I previously did a thread titled ‘The Last Ride’, which documented (briefly) how we arrived at finally owning our 2017 Limited....and our last trip out with that bike. That ride happened last October and took in some really fine roads in NC and TN. After returning home, we loaded up the bike and headed for Virginia and to the dealership.....

What started this was wine. Yes....vino....grapes...fermentation. My wife is a full-on wine enthusiast and loves to visit vineyards and wineries. Virginia is basically overloaded with good wine, and we often go there on little getaway trips. On a fall trip in 2019 we happened through Orange, VA and stopped at Stonewall Harley-Davidson. It’s not a flashy place full of toothy sales people stalking you while you look around. The place is definitely more on the old-school scale of dealerships, but damn.....it does feel right. Classic and a little funky in a really inviting way. We walked in and pretty quickly both of us were admiring a custom Street Glide:




This wasn’t a bike we wanted to own, but it was a real eye-opener for us as to possibilities. I had been thinking previously about having our ‘17 painted, but couldn’t make the right connection. Before that could happen, we saw the above bike. A conversation and some rough pricing ensued about the cost of getting our bike painted through Stonewall. It was daunting, but doable. No commitment was made, but I was seriously considering having it done. Two things changed that plan. Harley introduced the Road Glide Limited....and COVID-19 arrived. The growing pandemic made us pause on any serious plans, but remarkably our business actually grew and expanded in the spring. We revisited Stonewall (and wine) in the summer and did a test ride of the RGL as well as a 2020 Ultra Limited. We discussed many particulars and asked a lot of questions. Some firmer pricing was discussed and we gained knowledge about the process. We went home to think and decide.

By October we had it figured out. Road Glide Limited in Vivid Black / Chrome would be the starting point for a new custom. I had a long list of upgrades and my wife was involved in those discussions. We definitely had a lot of decisions to make and choices which weren’t easy. We negotiated a deal from 350 miles away....and this is the bike we bought:




We would be bringing them our ‘17 on a trade-in.....the value of which proved to be another side benefit of the pandemic. But first we had a trip to take and that had to happen.

If you’re still reading this: The only purpose of this thread is some midwinter entertainment and reading. I’ll document the process and events which ended with us finally getting the new custom home. You might think it’s a boring tale, so I’ll apologize afore hand. Hopefully you get a laugh or two and can relate to crazy shi.....er...stuff that happens in real life. And in case you’re really hard up for reading material, here is the link to The Last Ride:

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/gener...last-ride.html

 

Well, I for one come to this forum to read and share similar stories. While MOST go down a rabbit hole quickly, this was a good read. It’s also ok to admit that its not just the wife who likes wineries, lol. I live a 1/4 mile from NM where Vineyards are plenty, and we visit them often just to get out. My wife is Irish so its sort of a mandatory visit, lol. Congrats on your new ride, sounds like it was well thought out. Not the knee jerk impulse buys I tend to be non for.

 

In late October we loaded up the Limited and delivered it to Stonewall. You know how it is. They take your beloved horse and park it anonymously with 3 dozen other homeless rides. We had already closed on the deal via phone and the web, so there wasn’t much business to do that day. We did sit and review the entire work order. We also went through the things that needed to be removed from our ‘17 and installed on the new ‘20. Things like the WHIM and SiriusXM modules, all the Slipstream collection pieces, Softbrake pedal and shifters, plus a few other minor things. Going from memory our work order included:

All labor to remove and reinstall painted parts.
Custom painting.
Factory 47 x 12” bars
Kahuna heated grips
Chrome front end (forks and sliders)
Aggressor chrome 19” front wheel and new tire
Aggressor chrome 18” rear wheel
Chrome front rotors x 2
Top Shop CVO rear fender
H-D extended bags
Detachable tour pak mount in chrome
Low profile antenna
H-D wrapped tour pak lights smoked
Custom Dynamics Pro Beam led for tour pak arms - smoked
Custom Dynamics Pro Beam Bullet Bezel Ringz led signals up front - smoked
Custom Dynamics Bagz Low Profile sequential bag lights - smoked
Tour pak light trim - chrome
H-D Air Wing rack - chrome
Arlen Ness tank console to be custom painted

No paint decisions were made at that time, but we pretty much had it nailed down in terms of the look and colors. A week later we confirmed those and the bike was disassembled to begin the work.

I’m pretty sure the above list reads like I’m a full-blown chrome addict, but that’s not the case. The finished bike will definitely show plenty of shine, but it’s not over-decorated. Additionally, the paints and design we chose are on the darker (vs brighter) side and the chrome will sit well without killing the look.

 

When you agree to spend over $5k on a custom paint project, you want it as right as possible. We spent a LOT of time searching up images of custom painted bikes, with the emphasis on designs and colors. It basically came down to assembling a large amount of information and images, then tediously paring those down to the ones that we liked the most. I had been told several times that I should relay as much specific paint info as possible, but in the end it would be the painter’s decision on how to paint the bike....and I/we needed to accept that. I wasn’t crazy about that strategy and I made it known that we expected the paint to be very close to what we requested. I actually drove to the DC area to meet with the painter and go over our requests. That was probably time and miles well spent.

We wanted to avoid the wild-custom look, knowing we would tire of it in short time. We didn’t come all this way....figuratively speaking....to build a sleeper either. It turned out to be more of a challenge than we imagined. Black pearl, charcoal pearl and candy red were the colors we chose. And the wait began. Stonewall ordered the parts and got going on the mechanical things. Along the way we thought of a few additional things and added those to the plan. What’s $100 here and $300 there, right?

Edit to add the original work order also included a Stage 1 upgrade in the form of Khrome Werks 4.5” slip-ons, H-D SE Ventilator intake, and H-D SE tuner.

 

Sure is an interesting read so far. I'm familiar with Stonewall as I only live about 45 minutes from there via back roads. Mr. Waugh, or "big Hoss", the previous owner was quite the character and was often seated right by the front door or wandering around the building welcoming everyone. Had quite a collection of older bikes and memorabilia displayed there too. Creaky hardwood floors upstairs with parts and clothes in the basement.

Edit to add: Not sure if you've taken delivery yet but, if you get back to the area take a trip to Gordonsville. It's about 1/2 hr. away and treat yourself to some of the best BBQ in the area at The Barbeque Exchange. You won't regret it

 

Visited their Quantico location last weekend and visited Stonewall yesterday. Turns out I know one of the guys that does some of their custom paint work. Nice, helpful staff at both locations.

 

Yes, I’ve read about Mr Waugh who started Waugh H-D many years ago. Sounds like he was a well known fixture on the bike scene in that region. That old (but well kept) shop really speaks to me and my sensibilities. The hardwood floors and big front porch. The somewhat unusual split level layout. On any given summer Saturday there isn’t ten minutes without bikes rolling in or past the shop. It’s a magnet for riders. We’ve been in Gordonsville several times but haven’t been hungry there....yet!

We’ve also been to the Quantico store a couple times. This is the place to go if you want to see custom built bikes. They’ve usually got several in there, with some priced well above $50k. It’s a definite toy store with great inventory.

Not far from Stonewall is a great scenic church in the town of Rapidan. We took an opportunity for some photos while out and about.

 

Great read so far!

 

After everything was set with the dealer and work was under way, I had some time to do other things. 'Things' like clean up the garage and get it ready for a new bike. Work on our farm to get ready for winter. Run a business and keep our clients smiling. I even found time to hunt deer on our farm.

The nice thing about owning and living on a farm here is that I can hunt without traveling so much as a mile. No license or tags are required. We see plenty of deer every day and I can almost scout from the house. Deer like this guy are around, and are nicely able to fill in the gaps between motorcycles.




On Friday the 13th of November it finally came together and I killed this buck with my longbow.




Not a bad way to distract one's self from the stresses of everyday life. I've been an avid bowhunter for basically my entire adult life. The nice thing is there is no pandemic in the woods. No politicians trying to influence me there. And oddly enough, it's a perfect offset to the world of big motorcycles and crazy drivers.

Thanksgiving came and went....no family get-togethers. Same with Christmas. And New Years. It felt oddly sad and abnormal. The country in chaos on several fronts. Then came the news that our bike would be done in just about a week. I had the nursery all set up and just needed to blow up the balloons before arrival.

 

Nice reading on the process!
Although I'm not a hunter, I particularly enjoyed reading about the buck you took with your longbow. In the archery world, that's a big deal! Most of those who hunt do so with a compound with all the gizmos...sight, stabilizers, mechanical release, etc. I am a barebow recurve archer, and compete in targets. It takes years to develop the proficiency to be able to hunt with confidence. Without all the gizmos and a finger release, and with a "hunting level draw weight"....getting that buck that is really something! One truly has to be on their game. Well done!

Look forward to the continuation of the story!