Tim Sutton’s 2011 Street Glide feature bike is a custom bagger that tries to bridge the gap between crazy custom and show room fresh with a sophisticated approach. What’s sophisticated got to do with it when a lot of what he’s done is basically replacing or modifying just about every stock piece he could with something he liked better. The sophisticated part is that he thought about everything he wanted to do and made sure that it didn’t impact on his love of getting on and riding the pee out of it.
This wasn’t his first custom rodeo nor do I think it will be his last. Here’s Tim’s version of the whole shebang from beginning to end. “I live in a small town called Fuquay Varina, North Carolina with my smoking hot wife, Gretchen, and my awesome 6-year-old son, Kaiden. My first H-D was a 2005 Road King Classic. I bought her used and she was already an awesome looking and riding bike. Then I bought my wife her bike and it was such a blank slate that we could do anything. She really made it unique [click here to see her Barnett’s feature],” said Tim. “I did some additional customization to my Road King to make it more personal, but I really craved that clean slate so I bought a 2011 Street Glide FLHX with the optional 103-inch engine and draped in Merlot Sunglo paint in September of 2011. I actually bought the bike when the ‘12s were coming out so I got a great deal on the bike because it was a prior-year model. I didn’t have much choice on color and looking at it on the showroom floor, I knew I could deal with the Merlot Sunglo until I had her custom painted. But, I quickly fell in love with the complexity and diversity of this paint. In low light she looks sleek and black. In direct sun, it’s almost a root beer with heavy gold metal flake buried deep inside. Then at dusk, she oscillates from a deep, deep purple to a semi-gloss charcoal. And, the paint compliments the blacked-out theme no matter which one of her colors she’s showing. Before taking delivery, I had the dealership install the new Yaffe handlebars, stainless braided cables, Boom! Audio upgrades, RSD air cleaner, V&H exhaust, and dyno tune it with the Screamin’ Eagle tuner kit. These were all things I knew I wanted so my first ride when I picked her up a week later was awesome. I love Harleys, but bare-bones stock is a little too generic for my taste.”
As you can easily tell, there are quite a few more changes that took place since taking delivery. “All the other modifications were done by yours truly in my garage with some occasional assistance from my wife and son when an extra pair of eyes or an inquisitive 6- year-old brain is needed. I work on customizing both my bike and my wife’s bike during the winter,” said Tim adding, “We save up our money and plan our next set of customizations during the riding/bike show season and I bust my ass (and my knuckles) trying to get it all done before the riding weather returns. So she is a work in progress. If I had to put a time invested to do what I’ve done so far it’s probably five months over two years.”
Tim did have a pretty good and consistent plan of style-attack even over a two-year period when trends can change as you’re waiting to finally finish, but nothing deterred Tim from his original idea. “I knew I wanted to go dark and twisted, but it really has been a trial and error process. Lots of late night Internet searches looking at what others have done. Ultimately I didn’t want to go with one company’s products and make it look like their catalog bike. I tried to choose components that were different enough to make it unique, but still flows like it was meant to be. I also prefer products that the company logo doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb,” he said. “There are aspects of my bike’s design that I am in love with and I feel a great sense of accomplishment having brought the elements together that make it so bad ass to me. However it being a work in progress, I also look at her and see things that are screaming for modification. I’ve also tried some things that I ultimately didn’t like and found something better to replace it with. It is certainly not every man’s Street Glide. If you are a chrome junkie then this bike is not gonna be your dream bike.”
Tim assures me his bike does get noticed now by both admirers and, well, non-admirers saying, “I’ll never forget pulling up to a charity ride blasting some FFDP and this old timer looked me and my bike over and walked off saying, ‘I ain’t riding next to him.’ I got a good chuckle out of that one. But I also get a lot of people who really dig what I have done and it’s awesome when someone appreciates the hard work I’ve put into her.”
Like anything, bolt-on parts are not always so bolty-on as Tim said, “Last winter’s mods were challenging and it pushed me past my comfort zone. The match-up of the rear fender and bags was complex. Getting the mounting points just right to accomplish the matching lines and minimizing the gaps took many hours of trial and error. I had to modify the bumper mounting to get the finished look I required. In addition I disassembled the entire front end to powder coat the lowers, install new fork cans, and color match paint the inner fairing. It was both stressful and fun rolled into one.”
As far as what products Tim thought were really special in one way or another, he said,
“Quality-wise, Battastinis’ machining and finish work is second to none. You pay out big duckies, but get a precision product. Of course everything H-D makes is top quality as well. Dirty Bird Concepts makes some stylish shit, but if you are looking for bolt-on, mount-and-go components, then look else where. There is considerable work to be done, but once it’s done and done right, it’s sick. SMT Machining and Precision Billet also have cutting edge designs and good customer service. Bitchin Baggers does an awesome job lowering the stock air shocks with quick turn around and awesome customer service.”
It’s now been two years in the process and in the process Tim’s spent quite a bit of money (Did you see his unbelievably complete list of parts he’s bought for this bike below? I thought it was some unwritten rule to never ever keep track of what and how mucht you’ve really put in to your bike.) and time in to his bike and I had to ask him if he was happy with the results and exactly what he liked about it. “I love the way the H-D Black LED lights give her a dark, devious stare. The way the high points of the bars and mirrors peek over the fairing like little devil horns just beginning to sprout along with the Battastini fork boots and powder coated lowers, well, she just looks so damn twisted. I searched long and hard for the right rear end components and the Dirty Bird Concepts products had just the right balance of elegance and wickedness. When I finally put her together after hours and hours of mock up work, then waiting for paint, and then final assembly, I stood back and I knew I was almost there. The final touch that took it over the top was the Xtreme Machine V-Cut Exhaust Tips. Bam! She had me.”
So now that she had Tim, the question is what was he going to do with her other than stare at her? “Having a six-year-old and a wife who rides limits the amount of riding we can get in. We show both of our bikes, but first and foremost, they are for riding. We ride to and from shows when we can and go on as many rides and trips as our busy lives will allow. The farthest we have ridden is northern West Virginia from North Carolina. We also ride to and from work and out on the town locally every chance we get,” he said. “The Corbin seat and Paul Yaffe Monkey Bars are friggin’ awesome! I had drag bars and beach cruisers on my previous Harley and there is nothing like some apes. I’ve also had many different seats and have always loved the Corbin seats I’ve owned. Lowering the front and rear gave me the look I wanted and I think it hooks up and tracks better than stock but the ride is definitely more rigid so softies beware.”
Just like those Fifties Sci-Fi movies that quizzically ended with The End ─ Or Is It?I asked Tim if this bike was done and done to which he replied, “Finished? Ha! I look at her and say, ‘God I wish I was done,’ but then I wonder what I would do with myself. Maybe a bobber project next? Rat bike? Who knows? This coming winter will certainly bring more change. I want to put speakers in the bag lids so I can wake the dead and then there are the wheels. I haven’t decided yet how far to go. 21? 23? 26? They all have their pros and cons. So much work for a 26, but love the extreme look. The 23 is the middle of the road choice that I’m leaning toward. A little rake to lay her out and she still rides like a lady. At some point I would love to get a custom paint job, but it has to be Merlot Sunglo as the base. That’s what is so awesome about bikes. The sky is the limit.”
Speaking of the sky is the limit, I think you’ll agree the sky was the only limit to what Tim’s spent on making his Street Glide Tim Sutton’s Street Glide. Don’t believe me? Check out his parts list below and then get your mental calculator firing on all cylinders for a total cost that like I said earlier certainly makes Harley-Davidson happy, the Harley dealer happy, the aftermarket happy, etc.
Mods:
Harley-Davidson:
Screamin’ Eagle Street Performance Tuner Kit
Profile Low Touring – Front Lowering Kit
Boom! Audio Street Glide Bagger Kit
Bar & Shield Radio Face Plate
Boom! Audio Hidden AM/FM/WB Antenna
4-Point Docking Hardware Kit – Black
Rear Docking Hardware Cover Kit
Custom Auxiliary Lighting Bracket
Daymaker LED Headlight – Gloss Black
Daymaker LED Auxiliary Lamps – Gloss Black
Billet Engine Guard Footpeg Mounting Kit – Gloss Black
Braided Stainless Clutch Cable
Braided Stainless Brake Cables
Dirty Bird Concepts (Formerly Sinister Industries)
Accent Rear Fender
4-Inch Stretched Saddle Bags
Big Baller 3D Paint-able Windshield
Curved LED License Plate Frame
Elite Series Cat Eye LED Tail Lights
Paint Savers – Black
Corbin:
Gunfighter Saddle
Rolland Sands Design:
Mission – Venturi Air Cleaner
Black Ops – Regulator Clutch and Brake Levers
Paul Yaffe:
14 Inch Monkey Bagger Bars
Lindby Custom, Inc:
Linbar Engine Guard – Black
Vance and Hines:
Dresser Duals, Black – Headers
Black Widow Slip-ons – Mufflers
Battastini:
C-Thru Fork Boots – Black
C-Thru Heel& Toe Shifter Set – Black
C-Thru Brake Arm – Black
C-Thru Street Glide Windshield Trim – Black
Precision Billet:
Darkside Floorboards – Black
Darkside Derby Cover – Black
Darkside Points Cover – Black
SMT Machining:
Revolver Assassin Hand Grips – Black
Revolver Assassin Foot Pegs – Black
Pro-One Performance:
Billet Fuel Door, Ball Milled – Black
Billet Dash Insert, Ball Milled – Black
Billet Saddle Bag Latch Covers, Ball Milled – Black
Kuryakyn:
LED Front Turn Signal Conversions
V-Shield Horn Cover
Extreme Machines
V-Cut Exhaust Tips – Black
Wicked Image
Sniper Black N’ Billet Shift Linkage
Colony
Chopper Style Spike Front Axle Nut Covers
Biker’s Choice
Fairing Mounted Black Spear Mirrors
Carl Brouhard Designs
CROSS Touring Ignition Switch Cover – Black
Innovative Motorcycle Accessories
Bull Dog Low Profile Windshield Fairing Spikes – Black
Hot Toppers
Chrome Bolt Cover Starter Kit (Engine, Trans, & Primary0
Lowered Front and rear 1 “. Rear lowered by having Bitchin Baggers Machine and reassemble the stock rear shocks.
Gloss Black Powder Coating by Carolina Custom Powder Coating in Cary, NC:
Fork Lowers
Front Axle Covers
Front Turn Signal Housings
Outer Fairing Skirt
Gas Tank Dash
Passenger Peg Brackets
Saddle Bag Supports
Color Match Painted Merlot Sunglo:
New Rear Fender
New Saddle Bags
New Paintable Windshield
Inner Fairing
Kuryakyn V-Shield Horn Cover
Oil Cooler Cover
Radio Face Plate