The rest of the build sure looks like it could be quite a bit of fun to run around on and reek a little hooligan havoc on the street. For getting attention, and you know you want it, while having a good round of fun bapping around, this bike pushes all the right buttons.
I’ll admit when I first laid eyes on this build, I really wasn’t sure of who the builder was, but when I did find out it made perfect sense. At least to me anyway.
Kyle Shorey, owner of Speed Foundry of Texas located about 20 miles north of Fort Worth in Roanoke, is the man behind this re-imagination of a 1979 Harley-Davidson FXE into riding motorcycle jewelry. He’s had a couple of other features from his former shop, Shade Tree Fabrications, on Barnett’s Magazine Online that are about as different design-wise from each other as they could be. One’s a long chop and the other is race ready for something, maybe just to have a good time. Kyle’s had a lot of print magazine features in the past ten years so why the shop name change, I don’t know.
This little cutie is a peach. Even though it’s basically new for all intents and purposes, it looks much older than its year of assembly-line birth. There’s way more vintage to it than 1979 ever had, that’s for sure. Maybe it’s the springer with those dual headlights mounted high that look like something from Harley’s 1929 model catalog or the shockingly subtle white paint that adorns the bodywork and frame. Or it could be just the cockpit area with welcoming handmade bars that look more ‘20s that ‘70s reaching back to a lovely looking leather solo saddle that really looks like a saddle more than a seat. There’s a bit of flamboyant cowboy style going on that a real cowboy wouldn’t care about as he could back up anything he had to.
What a cowboy cares about is his horse and Kyle did this Harley Shovelhead proud making sure all the horses stayed in the Shovelhead stable along with a few more he found along the way. Although it has STD generator-style cases, the rest is all H-D and set up to run, not to race. Although I’m not the biggest fan of bling (I love riding bikes. I hate cleaning bikes.), Kyle got me on this one as it’s pretty as hell with all the right pieces. From the Paughco brass teardrop air cleaner to the ribbed case covers to the butch magneto and the lovely flex-covered 2-into1 fishtail exhaust along with a bunch of brass bits for an extra dose of sass, Kyle did this Shovel proud. It’s not a killer, but it’s a runner ─ a gorgeous to look at runner, so maybe that does make it killer after all. Like the real thing, there are many different types of killers and this one’s a good one.
That is the ride height you’re looking at as there’s not a lick of air anywhere but in the tires and engine. I’m not exactly sure what swingarm that is, but it looks a smite different than the stock box section ’79. It does bring on a vintage air to the rear especially with short shrouded chrome shocks looking like they’re hanging in open space. The rear sprocket brake is a great looking choice in that laced rear wheel as it reminds me of an old drum brake. Up front, the chrome springer cradles a tall and narrow front wheel that really brings on the vintage in spite of the disc brake setup plainly visible. Hey, I got no problems with good brakes, I got problems with not enough brakes so it doesn’t bother me one bit.
Kyle spent some serious time do some things that are not obvious at first like the narrowed fuel tanks. A bit of the stock bulbousness is gone replaced by a more vintage long and sleek look and it really makes that cockpit area vintagely convincing. Okay, maybe the tank shifter sticking up adds a bit of nostalgia too, but it looks convincing especially with that cut-glass shift knob. Like a Newport mansion on wheels. He didn’t have to do much to the stock oil tank other than clean it up a bit as it’s become kinda good looking over the years. Maybe I’m just viewing it with a bit of nostalgia, but I hated that when it first came around. Now it’s cool.
One style point not often taken into account on a custom build other than a bagger is taking care of business with the fenders. Removing the front one would have left this bike rudderless even if that’s all the rage right now. Coming up with something reminiscent of the Heritage style fit the bill perfectly up front while the rear one is its own piece of nostalgia. Back when motorcycle tires really, really sucked and you got flats pretty easily compared to today, being able to fix your own flat was par for the course. The old hinged rear fenders made a lot of sense just getting the wheel off as simple as possible and that’s exactly what you see here. Having it stylishly hang down so long along with that molded out taillight finishes it off nicely for me.
In a moment of enlightenment or one too many adult beverages, Kyle came up with the idea of soft white finish that would not only cover the bodywork, but the frame, handlebars, and even the tin primary cover. I’m still on the fence about the primary, but it’s growing one me a bit. Like some people don’t like their food to touch each other, I prefer my engines separate, but I’m willing to change. Maybe not yet, but soon, it’s winning me over little by little. Man, when that’s all I have to crab about, Kyle’s doing pretty well. Although I’m sure he’d still feel like a winner every time he looks or rides his bike regardless of anything I think or say. You gotta be when you’re a guy from Texas working in your own way in your own time deep in the heart of Texas.
For more info on Kyle Shorey and Speed Foundry of Texas, you can punch up his brand new website (which hopefully is online soon) at www.speedfoundryoftexas.com/ or you can do the social thing like Facebook and stuff.