2007 H-D Road Glide
The popularity of trucker caps and mudflap girls are all indications of just how connected pop culture and America's truckers really are. In the interstate-traveling frenzy that fuels so many a gearhead's life, truckers are the ultimate expression of life on the road; this is where they work, sleep and play. They are one with the highway, in much the same way a motorcyclist is connected to the road.
Biker and trucker share a common bond, and frequently, they're the same person. But due to the parallel nature of touring bikes and trucking, it's not often that the high-mileage trucker is the high-mileage custom-bike guy. Who would be?
If your job involves churning out double-digit hours on the road daily, why would your recreational life be the same?
Bucking the trend is this guy.John Christner obviously can't get enough of the open road. With John being a trucker by trade, you might think that he'd have his fill of whacked-out road-ragers on interstate highways pulling truck duty, but you'd be wrong, as he regularly throws down 15K to 20K miles a year. And don't let his ride's show-worthy good looks fool you; this rig's in for the long haul, which is why he didn't go stupid-wide on the back rubber, opting instead for a sensible 180x18-inch rear hoop.
"The new Klock Werks 180 tire kit gives it great balance and allows me to swap out the backrest for a detachable Tour-Pak, keeping all the travel options open. Another great touch is that new windshield Brian (Klock) and his team developed and wind-tunnel-tested for the salt. It really makes that frontend stable. We were lucky enough to get the second prototype to try out," John explains.
And so were we. As stated back in our December issue of Baggers, we actually got to ride Christner's Glide for a quick squirt down I-80 outside of Sturgis last summer to get a feel for the new Klock Werks shorty windshield. The bike is quick and smoothly powerful, with its 103 inches churning out just the right combination of excitement and usable torque. It also feels rock solid near triple digits, unlike many Glides I've had the pleasure of riding.
By now it should be obvious that we're writing about yet another Klock Werks creation. But in our defense, when we went to Sturgis last summer, while there was a boatload of baggers, the custom bikes that had made the trek were pretty scarce. This bike hits all of the trademark Klock Werks design cues with stretched bags and tank, saddlebag fillers, Double Back exhausts with their hidden Puffer mufflers, a hidden axle and a sweet TexEFX paintjob. The personal touch here was a blacked-out treatment in powdercoated and anodized aluminum that makes the shiny parts stand out even more. Besides the tons of Klock Werks goodies (including some new levers and the aforementioned windscreen), significant contributions were made by Performance Machine (wheels, brakes, grips) and Cycle Visions (headlight shroud and air cleaner).
On this handsome steed, John and his wife Gloria lay down some serious together time, just them and the asphalt. They had so much fun building this bike that they're planning another custom build already while trying to figure out whether to keep this one or sell it when the new one arrives. Until then, keep a lookout for John Christner either on the orange Trucker Glide or in a truck ... he'll be the one who moves out of your way while you're riding.
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