Hey, I don’t blame them as money’s money and sometimes you gotta go with the flow, cash flow that is. But, there’s always the one out of ten like Snipes Machine employee, Brance Jenkins of Heath Springs, South Carolina, who really built a bagger for himself to own and ride. In this case, not only a bagger, but a hard-bagged 2002 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail. Yeah, I assumed it was a Road King too at first glance, but then I couldn’t help but notice the chromed Twin Cam oil tank and, viola, that’s a Softail platform. Actually it’s kind of unusual for a custom bagger to be based on a Heritage, but it too is a bagger straight from The Motor Company even if they’re in leather.
Hey, I gotta give some kudos to Brance for picking a Heritage Softail to work from in the first place. Seems like a smart move to me anyway. Maybe it’s because they’re such good used deals out there compared to a Road King or maybe it’s just because it is different and unexpected. Either way, building a custom bagger on a regular guy’s salary, even if you do it yourself, is still a good-sized pile o’ earnings and the less expensive the donor the better. Of course, I’m just assuming Robert Snipes, owner of Snipes Machine in Kershaw, South Carolina, doesn’t pay doctor’s wages to his employees even though they build surgically clean customs.
Even though the latest and greatest custom baggers feature 30-inch or even 32-inch front wheels, Brance set his up with a 26-inch front wheel for possibly some damn good reasons. Could have been a deal he couldn’t pass up or maybe the price of entry was considerably lower or both or even other issues. You know, things like what’s involved on getting it mounted between a set of fork legs. We all used to assume that you had to strip, cut, and weld on a head kit on a bagger frame to give the bigger wheel needed room and the all-important correct geometry. Now, there are cool triple tree kits that safely eliminate the need to hack and whack the frame and it’s one less thing to repaint if you don’t want to. Basically a bolt-on assembly for a 26-inch wheel like Brance used. Maybe he knows something we don’t and that a 26-inch wheel ends up being easier and more fun to ride than the latest and greatest big wheels. And, yes, I gotta believe he’s going to ride the hell out of this bike that’s consumed a large chunk of his wages.
There’s basically nothing you can’t do to a Softail that’s been done to one of the rubber-mount touring models and if you don’t believe me, take another look at Brance’s bike. This thing is a pip of a custom bagger with all the things that it needs to pull off a build worthy of Snipes Machine. Personally, I’m okay with the lack of acres of speakers and audio equipment as the sound of a good running engine is all I want to hear on a motorcycle otherwise I’d take my truck.
The Harley Twin Cam B engine is the heart of this beast and if the 2-into-1 speaker system sounds as nice as it looks this one’s a winner. I do like the aggressive look of the exhaust as it dominates the right side of the chrome and black engine room, yet ties it altogether. You gotta think there’s some extra beans in the engine by the looks of the bad boy exhaust and the previously mentioned oil tank just adds a bit more bling to the package. The chrome keeps extending aft via the chromed Softail swingarm. There’s nothing crazy going on here like a four-inch open belt primary or anything that might make this a less than an enjoyable custom bagger that can still hit the open highway and suck it in.
Somewhere there’s a set of Heritage leather saddlebags sitting on a shelf that you could probably pick up for a song as Brance replaced them with extended hard bags along with a wider custom rear fender. Nothing too crazy again, just a nice set of frenched-in tail lights and a recessed plate mount that keeps it from looking factory in any way. Even the bags themselves are simple and clean like the rest of the build. The fuel tank got a style makeover to the point where it could be anything from modified OEM (my choice) to a complete aftermarket tank. I do like that Branch kept the Heritage dash in place and that move had to save some dough and work and that’s okay. Not everybody needs or wants a digital dash with an iPad, iPhone, GPS, clock and whatever. Like the late Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday always dryly said on TV’s Dragnet, “Just the facts Ma’am” and that’s all you really need to enjoy yourself on a motorcycle other than gas.
Throw on a tire-hugging front fender and a custom headlight nacelle and it’s getting closer to go time. Brance replaced the stock Heritage bars with a hip bit of kit set of custom apes that sprout out of the headlight nacelle like they were tied directly into the top of the reshaped forks. Nicely custom, but also nice to ride behind with a reasonable reach and height from the pretty simple seat that looks like it’s stock for something. Fits the application nicely here and Brance can always change it out if he feels like it, but in the meantime it works. Nothing crazy on the controls to shout about, just stout pieces that have a look of factory and work like factory too. Hopefully Snipes Machine let him pillage first-round custom stuff from the take-off bins. Building something custom means new pieces even if they’re just new to you.
Brance kept it in his pants when it came time for paint with a very subtle custom paintjob. No beyond crazy stuff, just a paintjob in white with limited, but very tasteful ghosted graphics that quickly and quietly grabs your attention. The end result is crisp and clean and will definitely age well. Oh there’s a shout-out to Snipes Machine on the saddlebags, but you’d have to be so close to read it that it fades away with distance to create a silhouette in white that will draw you in to notice them. Kind of a neat plus without making a big fuss and the asymmetry of the design appeals to me anyway. I like two versions of a look that don’t look like entirely different looks. But, hey, that’s just me and you’re entitled to your own opinions even if they are completely wrong by my standards. Just don’t get me started.
So, this is what one builder rides as his personal bike and everything he did makes perfect sense when you think about it. From a Softail to a 26-inch wheel, Brance knew what he wanted and had the talent (and a shop behind him) to make it happen. People are always accusing big-wheel bagger owners of never riding their bikes, but I think I can safely say this guy Brance who works in a custom bagger shop will ride the living crap out of this bike simply because it is his bike and it’s wicked cool. That’s all the excuse I’d need.
For more information on Snipes Machine, checkout www.snipesmachine.com/ or visit their Facebook page.