Skull Boy Harley-Davidson Fat Boy

I’VE BEEN riding bikes fomotorr more than 30 years and have had this 1992 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy from new. It’s had a couple of different looks, but the decision to do this one took place a few years back after a trip to Phillip Island. Just outside Dubbo, the Evo started running hot and noisy so I decided not to ride it any further. The bike was brought back home to the Gold Coast thanks to my brother and his ute.

 We took it to my mate, Pommie Pat at Pat’s Motorcycles in Wynnum. After Pat pulled down the motor, he rang me with the bad news — the cam bearing had disintegrated and fucked the motor. The only thing worth saving was the carby and cases. It was buy a new bike or buy a new motor. 

As the rest of the bike was in good condition, and after talking to Pat, I decided on fitting a S&S Sidewinder motor, E-series S&S carby with a K&N air filter, S&S coil and Crane single fire ignition, a Spike charging system, Barnett heavy-duty Kevlar clutch, a Lockhart oil cooler and Santee short shot pipes to make it sound good. 

After getting it back I was stoked with the power the S&S had, and that’s when I wanted to change the look of the bike once again. I wanted to stay with the Fat Boy look and a skull theme, and as timing would have it, I had to have three months off the bike after a shoulder operation, so the project began.

New 5 gallon Fat Bob tanks and a front guard were purchased, and the rear guard was given to me by my good mate Mark. 

As I work in the steel industry, I took the guards to work and ground out the rivets and welded in the brackets for that smooth look. A step was cut into the rear to suit the skull number plate surround and a stainless fender tip was made.

The guards and tanks were then handed to another mate, Kel, to lay on the blue Standox two-pac paint, and then they went to my mate Devo for the airbrush work which I’m more than happy with.

While the paint was being taken care of, I added the chubby T-Bars with a 10-inch rise. The wiring is hidden through the bars and the switch blocks and master cylinder were stripped back and polished, and a set of Kuryakyn naked lady levers and skull mirrors were added. 

The front-end was then extended with six-inch-over fork tubes and Progressive Suspension springs and stainless steel covers that I had made, and the lower fork legs were polished. 

The footboard brackets were chromed and moved out four inches with stainless steel backing plates which makes for better handling around them tight bends. The wheels were then machined and polished. 

The standard H-D brakes, master cylinders and calipers internals have been replaced with stainless steel sleeves and pistons. The calipers have also been machined so the pads don’t wear like door stops. Floating discs were added to make sure it stops. 

The paint work was picked up to be bolted on with a Pingel high-flow fuel tap.

The bike was starting to look good. 

I then got a Kuryakyn skull air cleaner cover given to me by my mate Mark. I had the chrome taken off and airbrushed by Devo to match the paintwork. I also had the two skulls that sit on top of the forks airbrushed as well. The skulls are actually truck gear stick knobs I picked up from a truck spares dealer. I drilled the eyes out and fitted LED lights for indicators. 

The rear foot pegs are Kuryakyn switch blades which stop the missus from melting her boots on the pipes. 

A Corbin Gunfighter seat went on the bike for the comfort of the rider only (just ask the missus). 

All bolts, nuts, wheel spacers, rear master cylinder cover, axle covers and fork tube covers are 316 stainless. 

The bike also features a skull cigarette lighter mounted in the leather tank centre for when I want to have a smoke on the road or to charge the mobile phone.

I also have a Kuryakyn double barrelled shotgun rear belt-guard that was in for re-chroming the day of the photo shoot after the mounting brackets cracked and had to be repaired.

pics by Jules @ Top Gun; words by Glenn Skinn