Black Beauty | 2007 Harley-Davidson FLHX

Bobby Garone is no stranger to the custom motorcycle industry. He has been involved in cars and bikes for decades. Bob has been hanging tight with the Shadley brothers, Mark and Paul of Shadley Bros. Motorcycles for years at Sturgis and various bike events, but his priorities rightfully shifted towards spending time with his young family at home. However, with his children getting older, Bob has found himself with a free minute here and there; and for Bob that means hot rod bikes and cars. Bob and the Shadleys were at a mutual friend’s 40th birthday bash when Bob and Mark began talking about building a turbo bagger. Bob, having had several custom motorcycles in the past, was able to give Mark all the details he needed to conjure up a killer bike. The result was a mean, raked-out ’07 FLHX and the renewal of an old friendship.

This bike does not leave you wanting! The 96ci H-D engine along with a Trask Performance turbo kit and Screaming Eagle 255 cams allow for some serious door-blowing power, putting out 114 lb-ft of torque and 123 hp! To hold the engine in the cradle, a signature Shadley Bros. top motor mount was fabbed up and installed. A Baker +1 Oil pan was also added for additional oil capacity, more efficient oil circulation and better cooling. A BDL Slimline 2-inch open primary drive was chosen for its clean line and reliable ability to transfer the power to the rear wheel. For some additional class, the engine and transmission cases were accented with Roland Sands Design covers. To help increase air flow, the Shadley Bros. installed the recommended Trask air filter and fabricated a custom exhaust to release the combustion remnants. To calculate the spark, a Thundermax with auto tune capability was installed. This setup was no day at the beach to get dialed in! What was thought to be a relatively straightforward installation was delayed by a corrupt mapping file that set the Shadley Bros. team back some considerable hours. The end result was justified by the screaming pull and torque the system produced once dialed in.

To give the bike some attitude, the Shadleys added a 23x3.5-inch PM front wheel with a contrast-cut finish. To give the bike the proper rake and trail combination, the neck of the frame was pushed out 2 inches and raked out 5 degrees. A set of 41mm Hawg Halters triple trees with 3 additional degrees of rake were added to the equation to give the bike a smooth ride. The clean, blacked-out legs were accented with a set of Yaffe black and machine-cut Yafterburner cowbells. The Shadleys were able to reinstall the front fairing without any major modifications other than re-spacing and shimming the headlight for proper aim and fitment. A set of LED directionals from Todd’s Cycle were neatly fitted to almost disappear against the frontend. They also installed a set of Dakota Digital gauges including a 0-30 psi boost gauge with a sensor to read the whip up pressure of the Trask turbo. For hand controls, the Shadley Bros. fabricated a set of handlebars and installed a complete PM hand control package including a hydraulic clutch and fairing-mounted mirrors.

The fuel tank was stretched and a custom-made dash was fitted to it. The smooth-flowing profile of the tank and dash bleeds into the handcrafted Danny Gray seat and custom-fit Ness side covers. To sharpen up the rearend of the bike, several major modifications were performed. A set of Milwaukee stretched saddlebags were fit and mounted aside a set of Klock Werks upper bag fillers and a heavily modified rear fender. The fender was extended and filled in to clean up the back view of the bike. A frenched-in taillight and license plate pocket were welded into the fender to continue the flawless lines of the tins. A set of LED directionals from HI TECH were flush-mounted into the lower bag fillers to remain consistent with the smooth look on the rest of the bike. A set of contrast-cut saddlebag latch covers were used to match the other black and machine-cut components on the bike.

The prep work for painting was completed in-house at Shadley Bros. The Shadley’s painter, Joe Caledonia, impressively laid down the PPG black with flattening clear. The artwork, though simple, had to be meticulously accurate; the smallest inconsistency in the pattern throughout the tins would have been all too evident. John Hartnett painstakingly laid town the lines that make this paintjob look simple. With its blacked-out appearance, high-end parts, and beautifully detailed finish this bike is one badass turbo bagger. Keep your eyes open and you might see Bob spinning up that turbo around Long Island! B