Did i say i like fringes

 

There's an article in the April 2007 issue of American Iron with Billy Joel's retro that started as an FLSTSCI Fat Boy with a springer front end.

 

Fringes?! I used to have them once upon a time. Actually, my pseudonym - Whiskers - came from my young nephew who, when he saw my bike for the first time said that it had whiskers and needed a shave. True story! Here's an early picture of my RKC when it had whiskers:

Pastor J: My exhausts are SE Touring pipes...I bet if you set the bikes side by side there'd be very little difference.

Smokun: Great minds think alike...I've been thinking of polished rotors myself. I found a site on e-bay that had a set (2!) for $115 but because of their low cost I've become suspicious of their quality. All other after market rotors are selling for a lot more than that. If it sounds too good to be true...?

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Guys: I've seen some very classy nostalgic paint jobson bikes here on the forum and in some magazines. I saw this color combination some time ago and really, really like the classic combination of Venetian Blue & Croyden Creme.

Be honest please, the colors look incredible on this bike but what do you think they'd do for aRoad King Classic...including the two-tone fenders? (yes...I am thinking about it next winter).

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Whiskers, Honestly, I'm not crazy about the colors. But that doesn't mean a thing. I think you should paint it whatever color/colors that you like the best. As for the two tone fenders, I've yet to see one I really like. This paint thing is really dificult because it's so much work. Your bike is beautiful now, but retro colors would probably make it even more distinct. I would at least have someone do a photoshop mockup so you could see it.I have been thinking about a very old color scheme. It's kind of a medium green with orange lettering on the tank and orange pinstripes on the fenders. Saw it once on a very old Harley and it kind of stuck. Very scary to do it though. I can't really get thepicture in my mind. And yes, I'm aware that green is a bad luck color for Harley. Hope I haven't offended you, just my honest reply. P.S. Got my fishtails on just yesterday. Bars or solo seat come next.

 

47Norton: No offense taken...I asked for honest opinions and you told me exactly what I wanted to hear. I thought if I painted it this way that I might reverse the fenders with the creme in the middle and blue on the sides...but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if it wouldn't just look like aDeluxe. BTW, I know the green/orange combination you mention...I've seen it somewhere myself. Though its hard to think of the combination working well together, personallyI think they would.

Thanks again for your comments.

Ride safe.

 

I wanted two-tone when I bought my RK but for what the MOCO charges for a second color on the tank only, I decided to wait and do it myself some day. I wasn't happy with the color choices offered anyway. Lately I've been thinking of copying the paint scheme on the Softtail Deluxe for the front fender, then add the two-tone below the paint stripe on the tank and follow the pattern down onto the side panels. Haven't decided whether to do anything on the rear fender or not, most of it is hidden.

 

I emailed Lighthouse HD in NY to ask about the pipes on Billy Joel's bike and this was the response:

"The retro style looking header pipes are actually solid pipes with the flex tubing welded to it. It is a very labor intensive process to fabricate a clean continued look. It took a technition 13 hours to complete it. We will build a set for you if you would like. Call me if you are interested."

I don't even want to know how much those SOB's cost to make!

 

To me, nothing says "classic" better than two-tone tins on a H-D. The vintage bike picture that Whiskers postedhas thebetter classic two-tonecombo: light on the sides & dark on top. A big plus to get the classic two-tone look is for pinstriped dividing line to be clearly visible on all the tins in a profile view. By this standard, my bikedoes not have a classic two-tone paint job since the fender stripes can't be seen from the side. However, thetwo-tone Softail Deluxe does have the dividing line on all the tins in view from the sides whichis key to its classic look.

As a fanof anythingArt Deco,I'dlike to see modern bike custom painted with the early'30s eagle on the tank along with two-tone fenders:


Smokun: Thanks for the info on the flex shields, after seeing them in person its no suprise that they're pricey

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Neckball: May help with your decision,painting the rear fender on mine made a difference


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