another Softail make-over

Started a new project recently...2001 Softail Deuce. Customer bought the bike used, and isn’t responsible for all the silliness shown below. We both have similar design styles, so he let me do my thing.




First task was cleaning up the monstrous factory wiring harness, and reducing it to only the bare essentials. It takes ALOT of work to get the wiring to this point.


Internal wiring thru the backbone, factory horn removed, and new keyswitch installed in it’s place. Now, you just twist the key to engage the starter (like a car):




New headlight is a huge improvement:


And a new mini-horn is hidden away where it’ll never be seen, right in front of the splash guard:

Chopping the frame horns is easy, anybody can do it. Making it flow in a nice, smooth way is a whole ‘nother story.

Before:


After:




For the seat, I went with my usual Redtail Leather seat pan. Pretty simple mounting system: 3 tabs welded to the pan, 3 tabs welded to the frame…rock-solid. I really love the look of these seat pans. It flows real nice with the lines of the bike.

I took off the swingarm to chop off the unused tabs, and while it was off, I mounted one of my new license plate brackets:




Next up was the all-important suspension modifications to get the stance right. I’m a firm believer that getting the perfect stance is probably the most important step of any build. At the rear, I kept the factory shocks, but used a lowering kit to set the height. Up front, I used new shorter fork tubes. The bike really sits nice now.






Stock splash guard slimmed down:


Here are all the parts removed so far…major weight loss!

Looking pretty good so far. What tank are you going to run?

For the gas tank, I got busy making one of my Softail gas tanks...














In the past, I’ve chopped this frame gusset bar to really clean up the look. But this time, the tank was covering up most of the bar, so there was no need for that. I’ve seen others builders fabricate elaborate covers in an attempt to hide this bar, but they all look pretty silly to me…so I came up with something simple. This part basically ‘enlarges’ the smaller tube so that it flows nicely with the larger portion of the neck forging. Once powder-coated, it will blend nicely. And it mounts using the existing 2 holes that are already in the the bar. Easy.

Most rigid rear fenders are made to fit 18″ wheels/tires, but since the bike has a 17″ rear, a little work was needed to get the fit just right. Here’s the brand new Twisted Choppers rear fender (excellent quality, by the way)…notice how it doesn’t fit the tire very well:


First step is to cut slits in the fender every 2″ (leaving the center intact). Now the fender can flex like a spine:


Using towels to establish the desired clearance, a strap holds it all in place:


Weld in steel straps on either side to lock the position, then remove from bike:


Begin welding, being sure to stagger the welds to minimize warpage:


Once all welding is finished, remove the steel straps:


Then grind the welds smooth:


Now the fender fits perfectly:


It takes quite a bit of work, but is well worth the effort to get the look just right. A rear fender that doesn’t follow the rear wheel will always ruin the look of a bike.

If you decide to toss that original headlight let me know Sweet looking sled really like your builds im ever up north ive gotta check out your shop man

love the fender trick.

very clean work. i like your stlye choice...bravo

that cats got a grand in take off chrome

another fine example of how simple can be so beautiful. i'm hoping some new wheels are in the mix? it's a great improvement over the original pic.

You do fantastic work, thanks for posting this project. I can't wait to see how this bike comes out.

what! You are not keeping the kuryaken chrome swingarm covers? HaHa.

well, It looks much better with all that nonsense removed. but those wheels....hmmm.

Not too Shabby Homes.

I built an (Evo) Kraft Tech Softail this year. Naturally we're similar in looks. You're a pretty good fabricator/welder. I didn't read everything but are you going to keep the "Whore-ish" wheels?

As I always say, Not too many H-D Big Twins here. A damn Shit Load of Smorsters.

What ideas paint wise?

Very nice fab work there. Looks real nice. Keep rolling with it . Would like to see the end result.

that tank is flawless! Gonna follow this one for sure...

Thanks, fellas. Yes, that front wheel is getting replaced.

Next, I had to mount the rear fender, and fabricate a grab rail:








I then bent up the handlebars and mounted them to the Roland Sands risers. With that, mockup is done...time for finishes. I'll post more pics when she's all buttoned up soon.

What a transformation. Looking forward to seeing more of the progress!

Nice to see a twinkie chop

Looks great man!!! I've always been a big fan of those rear rims, very nice.

Awesome work!

Ever thought about cutting a little off the end of the bars so the throttle will sit closer to the M/C? Or are you adding switches there?

Originally Posted by hatcity

Nice to see a twinkie chop

i agree, nice work