Built To Ride
For the better part of five years, Fat Baggers Inc.'s (FBI's) parts and accessories have catered to the bagger crowd. FBI has made quite a name for themselves by offering their wide rear fender/swingarm conversions for H-D machines. While most think about baggers, like the Electra and Street Glide, they also offer tire conversions for Softails and V-Rod models as well. Be sure to visit the FBI display at any major rally to check out the latest parts and even have them installed right on the spot by FBI trained technicians.
As 2007 rolled around, the demand for FBI parts was so high, the company created the FBI Motor Company. Instead of having your bike turned into a custom bagger, the FBI MoCo created ground-up custom baggers to fill a niche in the marketplace. The three FBI MoCo offerings are visually similar to H-D production bikes: the Electra Glide-styled Razorback, a Road Glide-inspired Razor and the Road King-esque Razor King. Think of these bikes as H-D CVOs on steroids that come complete with road-ripping JIMS 120-inch Twin Cam motors and a ton of custom parts and options. Unbelievably, these super baggers come standard with a three-year, unlimited-mile warranty from FBI. That's a year more than a plain-Jane Harley will get you. A company has to either be naive, insane or completely confident to warranty a custom bike with huge power for 36 months. I'd cocksurely say, knowing the guys at FBI and their track record, it's their assuredness in their product. They were building baggers worthy of Hot Bike back when every bike was a mostly unridable billet Softail or chopper.
Alright-let's get to this sweet, customly massaged, creme- and raven-hued FBI Razor. A few years ago, during the Sturgis rally, its owner, Steve Streeter, first saw FBI's touring bikes. Originally hailing from South Dakota, he has ridden to the Black Hills Classic since saddling up his first major street ride in 1974. Along with choppers built by the likes of one of the godfathers in the MC industry, Eddie Trotta, Steve's owned five or six Harley-Davidson Road Glides over the years. Along with this custom dresser, his other long-distance rig is an anniversary-edition RG with a 117ci mill strapped between the rails. To say he likes to ride or knows what he wants from a bike might be a slight understatement.
After consulting with Gary Chipp from FBI, Steve decided he wanted them to build an option-filled Razor model. Like the other FBI production bikes, Steve went with a JIMS 120 connected to an H-D Cruise Drive six-speed tranny. Inside the base of the stroker motor is a set of pressed JIMS flywheels and 4340 steel con rods with a 4 1/2-inch stroke. Combined with the 4 1/8-inch bore forged slugs and 10:1 compression, the motor pumps out over 125hp and 121 lb-ft of tire-melting torque. Large 2.08-inch intake valves in the JIMS heads are actuated by 0.635-lift SE cams that help air escape from the FBI True Dual exhaust system. Induction is handled by a combo of a Zipper's throttle body and H-D injectors lit up with a ThunderMax ignition unit.
To equal the motor output, just as much went into the styling of the Razor. A sleek Russ Wernimont 5 1/2-gallon fuel tank is flanked fore and aft by FBI fenders with a wide unit out back to cover the 200mm tire. Both Avon skins are wrapped around RC Comp Czar Eclipse wheels and rotors that are clamped by HHI calipers. Using FBI's single caliper fork leg setup cleaned up the front, with only one six-piston brake. For added bling, the rear-to-front-opening saddlebags can be remotely operated.
Steve is a big fan of black-and-white paint schemes. However, while at a Barrett-Jackson car auction, he spotted the creme color you see here on a classic car. It turns out that Steve, due to his business connections in Denver, was friends with the guys at Gunslinger Custom Graphics. Originally, Gunslinger did some artist renditions of the Razor, including combos of silver, black and white two-tone motifs. He thought about the car he saw and decided to go with the somewhat-nostalgic beige and black arrangement you see here.
Steve is loving his new custom bagger. It's comfortable, provides good protection from the weather and is super fast. Due to the low 24-inch seat height, the bike handles and looks great. Steve is currently in Sturgis again and invited me over to give the Razor a shakedown test. I can't wait to put the bike through its paces in one of the best riding areas of the U.S.