Then, bam, there it was, a custom Harley-Davidson FLH of Shovelhead persuasion from Smoke Out 17 that looks like it could have been built yesterday or decades ago. I’m inexplicably drawn to bikes built on a budget by their owners using skills acquired over the years. I stopped looking at hundred grand baggers and zeroed in on this neat ride. I had no choice as I said I’m inexplicably drawn to cool bikes and this is surely one of them.

   Even though I said this was a budget bike, that’s not an insult to the finished product in any way, shape or form. Somebody just built a smart bike that does exactly what they wanted and looks first-class doing it. I love how the basic goodness of a Shovelhead FLH was kept and infused with some extra special sauce while it was being chopped. The stock chassis stayed stock and that included the forks and shocks too although they were modified just enough so you know what they’re from but you do have to look to see. The hydraulic FLH fork has been given a bit of a mechanical haircut above the lower triple clamp looking all light and chrome spiffy, but kept the FLH beefiness below.

  I’ve become more of a fan of early H-D mags with each passing year as they have become sort of a later model version of old goodness like an even older Invader wheel does today. Here they just look right especially without acres of bodywork lessening their OEM impact of a simpler mag wheel time. Personally I thought they were kinda clunky back in the day compared to laced wheels, but as I said, I grow more fond of their looks every time I see them. Now I wonder why I wasn’t crazy about them, but I guess I’m a traditionalist who doesn’t take to major changes like mag wheels all that easily.

   One thing I’m usually not too crazy about are whitewall tires on bikes although if you gotta have them, at least make them wide whites like here. Don’t even get me going on those ridiculous pinstripe whitewalls on Harley’s touring models. Actually I’m relenting a bit on my no-whitewalls mantra of life and maybe it’s the mags, but I like ‘em here. My aversion to whitewalls probably comes from years and years of trying to keep the wide whites looking good on our ’56 Ford Country Squire. All I know was that it was a lot of work for a kid and I’ve only grown lazier as I’ve gotten older. Maybe it’s because even though a bike only has two wheels, it’s got the same number of whitewall sides as the ’56 Ford.

   Certain vintage pieces like the chromed shrouded rear shocks and battery box fit this build perfectly and give it a sense of true H-D identity. Luckily the aftermarket had no part of this as on a retro-Old School build like this, using proprietary parts cements the bike’s relationship to how builds like this were once done. There’s a familiarity you cozy up to immediately if you’re a certain age. If you’re not, these bits might as well be new parts to you. Either way, they’re a winner and not just some easy way out.

   All you have to do is look at the lovely Shovelhead engine and you know this guy has got his Harley-Davidson sh*t together. It’s just a beautiful piece like an expensive watch. It’s mechanical perfection from the split rocker boxes with hard lines to the mirror-like engine covers. Keeping it authentic is the raw aluminum cases and heads bookending the black cylinders. Details from the air cleaner to the ribbed pipes to the brass kicker fill out all the right touches while utilization of the stock controls keeps it real and reliable too.

   For bodywork, the guy made some smart choices like the Sportster tank (with a clear line fuel gauge on the side) that not only always looks good, but really brings a bit of authentic Old School custom as well as a much sportier look versus stock fat bobs. Chucking the front fender (and front brake) brings the white-walled 16-inch mag to the forefront yet lightens up the whole front end. The stock rear fender was tastefully, maybe I should say artfully, cut and bobbed until it looked like it should have in the first place.

  Attached to that rear fender is a delicate sissy bar/passenger pad seat back that I really got even more interested in when I saw it was built around an old Harley-embossed pad. Very nice touch. The rest of the seating is courtesy of LePera and I got a feeling this is really vintage stuff as LePera has been around forever. The simple seating looks pretty comfy and classically cool like seats once were.

 The view from the seat is pretty nice too lad by the big chrome shell headlight that allows you to catch a glimpse of yourself riding between the wide ape hangers. I’m not sure of the exact height, but they’re out of the mini-ape class for sure. A prominent, but small speedo keeps things legal and I don’t think this is one of those change it once a year types of owners. This thing gets ridden a lot and keeping the oil change intervals steady is important to a Shovelhead owner. One other bit I really, really like is the taillight on the side-mounted plate. Look familiar? You bet and re-purposing something normally seen on a back fender is a bit of genius-on-a-budget imagination.

  Paint, that all important and potentially destructive aspect of any custom motorcycle, is the final bit that had to be worked out and worked out it did. On this bike, I wouldn’t be surprised if the owner taught himself how to paint in a booth he built in his garage. The heavy flake silver base features black flame graphics with pinstriping that really looks like something from the past. It really works on this bike and I think it looks fabulous. There’s just enough going on to make it Old School interesting, but not too much. It blends in as part of the whole design vibe and doesn’t fight to get your attention. It’s just part of the package and an asset instead of a hindrance. Oh, by the way, love those tank badges.

  So yeah, I really like this bike and admire what the builder’s accomplished. It’s a nice homage to an era of custom motorcycles that still gets Harley lovers’ hearts-a-fluttering. You gotta admit, you might love your Road King to death, but you surely wouldn’t mind having something like this parked next to it in your garage for those times your inner hooligan needs a workout.