IronWorks Article, November - High Seas Rally

Twin Cam Co-Winner:Patti EasonChestertown, Maryland2000 H-D SoftailPatti Eason will be the first person to attest to the saying,“You can’t win unless you enter.” See, Patti hadn’tplanned on entering her 2000 Softail in our contest, butprompting by her husband and a few other individualsfound the picture of her bike on the Hogs on the HighsSeas’ wall offame, and in thecontest. It alsoearned her bikea tie for firstplace in theTwin Cam category.What swayedour judges mostabout Patti’s FXST is the manner in which she blendedthe aftermarket parts to her bike. A 150-series rear tiremounts to a 15” Thunderstar wheel that’s matched to a21” front. The tank and fenders were treated by WizardGraphics, and the Corbin seat appears as if it were designedespecially for Patti’s ride. The billet headlightcompliments the Carlini bars, and Pro Art painted thecool candy color. She topped it all off with a Vance &Hines exhaust. Nice, very nice.Pre-Evo Winner:Jesse LarisonColumbus, KansasEvo Winner:Joe NagyRoanoke, Virginia1996 H-D Road KingJoe Nagy happened to have a few—half a dozen, to beexact—’59 Cadillac taillight lenses lying around when hegot the idea to do something unique to the rear section ofhis ’96 Road King. So hemade filler panels betweenthe rear fenderand saddlebags thatwould accept the sixCaddy taillight lenses.As you can see, the fillerstrips were chrome plated,and the license platefrenched into the fender,giving the bike aclassic lost-in-the-‘50s look. The muffler extensions to theScreamin’ Eagle exhaust system help balance the look.Joe mounted a black, studded Corbin seat, and a fenderrack offers additional storage space for long hauls.The familiar Road King windscreen was chucked infavor of a full FLH handlebar fairing. All that was left todo during the rebuild was splash on the wild ‘50s-erapaint, which Randy Williamson dutifully did before finalassembly. The finished product is a bike that we wouldn’tmind riding while lost on some lazy country road.Sportster/Buell Winner:Etta DuraRorked River, New Jersey1969 H-D FLHIn case you haven’t noticed, Shovelhead engines aremaking a dramatic comeback among diehard Harley enthusiasts.Moreover, the AMF-era engines—and bikes—have gained classic status among motorcyclists throughoutthe world,so when a restoredFLH of‘60s vintageshows up, peoplein the knowstop to look.Jesse Larisonrestored thisbike after it satfor 30 years in a barn. “It’s now a daily rider,” he tellsus, and he reassures us, too, that it’s stock, right “downto the original cloth wire.” The old bagger got a freshcoat of paint, too, compliments of Jesse who based thecolors on factory original formulas. A stock bike neverlooked so nice.IronWorks November 20052003 Sportster 883 HuggerSometimes all you need todo is dress a bike with a uniquepaint job to give it the characteryou seek. That’s basically theapproach that Etta Dura tookwith her ’03 Sportster 883 Hugger.“I wanted to match it tomy PT Cruiser,” she said, andas you can see the “match” includeda few Betty Boop caricatureson the bike’s fenders andbags to match the mini-muralson the convertible’s trunk lid. Even her helmet couldn’t escapethe big booper’s airbrush.Additional mods to the Sporty include relocating therear turn signals to make room for the lockable plasticsaddlebags. And about owning a Sportster and convertiblecar, Etta says, “Whether I’m riding the bike or drivingthe car with the top down, I always feel the freedomof the road.” Sign us up—or down.continued51