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My grandpa just gave me his '05 Heritage Softail Classic as part of my inheritance, said he'd rather see me enjoy it than never know if I did. I want to start modding it and making it my own and thought I'd start with the rear fender and the tail light/turn signal assembly back there. I don't really like the look of it. What have you guys done, if anything, to that area?
I'm no stranger to the modding game either, had a Honda VTX for 7 years and done everything under the sun to it.
First of all, I am a Grandpa also and I love our Heritage...
First of all the Heritage is a Nostalgic Bike -- Meaning it's supposed to look like the HD's did back in the 50's.. Leather Bags, Spots, big seat.... and Fringe... That's what most Harley's had back then and (probably your Grandpa and I loved that look), I used to drool over them when I was 10-12 yrs old....
Now -- You can do some mods to it, but IMO it should stay mostly the way it is to keep it what makes it a Heritage.
I am guessing you're young and want to make a bobber or something wild out of it.
Well... My suggestion is Why don't you just leave it alone for a yr or so... Many times after we get something, our first impressions is Neg, Then after a While it will grow on us and then we start liking it.....
The thing is.. YOUR Grandpa give you the bike and if you cut it up and mod it to something totally diff, to suit you,,, then -- You won't have what you were given and you will never be able to get it back to honor him for the gift..
There are some mods you can do to make a Heritage look cool and still make a younger rider happy -- if you go slow and easy...
overall something I've learned in my 66 yrs is that most of the past item of my family is Gone and now... I wished I had a lot of them to remember and honor my parents and Grandparents... Once it's gone,,, it's gone forever...
Lay down license plate holder (I preferred to use the curved lay down plate holder, even cleaner lines); lay down tail lamp (smoked or red); narrow turn signal bar will clean up that rear end nicely and still hold the Heritage look. Maybe a quick release hardware set for he bags, to strip down to bar hopping mode when you want to. All easy DIY mods that will take you a few hours in the garage. Some pics of my very first bike attached, thanks for taking me down memory lane! Hope it help.
Here's a couple of pic's several yrs back of our Heritage when I took the rear pillion seat and made it into a Bib/backrest for the few time I ride solo...
Here's a pic of how I change it out for the other 90% of the time when the wife and I ride two up....
But I've done a lot more since this pic as it's 4 yrs ago..
Remember before you do a Lot of modding,,,,--The things is with a Heritage,, you can have a Bagger with a shield for the long trip and then in less than five minutes change it to a town Cruiser...--- less the bags and shield for that Cool look that a lot of younger guys want..
Wow! Congrats Kahos. Your grandpa obviously thinks much of you. That said, enjoy his bike and take any mods very slow! Enjoy your new scoot but remember he should see you enjoy his bike before you make it "yours". Just my two cents.
So many avenues, take your time. Ride the bike and appreciate what the old man left you. Take your time with mods, it's yours. A lot of folks with mods in here but ask yourself what is it you want to do.
Thanks for the replies and the ideas guys. I totally agree with ya'll about keeping it as close to being his as I can and the only real cosmetic thing I was planning was finding a way to shorten the rear turn signal assembly. Outside of that, I'll just be changing things to adapt to me riding as opposed to him (he's 5'7" and I'm 6'0") so things like the seat (changing to a studded Mustang) and I'll be adding highway pegs. I also need to figure out a way to add extensions to the rear floor boards to accommodate my wifes longer legs since she has to sit with her legs tucked under her it's not very comfortable. I'm really hoping to not have to change the bars, but right now my throttle hand goes to sleep when I ride it. Gonna try a throttle boss and look into a cruise control (any suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated) and see if that solves it.
Hoping to post photos soon.
Originally Posted by Slim Rich
Wow! Congrats Kahos. Your grandpa obviously thinks much of you. That said, enjoy his bike and take any mods very slow! Enjoy your new scoot but remember he should see you enjoy his bike before you make it "yours". Just my two cents.
He does, and I him. He and my grandmother took me in and raised me when I had a mom that couldn't and a dad that wouldn't.
Congrats on the bike. As stated above the heritage is a classic Harley, the first thing I did was a stage 1, pipes, intake, tuner. Also Harley and aftermarket stuff is spendy. I looked and looked on the forum for ideas, got a lay down license plate, the curved one, picked up a set of passenger floorboards, they lowered the position of my wife's legs. Also I got a heritage tour pack, done a few long distance rides 760+ in a day, the bags and tour pack are great for putting all the misses gear in. Also changed the bars to krome werks 12" apes, they bolted up, without changing cables and wiring. Most of what I've got I found on CL, and the classifieds here. I'm looking for a new seat, but at the price I want to try some out before dropping the dough.
All that said the heritage is a great bike to start with. As you can see here there are some awesome bikes that have transformed into something very different.
Crazy monster build, dynaJ, ink83 and more. Looking forward to seeing your own version.
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom
Slideshow: Killer Custom's latest build relies on styling changes rather than performance upgrades, giving the cruiser an entirely different personality.
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.
Need mod ideas and help
