Like every bagger build, it’s all about the paint. Back Yard’s boss man and spiritual guiding light, Joey Hensley, pulled a fast one spending time and money making what’s new seemingly old. You might even be thinking about how hard or not this would be to restore back to new and I have the answer, “Nothing.” It might look a bit down and out, but that’s exactly what Jody Goodwill of SRM Paintwerks in State Road, NorthCarolina, had in mind. Using real rusted bits like the 1940 Dodge headlight gives it some real patina, but the rest is a natural process of air brushing ages of painted neglect without any ferrous materials being hurt or destroyed in the process. Well, maybe the Dodge headlight is bursting with real rust patina that might not be the best thing for it in the long run, but sometimes parts have to give their ferrous soul to the process of building a rad, rusted-out bagger like this.

 

   Like everything on reality motorcycle TV, this bike Joey dubbed The Ender was built in a ridiculously short period of TV time and real time. Somehow, the Back Yard crew was able to take a 2007 Harley-Davidson Road King and turn it into this slammed, supercharged, one-piece/one-off bodywork, all built around a 30-inch front wheel. Actually, if you watched the actual show, you might have noticed that the massive Mad Industries Art Deco billet front disc wheel has been swapped out for a similar sized spoked wheel. I loved the style of the original wheel that looked like it could have been taken directly off a 1930s Alfa Romeo. But, it was possibly a little too flashy for the rest of the build so a giant spoker sits in its place while that other wheel goes in search of a build.

 

   I do have one other idea why that also might have changed and that was watching them install the disc wheel between the fork legs. Now we’ve all seen people lift up a Harley engine and carry it over to be installed in a frame. Looks heavy, but doable. When I watched Joey Hensley, who is not a little guy by any means, ask for help lifting the wheel and tire package onto the work station to be placed between the fork legs, they both grimaced a bit at the heft. Maybe a big solid disc of billet aluminum is just a bit too much spinning away up front. Hey, who knows? I’m just speculating and trying to cause trouble I guess, but the spoked wheel fits the build better I think.

   Like all things TV, there was a bit of work discord over how much to try and successfully accomplish within the timeframe they were allotted. Stripping a bagger to its bones and then modifying the front end of the frame to accommodate the big wheel is a lot of work just by itself. Even if you’ve done it a million –bazillion times like Back Yard already has, it’s a bunch of hard work that can’t be rushed if you have any smarts. But, there was a question of how far they would take the build. Time was their enemy.

   The crux of the heated TV discussion was that Back Yard had to take everything to the limit like they always do on a non-TV build. It might be pulling it close, but there had to be more to it than just bolting on some re-worked aftermarket body pieces and calling it a day. So, building something from scratch became the new reality. They found time to just whip up a total one-off one-piece set of original bodywork that’s something that’s not just glassed together, but a functioning assortment of fuel tank/seat/rear fender/bags in one lift-off unit. Whether you appreciate the one-piece approach is your own opinion, but it does make for one smooth piece of bodywork from head light to taillight.

 

   Joey’s take on bag lids is pretty damn neat, I must say, consisting of sliding tops instead of the usual hinged lids. Definitely a different take on an old problem and one of those things you might do on a one-off, but not a regular old Harley bag. The advantages are mainly in the realm of coolness, but that’s where a lot of us would like to live. It certainly does look cool just effortlessly gliding aft.

 

  Surprisingly, the engine was a high priority on this bagger build. Normally, bagger guys throw a bunch of chrome at it along with an over-the-top intake and exhaust and head for home. Not this time, though, as it’s not only had its ante up substantially with a Pro Charger supercharger pushing an unnaturally-compressed, highly-explosive mix of fuel and air into the 96-inch Twin Cam engine. What goes in must come out and that’s handled by a manly, pirate-style, worked over FSD 2-into-1 exhaust tipped with an exhaust flapper that looks agitated from all the noise.

 

   Make sure to check out Jack Cofano’s photo gallery for an in-depth look at Back Yard’s bagger The Ender. Jack gets paid one penny for every look so help the poor guy out. When you’re through perusing through Mr’ Jack’s pictures, hop over to Back Yard’s web site http://backyardbaggers.net/ or their Facebook page for more Back Yard info.