It might not be obvious at first, but this bike started out as a 1999 1200 Custom and the sporty tough-guy attitude it ended up with is in direct contrast to the original. Instead of the stock laid-back cruiser style, DP went after an aggressive, corner-carving look that looks even greater (and tougher) than the sum of the parts involved and more importantly, the strict budget is not immediately apparent when you check out the bike. Lowering the front end two-inches while raising the back with longer (13.5”) Progressive shocks gives it a about to break out of the gate, nose-down look and quicker handling in the twisties.

Helping to turn a cruiser into a corner-killer is a complete change of rolling stock. Where there once lived a skinny 21” laced, chromed-rim front wheel now sits a beefy nine-spoke, black-powder coated mag surrounded in also beefy and super sticky Pirelli Sport Demon rubber. Out back, the old solid disc wheel hit the road and was replaced with a similar nine-spoke mag shod with another grippy Pirelli tire.

Adding to the non-factory look is a little trick of now-you-see-it and now-you-don’t. “We thoroughly cleaned up the messy OEM labyrinth of wires and ditched the blinkers,” said Jarrod. “Then we chopped the post shock section of the frame and hand-fabricated the rear cowl/seat pan. The owner is a tall dude so we favored the seat to give him plenty of room.” With that extra rear room, the Del Prado brothers ditched the forward controls for a set of more aggressive mid –controls and capped off the riding position with a comfortable, but committed-set of Biltwell clubman bars. Not too low or stretched out, but just right for spirited back road riding and you gotta admit, they look cool in a don’t-screw-with-me way.

The stock 1200cc XL engine provides a nice bunch of torque and power that you can actually use in the real world. Removing weight from the bike like the boys did only ups the power to weight ratio, but they’ve always got to get one of Justin’s signature exhausts into the picture just to add a bit more power. It’s the last thing to be fabricated before calling the bike a done-deal and Justin’s favorite part of the build. This DP 2-into-1 has two pipes floating into a 3” collector until tapering down to 2.5” at the tip. In a wise concession to civility, especially with that upwardly flipped tip, Justin installed a noise-restricting baffle. Too much of a good thing is still too much, so baffling not only makes it run a little sweeter, but keeps the owner able to hear compliments on his new ride when he’s quietly parked. Enhancing the pipes’ performance just a little bit more is one of Mr. Ness’ Big Sucker air cleaners.

The Del Prado boys are getting well known for their ability to map out a paint scheme for every one of their bikes that really gives it its own look without being gaudy or overdone in any way. Every single one I’ve seen matches the DP thought process behind the build. Jarrod quickly and simply explained this predominantly white paintjob saying, “The DPC paint scheme is inspired by our awesome state of Arizona and her 100th birthday.” Hey, that even explains the name Centennial which I didn’t get. Personally, I never would have known that without having it explained, but I do love the striking, yet subtle color play against the white background. These boys have got it down when it comes to providing a paintjob that would look great on a bike costing four or five times more than what a DP Custom’s bike hits the road for.

Yeah, we’ve covered the work of DP Customs quite often in print and online, but then there’s plenty of good reasons for that. Oh little things like common-man affordability, real world usage, and most importantly, one-off style that makes an owner proud to call a DP Customs’ bike his own without having to make any excuses. Instead of bolting on another catalog part in your quest to make your Harley something special, check out Jarrod and Justin’s totally affordable makeovers and not only save yourself a bundle, but you’ll get the bike you didn’t even know you always wanted.

For more info on the wide variety of Justin and Jarrod’s collective work, visit DP Customs’ website at www.dpcustomcycles.com.