"Man is the only animal whose desires increase as they are fed; the only animal that is ne
On a dreary Friday morning that was bringing Daytona Bike Week to a close, I got a call from the owner of this sweet custom Street Glide I had spotted the night before in a parking garage. Jeff Holt and I were just finishing up a breakfast soiree with Arlen and Cory Ness as well as lesser-known motorcycling quasi-celebrities. Arlen was being honored by the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum for all he's done for this great industry. It was early, I was tired, but I was excited that the business card I left on that bike in the swanky beachside condo got a response.
It was Todd, kind of unsure as to who I was or why I left my card on his seat. He was out on a ride trying to avoid the rain clouds, and I was trying to figure out if we could squeeze in a photo shoot. I gave him directions to meet me on the sand bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Although the clouds were thick, only a few raindrops fell. Daytona is one of the few places that seem to welcome motor vehicles on the sand. You can bring your car, truck or bike; I even saw a snowmobile out there. The practice probably dates back to when the Daytona races were actually run on the beach. For some reason beyond me, the sand is very packed down and provides a better ride than one would expect.
After returning from Florida, Todd and I were in contact for him to get me the spec sheet for the build as well as a backstory on why and what inspired him for this build. I received the spec sheet and promised I'd get him some pics from the Daytona shoot. I don't ordinarily give out any photos from feature stories. Todd promised me a headstone for a future event that I cannot avoid. No joke, I think he's in the monument business. His sig line says his "products and services come with a lifetime guarantee." I thought that was pretty clever. After organizing, sorting and burning the 5,000 pics I took in Daytona, we were ready to feature Todd's bike.
What really grabbed my attention when I first saw this bagger were the paint and graphics. The combination of orange-hued pearls, silver and black was perfectly complemented with black powdercoated accessories. Of course, Brian Klock's signature can be seen all over this bike, too. His front fender, windshield and bag fillers were used as well as a few other smaller pieces. One of the trickest looks here are the cat-eye LED turn signals present in the outer fairing skirt and saddlebags. A Russ Wernimont taillight/license mount continues the cat-eye theme.
While the chassis was getting worked on with the needed rolling accoutrements, such as 21-inch front and 18-inch rear Renegade wheels, the 88-inch mill was pumped up to 95 inches. A variety of Screamin' Eagle parts were used to get some respectable power through the Rinehart exhaust system.
When it was time to prepare for this issue, the big boss wanted to put Todd's bike on the cover. The image of Todd and his wife riding on the beach was just too good to pass up. The 3-D orange motif contrasted perfectly against the crashing waves. It just shouted "Daytona." I'd still not received any info from Todd. I also hadn't yet sent him any pics. During a series of e-mails, him asking about his pics and me asking about the story, we appeared to come to a stalemate. He didn't respond despite my apologies for being tardy. I explained that I was actively working on his feature and the 300-plus photos of his bike were being distilled down to a few handfuls for the article. By the time you read this, the pics should have landed in the Festus P.O. Hopefully Todd will let me choose my own epitaph. B