I look at literally hundreds and hundreds of bikes a day in Jack Cofano’s Barnett’s Magazine Online’s photo galleries and there’s not a dog among them, but this one caught my eye today. First off, it’s in a parking lot which means it’s a rider and that gets a lot of points from me just on that point alone. But, there’s an interesting almost insect-like look to this build I find intriguing. It’s got a bit of a spindly look to it from the springer front end to the engine with a lot of open frame space in between giving an appearance of it maybe being a little bendy under load, although I strongly doubt that by the size of the tubing. There’s just a loose, casual look about the whole build that grabs me. 

  It’s long and low in true custom ideology, but the owner decided to forgo the expected hardtail route for a more street usable Softail setup. The extremely simple beefy tube swingarm was left in black in contrast to the frame paint and almost disappears into the build. Ordinarily I’d prefer it painted in frame color, but, again, for reasons unknown to me it works. All I can think of is that the rearwards assemblage of the mass of the bike works to really open up the front giving a different feel to the build. 

   Even though this is a completely custom frame, the owner/builder clearly went the smart route using one of The Motor Company’s engines to reliably power this beast. Obviously I’m a big fan of Harley-Davidson engines and I like the idea of using something you don’t have to screw with to build around never mind later when you hit the road. Plus if you have to search for engine parts for some reason, your search involves just the nearest Harley dealer and not 50 possible sources. 

  As far as this engine goes, it’s probably not hot rodded to death by the looks, but nicely modded to bring out all the hidden horsepower and sound lurking deep within those cases. That’s a fun, fast and no-brainer powertrain choice to me and to the owner who obviously wanted something to ride, not just look at and talk about. I do like the aggressive 2-into-1 header setup and I’m guessing no V-Twin decibels are harmed in the firing up of this engine. Same goes for the lovely hot rod air cleaner that looks the biz. The smart owner kept the slender wet primary instead of opting for a needless million dollar open belt drive which was a smart street move as far as I’m concerned. One crazy cool thing they did was chuck out complete sensibility in one fell swoop with that foot clutch/hand shifter for some serious street cred. 

   Realistic, yet attractive rolling stock provides a nice classic feel without trying to hard to be Old School or something. It’s just a classic look a lot of us still like. Kudos for the disc brakes front and rear as that shows me the person’s serious about riding and not afraid to ride it anywhere or for how long. It’s definitely something you could take off for a weekend on without the fear of not making it back because of the bike or the lack of brakes and the problems that can occur because of that minor oversight. Tire sizes were suitably chosen to complement the street flexibility while still looking beefy enough for visual impact. Nice setup. 

   Bodywork is nothing revolutionary as that was not part of the real world template this custom was built around. What there is is tastefully done and suits the build like it was always supposed to be there. Although the lack of a front fender could have its practical merits and loss debated, the ample rear makes sure the rider’s back stays free of unwanted road grime. Nothing to dislike here so keep moving on. 

  Where this takes a turn for the crazy without hurting its street intentions is the paintjob with its graffiti-/comic-style graphics where the graphics are the paintjob and not just an addition. Although it’s not something I’d put on my own ride as I’m a shrinking violet type looking to blend in more than stand out, it’s a fun looking paint scheme. Should be relatively to touch up too should some unfortunate but inevitable nicks and scratches find their way onto the tank. It’s a risky take that works very well even if it’s in complete and almost unrelated contrast to the frame color. But, it works and that’s all that counts. 

   Everything else from controls to bars to lights (gotta love those ’59 Caddy taillights) to that seat which looks quite comfortable as well as good looking. I gotta give the owner/builder credit for choosing to not blow off the seating comfort instead of the usual thin skin of leather with no ass padding we usually see on custom bikes. Great points to the owner/builder on that one and I’m sure it’s appreciated every time they’re out on the road putting on the Ritz.

    All in all, this is a surprisingly cool build that’s done its best to keep it real as the kids used to say. A custom bike that’s capable of drawing a crowd as well as eating up some miles, what’s not to like about that?