Case in point: His 2008 Iron Horse. It’s a beautiful chopper with long graceful lines, gleaming chrome, and a unique paint scheme. Shawn said that in his opinion “It’s one of the finest designs that I have ever seen, for a production custom. At first, I gave it 99 out of 100 points. After I bought it, I realized it was more like 105.”

The streamlined beauty was appealing in part because it was number six of the last 100 bikes that Iron Horse ever produced before shutting its doors. Shawn describes it as having “great balance, brakes, handling power and ride.” Bought as a repo with 151 miles on it, he was perfectly happy with it from the start. Little by little though, he started getting that antsy feeling that comes when a mechanically minded man starts seeing little ways to perfect the nearly perfect. He adjusted and modified the shifter, then rerouted the plug wires and hoses to give it an even cleaner look. He then began reworking tiny imperfections that came with the fact that the previous owner hadn’t exactly handled the Horse with TLC. He started by hand-forming the rear inner fender, as well as the mounting brackets and the bottom cover of the tank. “I wanted to mount the cover to the frame instead of the tank,” Shawn said. “I cut the cover a little narrow, so it wouldn’t chip the tank, and the mounts wouldn’t be in the way if I removed the tank later.” Next, he raised the rear suspension, added an S&S air filter, and adjusted and tuned the carb. He even trimmed the license plate to cut out any unnecessary width. Sean was happier than ever, but his joy was short-lived, as that antsy feeling came over him again. “I realized that the rear tire was throwing road dirt on top of the battery and transmission,” he said. Once more, he began to consider solutions, and soon he designed an inner fender to keep everything dirt-free. “Even though you don’t really see it, it’s made a big difference in keeping the bike clean,” Shawn said.

Shawn wet sanded the paint, and Billy Upton at Crossbone Custom in Springdale repainted six body panels, adding three custom colors to the clear coat; he also rendered a wicked-looking skull onto the front fender, which adds nicely to the bike’s overall appearance.

Shawn said that his Iron Horse requires a bit more leg stretch than his other bike (an ‘06 Softail), but it’s comfy, even during long rides. “Handling is in a class all its own,” he said, noting that the low center of weight makes this bike feel like it weighs a lot less than its 690 pounds.

Shawn’s biggest challenge was in getting his wife Virginia’s approval. “She told me she didn’t like it,” he said. She preferred his Harley, and wasn’t too thrilled with the overall look and design of the Iron Horse. “My reply was, ‘It’s a good thing I’m not buying it for you!’” Shawn laughed. In the end, Virginia gave her blessing, and happily sticks to riding on the back of the Softail. You can lead a Horse to your wife, but making her ride it—well, that’s a horse of a different color.