I probably should confess I’m a huge fan of Heritage Softails for purely aesthetic reasons and this white 100^th Anniversary Harley hits all the right Harley buttons for my taste with a few possible exceptions that has nothing to do with anything more than my own personal taste. I think that’s what makes feature bikes like this pretty damn interesting since I can look at Jack Cofano’s and start thinking about what Billy did that was right and wrong as far as my personal tastes go. Same goes for our readers who always have opinions on our feature bikes no matter what level of build-up they’ve undergone, but especially on modified late model stockers. Everybody including Billy, me, and all of you know how it should be done because we’re all armchair professional customizers even if our bikes only have a change of pipes and some tassels. That’s what makes a god looking bike like Billy’s so much fun to feature.

 

  When it comes to a Heritage, I guess I’ve got a bit of Barnett’s Magazine Online’s über-talented photographer’s fetish for white paint as it looks clean, fresh, and somehow a bit retro at the same time. I hate to say it, but a white Heritage Softail might just be my favorite anniversary scheme as it doesn’t look immediately dated and confining like the now famous or infamous (depending on your own point of view) silver and black paintjob. The overall affect is crisp and still manages to make the chrome, especially all the added chrome here, pop. 

 

   Contrary to what some people have said to me, modifying a stock bike is not the easy way out, but a personalization of a bike that’s lost basically none of its street usage. If a Heritage fits your needs and wants, that’s a better choice than a ground-up hardtail build. What does make it tough is coming up with something that’s your own and not just a Harley P&A catalog bike. Personally, I get bored to death with incorporating as many Maltese Cross or Live to Ride accessorized bikes and usually wonder why the owner bothered. But hey, that’s my take and what do I know?

 

   This little shining white gem has its share of aftermarket parts, granted, but it’s just a lovingly enhanced model that looks like a million bucks. The end result has a whole different look or style to it with some pretty pricey pieces replacing the OEM parts. Take the Ride Wright Fat Daddy wheels for instance, they immediately give the Heritage a different, yet custom, look from the stock laced wheels, but they fit nicely in the same vein as the originals. Blingy chrome has replaced lots of other parts from the fork legs to the swingarm and a lot more in-between. There’s a tasteful combo of non-original parts that all work together without one trying to overpower the other. It’s one big concert in chrome that works and works well.

 

   Some major changes that might not work for everybody range from changing out the stock mini-apes to beach bars and installing a set of fishtails that almost have their own zip code extending so far aft. Personal preference and maybe not what you or I might do, but it works for Billy. Removing the stock windshield and leather bags dramatically transforms the silhouette from old-style tourer to street bike cool. Same goes for lowering it front and rear to within an inch of its useful life, but it’s still useful for knocking around on the streets of almost any city or town anywhere except if you happen to live right off the Alcan Highway.

 

  Anyone who knows even just a little bit about motorcycles knows that braided brake lines work (and look) better than black rubber hoses and Billy doesn’t disappoint here. What makes it neat, though, is that he replaced all the cables from clutch to throttle to spark plug wires with matching clear-braided style. Everything just quietly blends together without looking like it’s trying to and gives a nice personal touch to the proceedings. Same goes for the replacement of the oval Twin Cam air cleaner housing for a retro round unit that gives more of a Harley for the ages feel plus it’s a little more out of the way of you leg and that’s a definite good thing on all counts. Something that’s easy to miss with all the shiny stuff are the Diamond Cut cylinders and heads. Bling to the bling.

 

   Staying with the stock paint is totally okay by me anyway as it would sorta suck to rip off the lovely yet bold, metal tank badges for flames or scallops or murals or whatever. According to out intrepid white-bike lover, Jack Cofano, “white is right” and in this case, he’s spot-on ─ especially in combo with the big-ass whitewalls. There’s an understated elegance to this whole look that surpasses what the basic content really is and it’s one that won’t look dated in five, ten or twenty years or maybe even more. I like it and I bet a lot of you do too.