hand pin striping then went on the fenders and tank in red and grey.  Speaking of fenders, I thought that this would be a good time to take 9 inches off of the rear fender.  While I need to lower it, I think it still looks good.  To top everything off, I had a skull airbrushed on the rear fender with a sailor's cap since I am a Navy veteran.  The last touch was some old school Panhead emblems.  

The rest is just some odds and ends here.  The plate was relocated to the swingarm with the plate frame housing LED running and brake lights.  As well, plate light bolts were used to show the plate to the local law enforcement.  I made some small brackets bringing the rear turn signals, which are mini bullets from Drag Specialties, and mounted them close to the fender struts.  They look nice and clean.

So, all in all, as a novice in bike modifying, the whole thing took 3 weeks and was done in my garage except the paint.  Not bad for a first timer I don't think.