Some guys can take riding around on a stock bike several months before they feel the desperate need to tear it down and trick it out. Ben Vasquez is not really one of those kinds of people. After a few of his homies bought baggers, Ben finally had enough and made his mind up to jump in the bagger world with both feet. A few weeks later after finally deciding which bike he wanted, Ben strolled into his local Harley dealer and plucked himself a black 2008 Road King Classic. The day he got it home Ben pretty much started to tear it apart in search of the exact look that his mind's eye dreamed up for him.
He wanted his FLHRC low and mean with tall ape hangers on it, but Ben liked to go fast, so he decided that the first thing we would do on the bike was hop up the motor. He added some major get up and go with the help of a Kryakyn Wild Things Performance Cheap Thrills 103ci kit. He then added a Samson true dual exhaust, which was capped of with Samson's un-muffled fishtail pipes. Once the go part of the engine build was done, Ben wanted some show, so he decided to go loco with what seems to be every conceivable chrome cover and accent that could be bought for an H-D Twin Cam engine.
Next was ditching the Stock Road King Classic leather covered bags for a set of Arlen Ness Big Bags, which he took to his compadres at Cal Coast Paint for a little Vivid Black treatment. Once the Ness bags were on the bike it needed to get it's tail dragging, so Ben installed a Bike Buddy Pro air ride system in the rear along with a set of 21-and-16 inch Ride Wright Fat Daddy Wheels in chrome with big black spokes. The wheel's gangster look was finished out with a set of H-D floating rotors and Avon white wall rubber. To alleviate the chopper look of the bike after the air ride system was installed, the front of the bike was lowered 2 inches by using a set of Progressive Suspension lowering springs. Due to their progressively wound design, they have been proven to work wonders when it comes to ride quality on these big bikes when lowered.
After the bike was running, sitting and rolling right, Ben searched for the perfect set of Ape hangers to put on his King and just how tall those bars would be. Luckily, Ben lives in a state where it is not a crime to have bars over your shoulders, so he wanted a set of handlebars that were high and mighty. After fingering more than a few sets of handlebars he decided to go with a set of 20-inch Standard Ape Hangers from LA Choppers. Once the apes were bolted on the bike, Ben knew he had to head right back to the Harley dealer where he grabbed some more chrome in the form of a full set of hand controls, mirrors, headlight trim rings, cable clamps as well as saddlebag and fender trim. Now that the look of the bike was exactly like the bagger residing in his head, it was time for some audio excellence and Ben's bike possesses some major tunes without the need for a fairing. Ben installed an iPod-driven Pioneer amp, which powers two 6x9 250-watt speakers mounted in the saddlebags. This simple yet powerful system can be heard easily at freeway speeds over the exhaust.
Throughout the Road King's transformation Ben's mind never played tricks on him and he stayed true to the bike in his head. By doing so he reaps the benefits of trusting his thoughts and instincts every time he throws a leg over his own king of the apes. Viva la Cabeza!