But just in case your factory bagger is not exactly what you want, you can always do like Horace “Dollar Bill” Griffin did, and customize it to your very own personal standards. Back in 2005, Horace walked into Fort Washington Harley-Davidson and bought himself a brand new Electra Glide Classic in Sunglo Blue. “I was very excited buying and owning my first Harley-Davidson motorcycle. I rode it everywhere when the weather was good. But, after a couple of years of riding around and seeing all the other stock dressers, my bike became a little boring. I wanted something different, but did not want another factory dresser, so I decided to customize my current stock ride into something radical,” said Horace.
Being a professional plumber with some very good basic and a few advanced mechanical skills, Horace decided that his hands would do most of the custom work on his bike. “I strongly believe in the old saying, ‘If you want something done right the first time, then do it yourself,’” he said. He first visualized exactly what and how he wanted to change his bike. Horace made a list of custom parts he wanted to add or replace, and then he either ordered them online or acquired them locally. After a few months of research, he was able to find and obtain the exact accessories he wanted to do the custom job on his bike.
Horace did all the fabricating on his bike, and Exquisite Motorsports did a considerable amount of the assembly. Horace liked his original smooth and comfortable ride, but wanted his bike to have that low profile appearance. So getting that low look without sacrificing the comfort required a few modifications. He switched out his original seat for an H-D Battle model, and then he added a few inches of fiberglass to the lower portion of his saddlebags. He replaced his rear fender with a Ness model and did some modifications to it, so it would match the saddlebags. This lowering process gave Horace’s bike the right appearance, but it wasn’t easy. “The biggest challenge in customizing my bike was molding the lights into the rear fender. I worked in the tail light and then had to make sure they lined up with the tag holder,” said Horace. Another step to achieving a low profile looking dresser was removing the top case. “When my wife and I take long trips and plan to spend a few overnights away from home we do miss the extra baggage space the top case normally provides, but we prefer to pack tighter and keep the low look,” said Horace. For added comfort on those longer trips he added 16-inch ape hanger handlebars, which he said reduces arm fatigue considerably.
Horace is not a professional painter or graphic guy, and felt that he lacked the skills to mix and match the right color scheme for his bike, so once all the parts were added, removed, or replaced he took his scooter to Artistic Creations of Clinton, Maryland. Once the bike arrived, his good friend, Raphael, designed and created this tribal green machine theme paint layout. This was the final step in completing the custom process, and it had to be done right. “You can have the fastest custom bike, or the longest custom bike, or the lowest custom bike, but if the paint job is wrong, then the whole customizing process is a waste,” said Horace. I fully understand that every rider has his or her own taste when it comes to paints and color schemes, and Horace’s hues and paint designs fit his style. “When I took my bike to Raphael I described to him what I wanted and he took it from there. He created the green and orange color scheme, and I really like it,” he said. His bike’s custom paint of Keylime, Sunset Orange and White Silver Pearl draws a lot of attention and fits Horace’s initial custom requirement of “wanting something different.”
Up Close: D&D Drag Pipes
Starting your business by manufacturing an exhaust system that you couldn’t buy from any existing motorcycle parts producer is pretty remarkable. That’s exactly what David Rash of D&D Performance Exhaust did back in 1972 when he needed a special exhaust system for his race bike, but was unable to find it, he made his own. Since producing that first exhaust, the company has evolved into a world leader in the motorcycle exhaust business.
Obviously, there were thousands of other riders that were unable to find the right exhausts for their machines until D&D came on the scene, because these guys sell tons of exhaust systems for just about every motorcycle in today’s market. And if they don’t have the right pipes for your bike, they can always make them. The drag pipes on this custom dresser were manufactured by D&D. “It took me a couple of months to find the right sounding exhaust system for my bike. I went to several motorcycle events, and just sat by the entry ways and listened to the sounds of the bikes rolling in. Every time I heard a bike with some nice sounding pipes they were running a D&D exhaust system, so my choice of pipes were D&D,” said Horace “Dollar Bill” Griffin, the owner of this custom dresser.
The right sound for a motorcycle exhaust system depends a lot on the type of engine, how it’s tuned, how well the exhaust systems are constructed, and what sounds good to the owner. For those who’ve run different aftermarket exhaust systems, you’ve probably owned pipes that tarnished after a couple hundred miles, and did not measure up to your standards. D&D pipes and exhaust systems are constructed of the highest quality materials and engineered by the minds and hands of top professionals. For more information on D&D exhaust systems log on to www.danddexhaust.com or call 817-834-8961.
Builder: Horace “Dollar Bill” Griffin (Eastern Performance)
Horace “Dollar Bill” Griffin has a traditional custom bike builder’s background. He started out young tinkering around with bicycles, mopeds, scooters, lawnmowers, and any other items with small engines, and particularly anything with two wheels. You know the kind, they just like fixing and changing things that are not broke. They just can’t leave well-enough alone. Everything needs fixing! “I was three years old when I rode on the back of Dad’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle and it’s one of those first experiences that I’ll never forget,” said Horace.
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, hard work and honesty was something instilled in him throughout his youth and upbringing (Something that has eluded many kids today in my opinion). As a young adult, Horace joined the US Air Force where he served honorably, and learned his trade and skills as a plumber. After proudly serving his country for several years, he returned to the civilian sector and started a career in the plumbing business. He also picked up a sideline gig of customizing and fixing motorcycles. He and his wife, Sharon, settled in Brandywine, Maryland. “Customizing motorcycles is something I really enjoy, and is a way for me to relax and create something different,” said Horace.
His first major motorcycle customizing projects started out with two of his previously owned sport bikes, a 2000 ZX12R Kawasaki and 2001 ZX900R Kawasaki. Both bikes received lots of favorable comments, and this pushed him to buy a Big Dog motorcycle for the main purpose of enhancing his customizing skills. The Big Dog project was also a success and the bike was a real attention getter. Shortly after completing this project he found himself swamped with custom work for his friends and a few strangers. Between working his normal job and customizing bikes, he still finds time to ride approximately 4,000 miles annually.
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