Wheelie-Bound ’02 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Bagger Does It All

By Cameron Vanderhorst - January 27, 2025

One Harley bike to rule them all.

If you want to ride long distances, you get yourself a nice bagger to cruise in. That’s a given. If you want something for stuntin’, you go for something small, light, and nimble, right? Well, apparently, someone forgot to tell Reckless_203. He’s set his 2002 Harley-Davidson Road Glide up to do it all.

Thanks to some excellent editing by Eastcoastin Crew on YouTube, our attention gets grabbed fast by a high-speed 12 o’clock wheelie with the bike in question. We’re also treated to some wild burnouts. Watching this bright purple bagger getting busy is a treat, and seeing it in action only whets our appetite to learn more.

The build has been taking place incrementally since 2019, but the main rebuild – and that intense paint job – happened just before Daytona Bike Week this year. A full Legends Suspension kit jacks up the ride height for wheelie action. This Road Glide rides on Arlen Ness Y-spoke wheels, 21″ up front and 18 inches out back. You’ll find a custom big brake upgrade on the rear, with 11.8″ rotors at both ends, also from Arlen Ness.

Keeping it at Midnight

This Road Glide has also been converted to chain drive for durability. Despite its show-bike good looks, this machine sees a lot of abuse. The Twin Cam 88 engine has a Darkhorse crank as well as a bikeshop67 big bore kit, punching the displacement up to 98 cubes. HPI intake and exhaust handle breathing duties, and the engine runs on a ThunderMax EFI setup.

The aggressive bend handlebars are mounted to an 8-inch riser, both from Thrashin Supply. There’s some creative work with the cables designed to facilitate stress-free bar swaps after the bike is dropped. The front and rear floorboards were also sourced from Thrashin Supply. Reckless_203 says their aggressive grip and wide surface area makes them very useful for wheelies.

This bike – and the accompanying lifestyle that goes with it, seen in clips throughout the video – may not be for everyone. With that out of the way, we think it’s awesome to see all of the different ways that people can enjoy Harley-Davidson motorcycles.