2003 Night Train Told to Lighten Up

Brooding Custom

Released in 1998, the black-on-black Night Train became an instant classic with its long, low stance and raked frontend. Bought new, Jason Pierotti's 2003 FXSTB Night Train is now the polar opposite of the brooding, factory-custom that rolled off the assembly line almost two decades ago. As the story goes, he literally told it to “lighten up.”

Photos courtesy of Hot Bike.

Stock Transformation

The Softail was Pierotti's first Harley-Davidson, but as a classic car enthusiast, it was not his first customization project. The Night Train's radical transformation was inevitable. In a 2018 Hot Bike magazine interview, Pierotti admitted, “I can’t leave anything stock. The day I brought it home, I took off the front fender, turn signals and reflectors.”

History Train

Sporting a Martini Racing-inspired metalflake paint job, this FXSTB has a patriotic look—a far cry from its original, dark rogue persona. With history repeating itself, the contemporary Night Train gets its name from the 1971 FX Super Glide. Also dubbed the Night Train, the sporty 1970s Big Twin was offered in black, or with a red, white and blue paint scheme called 'Sparkling America.'

Narrow Trail

Aside from the cosmetic switch around, Pierotti also applied a few functional changes. Similar to how the FX Super Glide was a paring of the FL chassis and an XL frontend, Pierotti ditched the Wide Glide frontend in favor of a dual disc Narrow Glide setup. A vintage Yamaha trail bike headlight and a Viper quarter fairing were added to round out the go-fast look.

Tank Massage

Obsessed with making his Night Train look lighter, Pierotti kept the narrow motif going with the gas tank. After mulling over using a Sportster tank, he decided to go with an unconventional approach. A painter by trade, Pierotti swapped his time for metal work. With the stock Harley-Davidson Fat Bob tank removed, a sleek 1970 Triumph Bonneville tank was fitted—with some massaging.

Spirit Section

The first major change Pierotti made was to install a chain drive. This was followed by handlebars, risers, grips, seat and exhaust pipes. The rear fender was bobbed even further, which eventually led to a whole new custom tail section. In the spirit of the FX Super Glide's boat tail fender, the Night Train got a hand-formed 'shorty' unit with a one-off seat.

Unique Ends

The custom seat has a bit of hidden flair. Sandwiched between the memory foam and perforated leather is a layer of metallic blue leather. Accenting the already sparkly paint scheme, Pierotti explained that depending on the light, the blue leather is just visible through the perforations. Reflecting the unique tail section is a set of mid-mounted custom pipes with Dunstall ends.

Mishmash Version

Built in various stages, the Night Train's transformation took about nine years. Pierotti recalled the point in time when he settled on the Softail's new 'mishmash' look. “I decided to go with a chopper/café/performance-style bike.” The result is certainly a lighter, more spirited version of the Dark Custom that left Oakland Harley-Davidson's sales floor in 2003.

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