The scuttlebutt on the show was that this bike was designed around Nick’s recollection of the first bike his dad built and that’s a cool memory to work from. Actually I’d like to see photos of his dad’s bike as I love vintage builds, but some things might just be better left to memory. But, it’s a great inspirational idea and the end result is lovely to look at with some neat trick features that would make Nick’s dad proud.

 

   Building a trendy big wheel (but not too big) bagger around the kicker Shovelhead engine is pretty damn wild and spits in the eye of those who hate custom baggers. Right away you know something cool is going on and you won’t be disappointed by the juxtaposition of old versus new in the same package. Baggers Inc. did a great job of combining the two time periods into a contemporary custom bagger that isn’t trying to be themey in any way ─ it just is what it is.

 

   By now I hope you’ve checked out Jack Cofano’s photos and saw the beautiful job Baggers Inc. did overhauling the 74-inch replacement for the beloved Panhead. Other than the head which sat on the Panhead’s iron barrels and bottom end, not too much had changed except for a nice increase in power for the third edition of Harley’s OHV engines. That power increase gave the Shovelhead a reputation for being badass back in the day and that reputation still continues today. Baggers Inc. did an absolutely primo job making this engine look better than new and I can say that because I was there when they were new. Check out the finish work on the engine covers or the heads if you want to see alloy perfection. The gaping mouth of the velocity stack carb and the straight-back dual exhaust ending in fishtails is a simple yet perfect solution to intake and exhaust for the period-powered piece while the copper oil lines bring a bit of metallic warmth to the mix of iron and raw and polished aluminum. The ‘nothing but a belt and pulleys’ open belt primary looks like it was installed at the factory and fits this build like a glove. Gotta give Nick and Brain points for not going custom crazy with some six-inch belt primary with a billet cover. This looks right.

 

   If you’ve checked out the pics and saw the back end photo with the two red igniters mounted on the pipes behind the bags, you know what’s going on. Yup, everybody’s favorite trick that never gets old no matter how many times you may have seen it, flames shooting outta those canted upward fishtails. I know I’d never walked away from a bike shooting huge gasoline-fired flames into the night accompanied by a nasty Shovelhead’s bark.

 

   Putting the Shovel to work required a frame that could walk the walk of today’s wildest and wackiest baggers and Baggers Inc. totally reworked the frame to get what they needed to fit a big wheel. Not the biggest wheel possible, but one that fit their sense of style. Maybe that choice came about with the idea of Nick’s dad’s bike which doubtfully had anything over a 21-inch wheel at the time and probably less even. Between the raked out frame and the raked out trees, the wheel found a home that didn’t have all the pitfalls of a radically-raked (read – dangerous) Old School build. Nick and Brian are always pushing the idea Baggers Inc. bikes are made to actually ride and this is an example of how a show-worthy bike can be a rider. Maybe not across country, but you get the idea.

 

   Where I think this bike is a standout is in some of the choices they made which appeal to me personally like the fat bob tanks with the old Harley badges for one. I never get tired of seeing those old hefty Harley badges adorning tanks and especially one with no graphics screwing things up. I know, I know, most people want to replace their stinkin’ badges with flames or something graphic, but the old Harley-Davidson badges always do it for me. Where these boys took it to a different level was the use of the exquisite tooled leather dash pad replacement strap that ties into the seat with a swath of color that breaks up the black blackness without breaking it up like flames, dragons, or Viking murals do. There’s a nice artisan look to it without trying to be kitschy.

 

   Same goes for the rest of the bodywork too s the bags are not over the top, just a redesign of what’s expected while the new FL-style skinny front fender clearly sends the right note about Harley heritage. I can’t help but love the heavily modified rear fender which is in steel instead of the usual glass add-on. Notice the hinge in the middle of the fender that bikes of old used to make removing the rear wheel a bit easier? I appreciate what they were trying to accomplish here and it’s two thumbs up for me on that little ditty alone. Same goes for the headlight nacelle which is the first one that dwarfs the front wheel for reasons unknown to me, but it does in the photos at least. Don’t mind it a bit as I’d rather look at a big headlight than a too big front wheel. One little touch that also went a long way for me was the use of matching fender tip lights front and rear. Those are just so Harley to me and I’m nuts about them too for reasons I don’t have the slightest idea why, but I do. But the real pièce de résistance possibly on the whole bike to me is the handshifter. The subtle way the slender rod climbs and curves over the side of the tank and ends in a delicate brass knob is just beauty in parked motion. Things couldn’t be simpler and simple is not easy to do.

 

   Baggers Inc. did one fine job with their Shovelhead bagger and I’m looking forward to seeing even more from Nick and Brian and the rest of the lads. In the meantime, this Shovelhead custom bagger will do just nicely.

 

  For more info on Baggers Inc. just punch up  https://baggersincaz.com/ and let your freak flag fly.