Bobby Jones of Frisco, Texas, definitely falls into that “enough is . . .” category with his first-ever Harley-Davidson, a 2008 Street Glide. The FLHX (anyone can remember that) is a pretty-warmed-over factory custom version of a FLHT and mimics what a lot of Standard owners were modifying on their bikes. Lowered, stripped of shiny bits like passing lights, fender trim, bag latches, and saddlebag guards, shorty windshield, stylishly-thin seats, added shiny engine bits, audio systems ― well, you get the picture. So it was for Bobby. “I rode it for about three or four months, then I ended up buying an aftermarket front wheel. Put a 21” on there, and then, another three or four months before I started doing this customizing on it,” said Bobby. “When I first started, I just wanted to put wheels on it and after looking at different magazines and getting ideas, I started taking a couple steps at a time until there I’m at now.”

Where he’s “at now” is a custom bike with the silhouette of a factory model that’s been modified to make the graceful Street Glide lines flow even smoother, but not losing an ounce of the real-world practicality that came with it. “My goal with this bike was to have some custom features, but still have a Harley-Davidson stock look to it. I didn’t want to go too bizarre with it. That’s why I even kept it a stock color [Crimson Red Sunglo],” said Bobby.

The changes that were made to enhance the sleek look he was going for have pretty much become the accepted norm for a custom FLHX, but that doesn’t mean heading to the nearest Harley P&A catalog and removing a wallet-bound credit card to cover a barrage of chrome bolt-ons. Balancing off the newly- acquired 21” Renegade Phoenix front wheel was a matching 18” rear and both are covered in Metzeler’s finest rubber for a handling and braking upgrade. He also got a pair of wheel-complimenting Renegade rotors and chromed out the stock calipers to finish the look. “A lot of people asked me why I didn’t go with a single disc setup to show of the new wheels,” said Bobby. “You can still see the Renegade wheels I have clearly, so I wasn’t going to worry about that and I’m more comfortable riding with the dual discs.”

Keeping the already one-inch lower factory ride height was important to Bobby. “I didn’t lower it any more mostly for comfort, I use it a lot and comfort is important to me,” he said. Making it appear lower was a priority and that’s where “little” things like stretching the new-for-2008 six-gallon tank came into play. The custom dash adds to this look, but still looks like it was factory. Today, you can’t have a custom bagger without extending the bags and this was a no-brainer decision for Bobby. Not wanting to leave the rear fender looking like it had shrunk up after the bag extension, it was extended and cleaned up with a flush-mounted license-plate holder. Bill Farrett Customs re-sprayed the modified bodywork in genuine H-D Crimson Red Sunglo and the bodywork was a go.

Handlebar changes are often the quickest, biggest styling statement an owner makes and for Bobby, it was an important choice too. “A guy I ride with here in Frisco knew a guy in California [Handle Bar Lee of Harleys & Hot Rods in Inglewood] who made handlebars that had really caught my attention so I had a 16” rise pair made for me.” said Bobby. “They came out perfect and I’m really comfortable with them.” He also had a black alligator insert put on the top of the stock seat “just because.”

Other than a set of Thunderheader True Dual Thunder pipes and a Cycle Visions MoFlo air cleaner, the 96-incher is dead stock. “I’m more of an exterior guy. I go for looks and the engine just gets me to where I’m going,” said Bobby. “I don’t need a lot of speed. I relax and just sit back and enjoy the ride.” Satisfied with his engine’s performance, but not his audio equipment, he pumped up the jam with Infiniti speakers and an Alpine amp. Don’t worry, though, he’s not out to rattle car windows as he said, “I listen to mostly jazz and blues, I’m just cruising.”

In the feature story, I stated that changing the handlebars is “often the quickest, biggest styling statement an owner makes” and that’s true as long as that’s the first change, which it usually is from a cost standpoint. Add some apes and it’s a statement of cool, but when you really want to change the overall look of a Harley, wheels take precedence. Everybody likes to check out wheels and give their unsolicited opinion yea or nay. Size, design, finish, and quality are important when you’re spending the dough on a set of custom wheels.

Renegade Wheels in Orange, California, must have read your mind and offers a lineup of wheels sure to please your design palette. Bobby Jones’ choice of Renegade’s elegant six-spoke Phoenix wheels cleanly sets off his custom and have a style that won’t look dated ten years from now. They’re offered in sizes ranging from 16” on up to a basketball-player tall 26” with widths ranging from just over 2” to an incredible 14” for those individuals dealing with rubber insecurity problems. If you can’t find something to fit, you’re in the wrong hobby.

Matching rotors, floating rotors, pulleys, and sprockets and a bevy of finishes ranging from chrome, black ebony, black powdercoating, and a wide variety custom colors on request should enable you to make wheel shopping for your Harley a one-stop event at Renegade Wheels. Be sure to check out their new R2 Series Phantom Cut wheels, they’re a doozey. As their website states, “Twice cut ― Twice the look. Black anodized with raw cuts to give the edgy look.”

Check out all the Renegade Wheels at www.renegadewheels.com or call 714-998-7241 for more info.

Like a lot of first time Harley owners, Bobby Jones, a 13-year veteran police officer from Frisco, Texas, is not a newcomer to bikes. “I’ve been riding for about 11 years and this is my first Harley, but my third bike. Previously I was riding a Honda VTX 1300 and all my co-workers were always telling me how smooth the ride was and about all the features of a Harley, so I decided to give it a shot,” said Bobby.

Customizing a bike to his taste didn’t begin with a Harley, though, as he said, “It started with my VTX. Like this bike, I put a lot of money into it. One of my buddies said it was extremely nasty and that’s what it got named, Nasty. I just carried that name on and used it with my Harley. I wanted to have a Harley look, but just a nasty outlook for the bike. When I got finished with it and took it back to show my salesperson at Harley-Davidson of Dallas in Allen, Texas, he said, ‘That is extremely nasty.’ I was in shock and I said, ‘Yup, that’s the name of the bike, Nasty.’ A lot of times I take it to the dealership where they have a lot of cookouts and just hang out. My salesperson has made a couple of sales off it. He’s like, ‘Hey. This is what you can turn a stock bike into right here.’”

When asked whether he was ready to do more to this bike, Bobby said, “Right now I have no plans to build another bike or to get rid of this bike. I love the bike and I think I’m going to have it for a while. I’m just going to use my time just to ride.”

 

SPECIFICATIONS
Owner: Bobby Jones Year/Make: 2008 H-D Street Glide Builder: Bill Farrett Customs Build time: 5 months Engines: TC 96″ H-D Cases/Rods/Pistons: H-D Stock Cylinder/Head/Cam: H-D Stock Ignition: H-D Stock Carb: H-D Stock EFI Pipes: Thunderheader True Dual thunder Air Cleaner: Cycle Visions MoFlow Transmission: H-D Stock 6-Speed Primary/Clutch: H-D Stock Frame: 2008 FLHX Rake/Stretch: H-D Stock Forks: Chrome H-D Stock Wheels: Renegade Phoenix Front Tire: 21″ Metzler Rear Tires: 18″ Metzeler Brakes: H-D caliper/Reneggade rotors Fuel Tank: Stretched Harley-Davidson Oil Tank: Stock Harley-Davidson		Fenders: f/H-D R/Molded and Extended Handlebars: Handle Har Lee Meat Hooks Risers: H-D Stock Headlight: H-D Stock Taillight: Flushed into bags Hand Controls/Grips: H-D Foot Controls/Pegs: H-D Electrical: H-D Painter: Bill Farrett Customs Color: H-D Crimson Red Sunglo Seat: Black Alligator insert Special thanks to: Bill Farrett Customs and Rupert Ellis