Captains Performance Harley-Davidson Fat Boy

THIS started out as a 2022 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. It was vivid black to start with. I stripped it down to pretty much the bare frame on day one; got all the paint work together and sent them off to Kenny at Skin by Finn and told him what I was after. As this is my first ‘chrome’ bike, instead of my usual ‘just black’, I wanted it to be a little bit shiny; so I let Kenny go for it, since he’s the artist, and he’s pretty much nailed exactly what I wanted.

The motor started as a 114; now it’s a 131. it’s still running the original crank but I sent it up to Ollie Logan in Queensland and got it trued-up, welded, and oversized. 

The cylinders are Harley-Davidson; the Wiseco pistons are T-Man Performance. I got the cylinder heads done up at Alpha Performance Engines in Gladstone. They reworked the factory heads — ported, one-mil oversized valves, and CC’d them to the desired compression ratio of 13:1.

It’s also got a S&S Top End Guardian Kit, which are S&S rocker arm shafts, rocker arm studs, head bolts and performance roller rocker arms. Then it’s got a 64-mil Screamin’ Eagle manifold and throttle body which has been ported out as well by Alpha Performance Engines, and then it’s got a set of 8.4 injectors in it.

The No Loss Air Cleaner is from T-Man Performance over in the States. The exhaust system is a D&D Low Cat.

It’s got a Screamin’ Eagle clutch and clutch springs, and a Cycle-Rama billet compensator in it.

We have our own dyno-tune setup in the workshop. At the moment, the Fat Boy is sitting at 168 horsepower and 158 foot-pound of torque.

The Luxe wheels are from Performance Machine — 23-inch front and 18-inch rear — wrapped in Avon Cobra Chrome tyres. I’ve got a 260 rear tyre sitting under it; the rim’s about an inch wider than factory.

The rear Galfer wave disc is a standard size; the front ones are oversized 15-inch Arlen Ness disc rotors.

I put chrome fork lifts in the front-end, and while I had them apart, I put a set of Race Tech Springs and set of Gold Valve Emulators in it; and then I put a HHI three-degrees rake kit in it.

The front guard and the chin spoiler are from Thunderbike Harley-Davidson over in Germany. Running boards are Harley Dominions on the front and back.

The custom seat is from Saddlemen Motorcycle Seats themselves. You set it up how you want them to build it through their website which is pretty good.

The two-inch T-bars are from Burleigh Bars.

I moved to Coffs Harbour about seven years ago, and I’ve been building Harleys for the last two years at my own workshop, Captains Performance. There’s plenty of great Harley-Davidsons getting around Coffs — it’s a great all-year-round climate — and it’s a privilege to be working on them.

Captains Performance, 2/161 Orlando Street Coffs Harbour NSW 2450; 0401-621-421.