This Harley Softail Chopper is Rough Around the Edges

One Piece at a Time

Murray Baxter's Softail started out life as a new Big Mike's Chopper (BMC) build. Acquired in 2003 for a “screaming deal,” Baxter said that he immediately “sanded off the glossy flame paint job and rattled-canned it black.” That was just the start of the changes. Over the years, Baxter has replaced a grocery list of parts including the “motor, tranny, wheels, front end...seat, fender, gas tank, pipes, and lights.”

All photos courtesy of Chop Cult

S&S Power

Baxter said that the only original part left is the “front section of the frame.” Along with essentially replacing the entire motorcycle, Baxter also swapped in a final chain drive, open primary belt drive, suicide shifter, and mid controls. The Softail sports a healthy 113 cubic-inch S&S motor, fed by a S&S Super G carburetor with a Freedom Machinery & Accessories Short Velocity Stack, and Bench*Mark Evo Breathers.

>>Join the conversation about this Softail Chopper right here at HDForums.com!

Go Your Own Way

A Softail frame is not the usual go-to platform for chopper builders, but Baxter prefers to do things his own way. Looking for a challenge he stated, “I wanted to see if I could make a Softail 'good looking,' and I think I achieved it.” However, Baxter does admit that the Softail is “a little rough around the edges, and...slightly out of style.”

>>Join the conversation about this Softail Chopper right here at HDForums.com!

Heavy Metal

Inspired by Eddie Van Halen's iconic eardrum shredding DIY guitar called 'Frankenstein,' the Softail's masking tape paint job is a perfect fit. In keeping with the garage-modified motif, Baxter lowered the Softail's rear suspension and cranked up the preload so the “whole set up only gets about 1/2" or less of travel.” Acting more like a rigid frame, Baxter said that the chopper “rides great,” despite claims about bad handling on modified Softail frames.

>>Join the conversation about this Softail Chopper right here at HDForums.com!

Wacky and Radical

A WW2-era bayonet shifter, hand cut lighting-bolt tank mount, and lumpy welds complete the Softail's garage built chopper vibe. Baxter was quite adamant about not subscribing to trends. Discussing the Softail's details, Baxter expressed his appreciation for Japanese chopper builders who have created a style all their own that does not conform to 'so-called' period-correct standards. Baxter said, they make the “raddest looking sh*t...all dingy and detailed in the most wacky ways.”

>>Join the conversation about this Softail Chopper right here at HDForums.com!

Husband/Wife Build

From the handlebars nestled in a signature Baxter Motorcycle clamp, to the sissy bar and fender strut combination, everything is custom-made. Along with his “little metal-worker wife,” Baxter engineered the sissy bar and strut so the tall bar could be “taken on and off super easy without removing the fender strut.” With very little movement in the rear end, the fender was welded directly to the triangulated swingarm.

>>Join the conversation about this Softail Chopper right here at HDForums.com!

Mile Maker

Despite having no back brake, Baxter's Softail is no trailer queen. Out front, the Softail rolls on a 3.00/21 Dunlop Trials tire sandwiched between a shaved Narrowglide, and bringing up the rear is a 5.00/16 Shinko Classic. The Softail's endurance test was a cross-country ride in seven days of continuous rain. In conversation with the good folks at ChopCult, Baxter summed up his favorite thing about the Softail by emphatically stating “she runs killer.”

>>Join the conversation about this Softail Chopper right here at HDForums.com!

For maintenance and repair guides for your Harley, browse our technical How-to articles right here at HDForums.com!