Yeah this extreme-and-then-some custom bagger called Westcoast Thirty has features and styling cues that you expect in an all-out bagger today. You know, a big front wheel, extended bags, tail dragger fenders, wild bodywork, a sit-on-the-ground stance, and a paintjob you can’t miss, but there’s a couple you’d never guess. One basic one I didn’t see coming was that this fairing-less bagger which you’d assume was originally a Harley-Davidson Road King, started life as a 2009 Street Glide. That’s a lot of stuff hidden behind the FLHX’s fairing shell that had to find a new hiding place or was headed for the Twisted Image bagger parts pile. I imagine the parts pile got a lot bigger as there’s not a lot complication going on between those Twisted Image apes.

   The most magical twist of the wrist is the wild Mad Wheels front wheel sporting a classic five-spoke hot rod look with a wide whitewall worthy of any ‘50s lead sled. Oh and it’s big to meet the custom bagger expectations, but it’s bigger than you think. A good first guess would be that it’s not a current big-boy 30-incher, more like a 26-incher which still isn’t exactly small by any standards, but you’d be wrong. Yup, it’s a full 30-inches with a twist. Mad Wheels cut this hoop so that it has large flanges that Twisted Image painted white to fool you into thinking this was a whitewall. All I can say is, Mickey and Mad Wheels did a really excellent job screwing with my brain’s perception of what’s real, but in a strangely attractive way.

   One reason to go so wide whitewall may have had to do with the California lowrider look Twisted Image was going for. When I checked out the back end of this ride, I thought I caught a hint of a ’59 Chevy’s distinctive tailfins hovering over the bags. On further examination I realized I was wrong and that Mickey chose the back end of a ’60 Chevy as the taillights were wrong for a ’59 ( the ‘59s were kinda oblong and the ’60s were round). Well at least that’s what I assume he went for anyway and I’m gonna stick with ’60 Chevy. Either year Chevy would make a terrific lowrider so it’s a win-win.

  One thing neither of them had was a set of fishtail exhausts protruding throughout the bodywork. Even if they did protrude through bumpers like a lot did back in the day, they still wouldn’t have the ability to melt plastic car bumpers and start fires like Jay Leno’s jet bike. That little fun factoid is possible on this bike courtesy of a Hot Licks “Flames on Command” Exhaust which shoots flames whenever one’s inner hooligan demands. You might kill your average MPG a bit doing it, but that’s about the best waste of petroleum products one can have.

  In the end, you gotta give Twisted Image Cycles a cyberspace pat on the old back for taking this extreme custom bagger stuff on a different tack with a bit of lowrider fun. If you’d like to get in on the action or just want to see what else they’re up to, check out their web site www.twistedimagecycles.com/.