Street-Shredding 2016 Road Glide is All About Handling

Show & Go

More than just an asphalt warrior, 'Bear Necessities' is a research and development platform for Big Bear Choppers. Once a stock 2016 Harley-Davidson Road Glide, the bike is now a potent street machine with handling to match. Proving that looks are only half the battle, here is a closer look at Big Bear Choppers shop bike. 

Handling Trends

Located in San Bernardino, California, owner Kevin Alsop started Big Bear Choppers in the late 1990s. Since then, Big Bear Choppers has become a household name on the custom motorcycle and Performance Bagger scene. As someone who has seen a lot of trends come and go, Alsop focuses on the basics — good handling and performance. .

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Stock Power

Powering the 'Bear' is a stock 103 cubic-inch Twin Cam. Bumping the Road Glide up to Stage 1 is a handmade exhaust with custom collector headers and an S&S air filter. Transmission is the stock Harley-Davidson patented six-speed Cruise Drive. To the left of the engine is a Big Bear Choppers triangular side cover for Baggers. 

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Custom Stopping

Power is no good without reliable handling and stopping. The front end is a Big Bear Choppers Performance unit that consists of an Öhlins inverted front end held in place by a raked, custom machined-aluminum triple tree. Dual Brembo Monoblock calipers and Galfer USA rotors take up the duty of stopping the Road Glide's nineteen-inch front wheel. 

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Feel-Good Glide

Kevin Alsop wants others to feel good about riding — especially Baggers. That motivation led him to the sales floor a few years ago. “I decided that the new 2016 Road Glide would be a perfect model to R&D.” Along with the signature stock faring, this Road Glide has a Klock Werks windscreen and Big Bear Choppers lowers. The Road Glide was painted by Dan Gardner of Kandyman Customs. 

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Confident Luxury

With the new bike in the shop, Alsop analyzed the suspension system. His goal was to build a more responsive, and better handling set up. He wanted to give riders an “elusive luxury car sensation.” Alsop's logic is pretty straightforward and somewhat holistic. As he stated, “The way I see it, increasing stability will build more confidence when riding.” 

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R&D Time

Big Bear Choppers is well-known for its performance handling front end kits, but it takes time and testing to get it right. Alsop elaborated, “The most difficult part of this process was designing parts on paper, transferring them to digital models, and waiting for the actual part to come out of the CNC phase so I could actually test them.” 

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Retro-Fit

Once the initial development was completed, Alsop reworked the design back to 2000 Harley-Davidson models. Alsop said that it is a “lengthy journey through trial and error.” Dedicated to the cause, the list of modifications did not stop with the front end. An improved braking system was developed, along with better engine mounts, and controls — all in the name of better handling.

>>Join in on the conversation about this 2016 Road Glide right here in HDForums.com.

For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our How-to section right here in the forum.