Ruby Red Harley-Davidson Softail Custom
Keep an eye out for this ruby red Softail custom when you’re in the city. It’s a pretty cool ride. Not bad for a first bike…
WALLY’S A man who likes his toys—I know this because he interrupted my interview with Andrew by performing a massive burnout in his V8 SS ute! So when it came time for Wally to get his first bike, he wasn’t going to settle for a stock Harley-Davidson—he asked his mate Andrew to build him this cool custom Softail. Andrew who was on hand to tell us about it.
“It was a standard Softail when Wally bought it. It’s a sleeping beauty—it’s always been in the garage, you know what I mean? We stripped it down. The motor got rebuilt: it’s got big bathtub twin-plug heads. It’s got a hot camshaft.
“The standard five-speed gearbox has been fitted into a later model housing. It’s got a BDL 2000 primary—that’s top notch.
“Rear end is a 240 bolt-on. It was meant to ‘bolt on’ but it was a bit of a drama because you can’t run a 240 on a standard Softail without cutting the left side of the frame. This means the wheel is actually offset. It was not my choice—I’d already painted it and the instructions said ‘bolt on’. I bolted on—I wasn’t happy.
“It’s got Pro-One forward controls. It’s got Performance Machine calipers; RC Component wheels. It’s got bigger tanks. It’s got a Pro-One headlight, Arlen Ness mirrors, later-model switchblocks which are all married in the wiring harness. They’re Arlen Ness Fly-High handlebars with Genuine brake levers. Pro-One triple trees, Pro-One headlight, Pro-One fork legs. I ran a ’98 model wiring harness so it’s got a digital dash with all the gear.
“The swingarm and strut braces are made from PSC in the States. I don’t know the guy personally because Wally bought everything off the internet, brought it all to me and said, ‘Build me this bike.’
“The Pro-One rear guard has the number plate in it. Standard shocks with no lowering kit. He had a lowering kit on it before and it sat on its arse with him just sitting on it.”
Wally couldn’t stick around for the interview, unfortunately. Like most modern celebrities, we snapped a few pics then he was off to another engagement—after the burnout, of course.
words & pics by Wasko
