Finally took the HDForum Leap! :)
#1
06-26-2012 | 11:59 AM
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: Minneapolis
Finally took the HDForum Leap! :)
Hey everyone!
I've been scouring these forums since I purchased my Nightster last Spring. I've seen so many great write-ups, DIY mods and just overall awesome pictures of member's bikes! So I finally took the plunge and decided to sign up for this great site.
After a year or so of back-n-forth on what bike I wanted to commit to, I finally decided on an 08' Nightster. I walked in on May 21st, 2011 and put my hard earned cash down on her. Apparently this day was supposed to be the start of the end of the world (according to a few coo-coos) so she was promptly named "RAPTURE". I figured if the world was ending, I was going out riding a Harley
The first part of the year didn't see much along the lines of customization, just a lot of eager riding. Next up was a Screaming Eagle Heavy Breather, Screaming Eagle Race Tuner and a set of Rinehart pipes. Forward controls were added along with a few cosmetic mods such as smoked turn signals, a custom headlight eyebrow and taking off every unnecessary piece of plastic and tin. Belt guards, passenger pegs, and all reflectors front & back.
I rode the bike for a while with it set up this way. But of course, like every car and bike I've owned, the customizing bug got ahold of me. I couldn't just LEAVE IT that way... more needed to be done.
I started this year off by taking off the front fender and drilling out the rivets. I had the existing bracket sandblasted at work and finished it off with a rough polishing to give it a Speed-Shop race look and used it as a faux-fork brace.
The one thing that really bothered me about the bike since the day I bought it was the primary covers. I don’t know what Harley was smoking when they used that silver/gray color for the covers on what was supposed to be a “Blacked-Out” bike. So I prepped everything and picked up some wrinkled black from the Stealership and got to work. (And yes, I’m sure the local hardware store probably sold the paint cheaper, but I didn’t want to chance it)
Next I took the points cover my friend Steve got me as a gift (it was all powder coated black with a spade machined in) and gave it the same treatment as the fork brace. Laid in the same wrinkled black on the spade as well. Then came off the Derby cover and had that custom etched where I work with our MC logo that I designed.
I was happy with the overall look, but of course it was too late… I was completely submerged in the project now. NO TIME TO RIDE!!! J
So next I went with a set of Joker Machine Clip Ons and Harley Davidson Contrast Cut Grips. This in turn led me to the notorious Autometer Speedometer Relocation and moving the dummy lights.
At this point I thought for sure I was done. But I kept coming across the threads on here about people chopping the rear fenders of their nightsters, Bobber Style. I couldn’t get this mod off my mind, and kept looking at my bike every day, playing the pros and cons over in my head. Needless to say, out came the angle grinder and after a few Grainbelts, a Streetfighter / Café Combo was born. Chopped the frame rails and fender, relocated the CPU, 86’d the rear signal stems, threw in some LED bulbs and flush mounted them to the frame. Also, I had to modify the stock license plate bracket to get it to tuck up flush.
Then of course I went to put the stock seat back on and let’s just say it wasn’t going to cut it. I ended up borrowing my friend Steve’s Forty Eight seat off of his bike, and I was sold on how it felt, so I picked one up.
Last but not least, I picked up an obnoxiously overpriced LED headlamp from Harley and installed that. I know there are a lot of negative comments and threads out there on the LED headlight, but I have to say it gets A LOT of positive feedback from people I run into. Plus, I think it gave my bike the final touch it needed to set it apart on the road.
On that note, I built this bike the way “I” wanted to. Being a lifelong custom car/truck/bike guy, I’ve gotten my fair share of “Why would you do that to such a beautiful machine” or “I would NEVER have done that!!!” I know everyone has an opinion and people are free to share theirs.
Hope you guys like what you see and I look forward to being a part of this great site!
P.S. These are the only shots I have here at work, so I will post some more later when I get home and access my images.
I've been scouring these forums since I purchased my Nightster last Spring. I've seen so many great write-ups, DIY mods and just overall awesome pictures of member's bikes! So I finally took the plunge and decided to sign up for this great site.
After a year or so of back-n-forth on what bike I wanted to commit to, I finally decided on an 08' Nightster. I walked in on May 21st, 2011 and put my hard earned cash down on her. Apparently this day was supposed to be the start of the end of the world (according to a few coo-coos) so she was promptly named "RAPTURE". I figured if the world was ending, I was going out riding a Harley
The first part of the year didn't see much along the lines of customization, just a lot of eager riding. Next up was a Screaming Eagle Heavy Breather, Screaming Eagle Race Tuner and a set of Rinehart pipes. Forward controls were added along with a few cosmetic mods such as smoked turn signals, a custom headlight eyebrow and taking off every unnecessary piece of plastic and tin. Belt guards, passenger pegs, and all reflectors front & back.
I rode the bike for a while with it set up this way. But of course, like every car and bike I've owned, the customizing bug got ahold of me. I couldn't just LEAVE IT that way... more needed to be done.
I started this year off by taking off the front fender and drilling out the rivets. I had the existing bracket sandblasted at work and finished it off with a rough polishing to give it a Speed-Shop race look and used it as a faux-fork brace.
The one thing that really bothered me about the bike since the day I bought it was the primary covers. I don’t know what Harley was smoking when they used that silver/gray color for the covers on what was supposed to be a “Blacked-Out” bike. So I prepped everything and picked up some wrinkled black from the Stealership and got to work. (And yes, I’m sure the local hardware store probably sold the paint cheaper, but I didn’t want to chance it)
Next I took the points cover my friend Steve got me as a gift (it was all powder coated black with a spade machined in) and gave it the same treatment as the fork brace. Laid in the same wrinkled black on the spade as well. Then came off the Derby cover and had that custom etched where I work with our MC logo that I designed.
I was happy with the overall look, but of course it was too late… I was completely submerged in the project now. NO TIME TO RIDE!!! J
So next I went with a set of Joker Machine Clip Ons and Harley Davidson Contrast Cut Grips. This in turn led me to the notorious Autometer Speedometer Relocation and moving the dummy lights.
At this point I thought for sure I was done. But I kept coming across the threads on here about people chopping the rear fenders of their nightsters, Bobber Style. I couldn’t get this mod off my mind, and kept looking at my bike every day, playing the pros and cons over in my head. Needless to say, out came the angle grinder and after a few Grainbelts, a Streetfighter / Café Combo was born. Chopped the frame rails and fender, relocated the CPU, 86’d the rear signal stems, threw in some LED bulbs and flush mounted them to the frame. Also, I had to modify the stock license plate bracket to get it to tuck up flush.
Then of course I went to put the stock seat back on and let’s just say it wasn’t going to cut it. I ended up borrowing my friend Steve’s Forty Eight seat off of his bike, and I was sold on how it felt, so I picked one up.
Last but not least, I picked up an obnoxiously overpriced LED headlamp from Harley and installed that. I know there are a lot of negative comments and threads out there on the LED headlight, but I have to say it gets A LOT of positive feedback from people I run into. Plus, I think it gave my bike the final touch it needed to set it apart on the road.
On that note, I built this bike the way “I” wanted to. Being a lifelong custom car/truck/bike guy, I’ve gotten my fair share of “Why would you do that to such a beautiful machine” or “I would NEVER have done that!!!” I know everyone has an opinion and people are free to share theirs.
Hope you guys like what you see and I look forward to being a part of this great site!
P.S. These are the only shots I have here at work, so I will post some more later when I get home and access my images.
#5
06-26-2012 | 12:35 PM
Thread Starter
|
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: Minneapolis
Thanks guys! This site seems to be geared a little more towards the positive feedback side than the negative when it comes to it's members. I'll do my best to ignore the llamas
Ron, I was raised up north Wisconsin. I miss the cheaper taxes and buying beer on Sundays
Ron, I was raised up north Wisconsin. I miss the cheaper taxes and buying beer on Sundays
#7
06-26-2012 | 12:58 PM
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 315
Likes: 0
From: MN
It's about time!! Just don't spend as much time on here as I have in the past. Gets you in trouble with the old lady.
Last edited by doobs48; 06-26-2012 at 01:07 PM.
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#8
06-26-2012 | 01:24 PM
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: Minneapolis
HAHA Doobs! The wife already gives me a hard time for trolling through these threads, even BEFORE I became a member... so we'll see how this goes!
Me --->
<--- Wife
