Eye-Catching Harley-Davidson Softail Custom
The guys at Fraser’s Motorcycles wanted to build a custom that was bright instead of bad man black.
WE started with a stock Harley Softail Custom and everything you see — except for the exhaust system and paint job — is from the Harley-Davidson catalogue. We had a budget of $50,000 and we came in just shy of it at around $48,000. We wanted a modern style chopper, probably something a little bit retro, something that someone back in the late ’60s, early ’70s, would do to chop their FLH. That’s the look we wanted.
Mark at Sydney Custom Spraypainting painted it. We wanted something bright instead of bad man black, and the yellow and green is something I’ve always wanted to do. I think it works well. I think it is bright, it stands out, it’s an eye-catching motorcycle.
We also wanted to keep it a rider’s bike. It’s got a slightly lower front suspension, but when you sit on and ride it, it’s a comfortable motorcycle.
It’s a great Friday night special but it’s also something you could throw on a sleeping bag and off you go. Look at the grips. We stayed away from the metal grips and went with old style touring rubber grips which are comfortable and easy on the hands. Even down to the rear vision mirror. It’s just a chrome round mirror you can actually use.
There are a lot of subtle changes on the bike that you would have to look closely to notice. The 21-inch front wheel, for instance. The Softail Customs come with a 21-inch front wheel but this one is an 80-spoker.
The Samson fishtail pipes are something different and not everyone agreed on using them, but they worked well with the overall style of the bike, and everyone who has walked into the showroom since has admired them.
The problem with a lot of the bikes you see featured in magazines is that they are just not rideable. By staying with Harley-Davidson Genuine parts, we can build a nice, good, customised motorcycle that you can ride every day, in any situation. We can do a whole conglomerate of work to it — cosmetics, engine work, etc — and it will still have warranty, it will be personalised to your taste, and it will hold its value.
Photos by Wall 2 Wall; words by Greg Ryan from Fraser’s Motorcycles, 153—165 Parramatta Road, Concord NSW 2037; 02-8741-3000.
