When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So, on 9 November, my lovely wife and I purchased a 2105 street 750 form Tallahassee Harley Davidson. It was gently used with 1533 miles on it, and a few signs that it was clearly a first rider bike… scuffs and such form parking lots… It also had some hideous purple powder-coated engine guards and six pack rack (they were our first thing to go on the list of mods)
She loves the bike and the way it preforms but had a few things that she wanted (or still wants) to be changed in order to truly make the bike hers, comfortable, safe and pleasing to her eye. Knowing that I like to tinker, she asked me to set about a series of changes, in whatever order I wished, to transform the bike into her own.
Here is what we have done so far and where we will chronicle the changes as time goes on.
the first thing we did was order new chrome engine guards and luggage rack off e-bay and get a back rest from Harley. getting skittle purple off the bike GREATLY improved its appearance and made her a LOT happier.
edit to add: we also cut the goofy rubber boots off the front. they serve no functional purpose and look like saggy gym socks on the bike.
she wanted bags. I was in the market for new bags for my FDXC as well, so we opted to get viking bags for both as well as QD brackets for both, the easy brackets were a superior offering to the viking QD as well so we went that route.
the docking ports without the bags are clean and unobtrusive.
next, we added JP cycle pegs and shifter as well as a Kuryakyn brake pad
you really cant see it in the pics but I opted to get Stainless button head bolts and nylock nuts from Ace to replace the pins and e-clips when I mounted the pegs.
when the peg was installed on the right side , it was hitting the break pedal arm... I had to adjust the linkage to move the pedal down about 1/4 inch in order to not have contact.
Next was the exhaust. The stock it too quiet. IMO this is a safety issue.
Others on the road cannot hear you and the rider cannot hear the bike. we went with a firebrand loose cannon.
on the stock you can see some of the scarring from the previous owner
here you can see the size difference between the two pipes
the next addition was a mod changing the stock horn to a used Harley 'cowbell' horn from e-bay. I had to pull the bracket, remove the scooter horn, make a small cut with an angle grinder, bend the bracket 90 degrees so the new horn would lay flat and bolt everything together. now it sounds better and has more of the classic Harley look.
the next complicated change and the first that I'm going to outsource a little will be a new break peddle. the stock peddle sits really low and causes the toe to rock down below the ankle, that is uncomfortable for either of us when we ride and down right painful for me. the ergos do not match either of our other bikes and she wants it higher. I bought a used peddle from a junker and am working with a local chopper shop to get the line to get closer to the other bikes that she rides.
other ongoing changes will include new grips, mirrors, handlebars,
maybe changing the seat cover.
maybe new shocks to lower the ride.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.