Custom Bikes: Jerry Horvath’s Frame-dragging 2005 Softail
Long, low, and loud, this wild custom Softail lays frame with an air suspension and a custom rear swingarm.
The Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Cleveland, Ohio wasn’t all about new bikes. Several show bikes were displayed on the show floor, entered to win the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show.
There were a ton of great custom bikes on display, and many of them were Harleys. However, this one in particular made us do a double-take when we saw its bright green frame laying on the carpeted show floor.
The builder, Jerry Horvath, started out with a 2005 Harley-Davidson FXSTB Night Train. You’d hardly recognize the original bike from this wild custom. It’s a pretty thorough transformation.
This bike’s most dramatic feature is its custom painted lime green frame laying down on the ground. Given that the bike is entered in the “Custom Street” class, it’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t ride it around like this.
Get Low
Instead, that wild stance comes from an adjustable air suspension. When parked, it looks more like a stationary sculpture than a functional motorcycle. That’s what makes it a great show bike.
The wild, swooping gas tank was custom made by Horvath himself. Other custom touches include a widened rear fender, a custom rear swingarm, and a 180-series rear tire. If this bike could be described in one word, it would be “dramatic.”
Custom bike builders will tell you that it’s important to know when to “quit.” If you go overboard, your bike could end up looking like a busy, disconnected, thrown-together mess of ideas. The simplified exhaust setup and blacked-out engine do a great job of staying out of the way. They don’t distract from the bike’s main features.
In fact, almost the entire bike, save for the frame, fenders, and tank, is blacked out. You won’t find any chrome here. The wild custom paint and bottom-feeder stance are clearly the main draw of this radical custom motorcycle. It seems like every feature of the bike, from the custom swing arm and gas tank to the fenders and handlebars are designed to accentuate the bike’s long, low profile.
It’s All in the Details
The longer you look at this bike, the more details you notice. This custom Softail lost its belt — it was converted to chain drive. You’ll also notice that the handlebars, like the exhaust, were de-cluttered to avoid distractions.
The bike is 100% functional. The cables and wires are cleverly hidden inside the frame — even the throttle cable. Once you’ve established the overall theme of your custom bike build, it’s important to pay attention to all of the small details. It’s very clear that Horvath paid attention where it really counts.
From its wild orange and green paint scheme to its mind-bendingly low stance, this 2005 Softail got all of the details right in our book. While we’ll probably never build a custom Harley-Davidson this extreme, we do find inspiration in looking at builds like these.
Photos by Cam VanDerHorst for H-D Forums
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