2007 H-D Road King
You don't ride this bike. Dewayne Lattin does. So if you're looking at it and wondering why he didn't bleed $20k into a pile of custom parts, take it up with him. Maybe he didn't feel the need. Perhaps he wanted the extra money for beer and strippers. The point is, he made the key changes he wanted to his '07 Road King, and it turned out pretty damn good. And he didn't buy a whole catalog's worth of new parts to do it. Yes, he spent a good deal on accents, but he limited the high-dollar stuff to parts he truly wanted.
He bought the RK bone-stock from a dealership. Even as he rode it off the showroom floor, though, he knew it wouldn't stay factory normal for long. The only question was what to do? Dewayne's answer was chrome, with a second round of chrome, and some extra chrome touches to finish it off. "What's the saying?" he mused to us. "If it doesn't move, chrome it?"
That's pretty much what happened, too. Dewayne limited the power enhancers to the exhaust system- no flywheels, rods, pistons, or new barrels. No aftermarket bodywork was harmed in the making of his custom King. He even kept the stock black Harley paint scheme and graphics. It's all just a lot shinier now, thanks to him chroming the shit out of everything.
Round one was a trip to Ironhorse V-twin. The Pasadena, Texas, shop pulled off all the unblinged hardware and sent it out for a serious dose of electroplate dip, per Doctor Lattin's prescription. Even the swingarm wasn't exempt. Later on, Harley's V logo fender rails were added front and rear. A new set of badass apes also found themselves perched atop the front forks. Ironhorse also installed blue LED undercarriage lighting that shines in every angle off of all the chrome. What's the point of having all that shine on a motorcycle if it can't catch eyes at midnight on a moonless night?
Too much chrome and a lot of tweaking later, it was time for round two. Dewayne's ride had some shine, but you couldn't quite see it from orbit. There wasn't enough glow in the wheels. Dewayne turned to Ride Wright Wheels for a set of chrome Fat Daddy 50-spoke tire spinners. He expanded up front with a 21-inch but kept the rear the same 16-inch size the Road King was born with, as he had no desire to swap swingarms for a larger tire.
Between the new wheels and a gator-shod butt holder, Dewayne was done changing his ride. The 96-inch motor gave him enough grunt for his riding style, and he loved the stock fit. In the end, that's all that really matters, though. It's his bike, he changed it his way, and he's the one who has to ride it. It may not be extreme, but the makeover Dewayne gave his Road King definitely gets him noticed on the street (and maybe from the International Space Station)