Rodney Smith, owner of Southeastern Customs Chopper and Hot Rod Shop in Supply, North Carolina, always has a customized personal rider hanging around the shop that he’s not only proud of, but more than happy fire up and ride on a moment’s notice. Barnett’s Magazine Online has already featured his previous shop bike a couple of years ago, a customized Ironhead Sporty, but I guess Rodney either got an offer he couldn’t refuse or he just wanted something a bit different. His new bike is pretty sporty, but it’s not a Sportster, it’s a 1981 Harley-Davidson FXS Lowrider still packing a real MotorCo Shovel of the same vintage, but that’s where stock ended and Rodney began.

   Well by now you’ve already checked out Jack Cofano’s photo gallery and if you haven’t, you should. For those that have it’s obvious that Rodney focused his brainwaves and his energy on the Lowrider until he came up with the pretty blue beauty you see here. Rodney explained how this all came about saying, “I wanted to build a Frisco-style bike with the tail dragger fenders and apes. I started with a low mileage Shovel I got in trade, but it was a real rat bike ─ all flat black, very dull, and very unappealing. One thing lead to another and in between building a biker for someone else, I built my little Shovelhead in a couple of months.”

    Usually most people immediately tear a bike apart and then start the build from there, but not Rodney. “I started out by buying a few parts here and there and after I got what I wanted, I tore the bike apart and started the mock-up procedure,” he said. “I actually feel I exceeded what I started out to build, but that is usually what happens when I get on a roll.” It wasn’t a ‘let it roll and see what happens kind of build’ as Rodney did have a theme in mind before he built it and if you can’t tell from the pics, I’ll let him explain, “I am an Air Force veteran so I wanted to build a bike in honor of my time in the service.” Oh, so that’s why the …. 

    Following a rebuild of the low-mileage Shovelhead, Rodney made sure there was an appropriate amount of the shiny stuff (A lot!) scattered all over the outside of the internally stock 80-inch AMF mill. Hey, remember, this is his fire-up and ride bike and 80-cubes of Shovel-power is just peachy for this purpose. Minor, but vital external updates to intake (S&S Super E carb w/a hi-po intake and air cleaner) and exhaust (2-inch drag pipes) made a sassy difference in power and sound without affecting day-to-day usability.

    The wheels are not billet, but then they just wouldn’t look right on this bike so Rodney built around the stock hubs with a set of fresh twisted spokes laced to shiny rims. A bit of appropriate bling for the fans of Old School. The stock triple discs were refurbished and upgraded with a set of stainless brake lines to replace the tired 33-year-old rubber hoses. Also fresh Avon Venom rubber now covers the 16” rear wheel and the 21” front where dried and cracked tires once ruled.

    One neat little piece Rodney picked up during the initial “buying a few parts here and there” sequence was the Motorway Custom Cycles (Manchester, New Hampshire) billet triple trees. “They fit the stock 35mm forks and they added a very clean look to the front of the bike,” said Rodney. Also looking very clean is the set of apes Rodney chose that will never be have the precursor term “mini” ever placed before apes. Apparently he’s either got ape-like arms or he really likes his apes high as in hand-higher-than-shoulder, but that’s his ape choice. Personally, I’ve gotten ticketed for that “grievous offense” and I wasn’t even riding my own bike, but hey, that’s another story. Other pieces he initially picked up to use later were things like the tail dragger fenders, custom side-mount brake light and license tag, billet grips and braided oil lines.

    When it came time for the all-encompassing Air Force paintjob, Rodney turned to the only man he could trust for the beautiful Subaru Rally Blue paint – himself. Yup, Mr. Smith does all of his paintwork in-house except for the pinstriping which he left in the capable hands of Jacksonville, North Carolina, pinstriper Eric Thompson. “Believe it or not, this was a fun, easy build and everything just fell into place,” said Rodney.

 Now all it came time to do was for Rodney to plunk his butt on the LePera seat and have at this ancient Shovelhead just to see what she’ll do. For a guy who chooses his words carefully, Rodney summed up the experience of what his new personal rider was all about in seven short words, “It rides like a Shovelhead should.”

   For more on what Rodney’s up to at Southeastern Customs Chopper and Hot Rod Shop, twiddle your digits until you hit http://southeasterncustoms.org/ and see for yourself.