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hello all, i'm new here and starting my first all out bike project. have built many dragsters and door cars in the drag race world but this will be my 1st motorcycle. been reading alot and doing as much research as possible lately. purchased a 09 rocker c and am ready to do a complete make over. having a hard time deciding what direction to go on the rear section of the rocker....definately want to get rid of the gap!!!
so far what i have looked at is the following:
rwd....the cheapest option i have seen. through jp the seat and rear fender kit can be bought for just a little over $1000.
bitchen seats.....a super nice option also but looks to need shocks to make it really work correctly. seat and shocks come to around $1400 to $1700 depending on options.
heartland......seems to be by far the most popular but also the highest in cost. $2k plus for the kit.
give me some opinions on what you all are using, what you like and dislike, ect,....any info would be greatly appriciated!!!! i'm 6'4 and 275# so getting my riding position as far back will really help....hoping to not have to do much with the forward controls. looking to do as much with hd parts as possible on the rest of the build as i work for a local dealer as a service writer, going with factory style wheels chromed from hd, custom paint, air se air intake and pipes are undecided as of now. i personally like the looks of the factory rear fender alot....just need the plate moved, but am having a hard time with just going to a seat the flexes all the time(bitchen kit)
Do you plan on solo only or 2 up at times?
Ebay Danny Gray seats and Shotgun Shock from Dr. V-Twin for a saving over ordering it direct from JD's site.
The DG seat sits you lower and a little further back, but is straight solo.
Some are very happy just using the seat off a FXCW. Both close the gap and the Shockgun setup removes it totally when lowered.
Some have chopped the rear fender, welded up the holes, or just used a emblem to cover the holes.
Since you mentioned custom paint, I'd go ahead and have the holes welded up.
Unless you had a seat made up with a skirt to hide the gap, (might look good or not) Heartland or bitchen seat are your only options then I think.
You might not be able to see this as a new member, but I used a HD emblem made for the Ford HD truck to hide the holes. Plus a button hole plug from Ace Hardware to cover the upper hole.
I gotta agree, the Rocket Bob's kit is killer. I emailed them and they answered fast. It was almost a done deal but then I got thinking about the shipping from Europe and all the customs crap, so I scrapped that idea.
If you like the Heartland there is the new 280 kit and I'm sure the good 'ol Doc can hook it up!
Unfortunately, there isn't a vast array of options when it comes to totally losing that gap. With Heartland there's a high cost. With Bitchin there might be a loss of ride comfort, don't know anyone with that setup but with the fender moving it has to be weird. You could check with a local upholstery shop, sometimes they can surprising. If you haven't looked through some of the other Rocker posts yet, there are some amazing bikes on here and a lot of different takes on this platform.
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