Obviously this customized Dyna Low Rider S was not built to be a big time show bike, but I’m pretty sure it more than holds its own wherever it’s parked like here at Smoke Out 18. I know it sure caught my attention immediately. Another even more obvious thing about this bike and it may be its greatest attribute is that it was ridden there, not trailered. You’re looking at a Harley street bike just like yours even if it’s a completely different model. It’s modded just enough to make it the owner’s own without losing any of the inherent goodness of a fun and reliable bike you could hop on and go as far as time and money would allow you. 

    This Dyna was built for boogying and the stock 110-incher just wasn’t enough for the owner. Now it’s got a Screamin’ Eagle 117 Street Performance kit that includes a lot more than just seven extra inches. The 4.12” bore cylinders are a bolt-on with no case machining required and can be installed  with the engine in the frame. They’re filled with 9.9:1 forged pistons and rings that come with the kit along with quite a few other performance features. Oh, you know, a 58mm throttle body with high flow injectors and high-lift 259E cams with Perfect Fit pushrods and high capacity roller tappets. Toss in a bearing and some gaskets and other than a recalibration of the tuner at your local dealer and you’re almost good to go. 

   Yeah, I know that probably already seems a lot to drop into a brand new bike with an already decent motor and you would be right. But, damn, sometimes you just gotta do it or you’ll hate yourself so the owner also smartly went for a Two Brothers Racing short-in-length, but-not-in-sound exhaust that certainly looks better and sounds appreciably better too. Apparently the stock hi-flow intake and forward facing air cleaner didn’t make the cut because of the larger throttle body as a pancake-style unit is now the order of the day. There’s not a change in the engine bay that isn’t super cool as far as I’m concerned and I’m sure you feel the same way too. 

   The rolling stock is stock and that’s all fine by me as it’s good stuff as is and looks the biz too. One thing sorely lacking on Dynas is good rear suspension and that problem has been eliminated with a pair of high-quality K-Tech Piggyback Razor shocks with complete adjustability. I bet the change alone is fantastic for both ride and handling. I wouldn’t be surprised if the forks saw an internal upgrade to go along with this change. All good stuff and unfortunately worth the bucks. 

  What a difference a paintjob makes. The only change to the OEM bodywork is the addition of ‘70s-style gold graphics and it immediately busts out the stock and goes straight into customville. Yup, just adding some serious graphics put this bike into one-off land where all Harleys hope to roam. The paint scheme itself is a striking series of panels of traditional techniques bordered by a thin gold pinstripe. Even though that’s still a lot of work by my standards, it’s a hell of a lot less than a total repaint. 

   The only thing I’m not too sure about is the deeply-scooped BMC Corbin “The Wall” seat. No, no, it’s not the seat itself, I like the shape, butt catcher and decent padding. It’s the color, but then that’s just personal taste isn’t it? I see what the owner was going for, but I guess I’m just not a fan of the color they went with. Nope, I wouldn’t change the seat as I’m a fan of Corbin stuff, but I would change the color. I do like the BMX-style foot pegs and the taller risers are there for a bit of a more aggressive attitude change. They do succeed at that like a good set of apes, but they fit this style of bike better than apes might with the mini-fairing. It’s a little bit SOA added to a stock package that also looks a little bit SOA by itself. If you gotta mimic a style, one that you can ride with no learning curve is the way to go. 

   I’m sure there will still be people wondering why someone screwed with a perfect stock bike or why they did this or did not do that. That’s perfectly okay as that’s what custom is all about. Taking a Harley and making it your very own by modifying it the way you think it should be. It’s all part of the American Dream and I wouldn’t want it any other way.