Joe’s first bike was a dead stock 1995 Wide Glide that he rode for a very short time before the Harley customizing bug bit him hard. “At first I started to add little things, but then I wanted more, something different” said Joe. “Ever since I was 12 or 13 I was working on cars, never went to any school for it or anything, it just came pretty natural for me to work on Harleys .Friends are always bringing me bikes to work on and I’ve already built up four complete bikes. Compared to working on cars, bikes are fun.”
Slowly the Wide Glide started to transform into Joe’s idea of a usable custom that stood out in the crowd. “I started my therapy by riding to a lot of rallies and seeing all different kinds of bikes. I really got into the wide tire look and it went from there,” said Joe. While thumbing through a magazine, Joe spotted an ad for a Dyna wide tire kit and had to have it. “I bought the kit from a guy making them in Florida, but I don’t remember what brand it was or who built it. I do remember he told me it was the first wide tire kit he had actually sold,” said Joe. “I had a lot of problems with it (big surprise) and had to modify everything, nothing fell into place.” One of the problems involved getting the correct rear pulley as the one supplied was too small and created clearance problems after the transmission was taken apart and the output shaft had been extended. “I finally got the right pulley from them which had to be shipped from England no less,” said Joe. “I also had the swingarm chromed while I waited.”
The twin shock Dyna frame is not the typical choice of custom builders, usually an aftermarket Harley wide tire kit is seen on a Softail frame. Perhaps that’s why I couldn’t help but notice this bike when I first saw it at the Easyriders Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico, last year where it won first place in the modified Harley class. With bikes like the new Street Bobber and 35th Anniversary Super Glide, Dynas are finally getting the respect they deserve. “I really like the way this bike rides, it’s real smooth,” says Joe. “I’ve been to Sturgis, Laughlin, and the Love Ride among others, and it’s been a nice ride.” A 3” over Mean Street Bomber front end with a 7 degree rake triple tree adds just the right stance and still makes the bike a road warrior, although there are still changes coming to this set-up. “Tim Hanlon of Mean Street told me I might get a high-speed wobble with this much rake and he was right,” said Joe. “Originally I was only interested in building a bar-hopper at first and concerned with looks, but after all the miles I’ve put on attending rallies, I want high speed stability too. There’s a bit of a wobble at 80-90 MPH so I’m going back to a 5 degree rake to get the geometry correct now that I’m using the bike differently.” Hitting those speeds is reliably possible by the fairly stock 80” Evo that Joe added a Mikuni 42mm carb to and topped with a Kϋryakyn Hypercharger for better breathing. A Crane ignition lights it off and Vance&Hines Big Radius pipes stylishly add form and function to the combustion’s end result. “It runs real good and it’s great off the line. I have no complaints about the Harley engine,” says Joe. Sure, big-inch engines can be a trip, but when you want to just let her rip and hit the open road, it’s tough to beat the power and reliability The Motor Company’s mills provide. Drive train dependability is ensured by the use of a stock H-D 5-speed tranny and belt drive to the cool spoked pulley which mimics the 80 spoke wheels for a light and airy look that gleams in the sunlight or showlights. Mounted on the rear wheel is the 240mm Metzeler that was the original focus of the build while the 21” front wears a Dunlop. Achieving negative G’s is handled by Russell Chrome Rotors that are squeezed by stock H-D calipers, no surprises here. Now remember, this is a true roadbike so it has fenders fore and aft like any person piling up serious miles would demand. The front is a heavily modified West Coast Choppers that really hugs the tire while the rear is the fat-tire kit’s widened ducktail as supplied. A stock Harley gas and oil tank finish off the necessary tinwork. “I wanted to keep a sorta stock Wide Glide look from the side,” said Joe. Originally painted in a traditional flame style, Joe was sent by his good friend Oscar to El Paso’s premier painter, Danny Bally for a new look. Danny suggested the real flame look which strikingly sets off this bike in the flesh. “I had to send it back to Danny though, as I wanted the Harley name painted on the tank,” said Joe. “I just like the look of their insignia.” Details left included the L.A. Choppers bars mounted on 8” risers with H-D supplying the hand and foot controls. A Tradewinds Flamed headlight provides illumination for nighttime desert runs while the Ness Cateye tail light disappears into the horizon. Joe got a flame covered seat to complete the theme and a place to park his butt comfortably over the short Fox shocks.
Would Joe have done anything different? “The only thing I wish I had done was to have waited for a 300mm kit. This was my first build though, I’m happy with my bike.”
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #50, September 2006.
SPECIFICATIONS | |
---|---|
Name of Bike: | None |
Owner: | Joe Balderrama |
Make/ Year: | 1995 Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide |
Fabrication/ Assembly: | Joe Balderrama |
Build Time: | 6 months |
Engine: | 80″ H-D Evo |
Cases: | H-D |
Flywheel: | H-D |
Rods: | H-D |
Pistons: | H-D |
Cylinders: | H-D |
H-D | Heads: |
Cam: | H-D |
Carb: | Mikuni 42mm |
Air Cleaner: | Küryakyn Hypercharger |
Ignition: | Crane |
Pipes: | Vance&Hines Big Radius |
Transmission: | H-D 5-speed |
Primary Drive: | H-D |
Clutch: | H-D |
Frame: | H-D Dyna |
Rake: | Stock |
Stretch: | Stock |
Forks: | Mean Street |
Length: | 3″ over, 7 degree trees |
Rear Suspension: | Fox |
Front Wheel: | 21″ 80 spoke wire |
Rear Wheel: | 18″ 80 spoke wire |
Front Tire: | Dunlop |
Rear Tire: | 240mmX18 Metzeler |
Brakes Front/ Rear: | Russell Rotor/ H-D |
Fuel Tank: | H-D |
Oil Tank: | H-D |
Front Fender: | WCC/ Joe Balderrama |
Rear Fender: | Mystery Wide Tire Kit |
Handlebars: | L.A. Choppers |
Risers: | 8″ |
Headlight: | Tradewinds Flamed |
Taillight: | Arlen Ness Cateye |
Hand Controls: | H-D |
Foot Controls: | H-D |
Electrical: | H-D |
Painter/ Graphics: | Danny Bally |
Color(s): | Black with Flames |
Special thanks to: | Tim Hanlon and Danny Bally |