2010 Harley-Davidson Street Glide | Beach Cruiser

Everyone strives to reach the top and stay on top. Unfortunately, for some, not everyone makes it. For those that do it’s one hell of a feeling. Myrtle West Cycle has been in the motorcycle industry since 1996. And when it comes to wheels, swingarms, or just about any part that can be machined for a sportbike, Myrtle West has been one of the very few at the top of the list for quite some time. However, offering product solely to one motorcycle community left the owner of Myrtle West Cycle, Jonathan Martin, with a glass-half-empty feeling. Expanding his Myrtle Beach, South Carolina operations to inlcude custom Harley parts is exactly what was needed.

One look at Myrtle West’s website and you will find many varieties of wheels from classic to 3-D, ranging from stock sizes to massive 30-inchers. Jon knew right away when he made the decision to start manufacturing wheels for Harley-Davidsons, he would need a rolling advertisement. With the plans in the works for building a Harley to showcase his product, he needed someone to help him with the actual build and to choose which Harley model would be the best test goat. Jon turned to his friend, Kory Souza, an experienced builder and someone who has been passionate about every motorcycle build he’s ever been involved with.

Just another day at the drag strip for Myrtle West Cycle.

Many in the sportbike world know Kory’s name and many in the Harley world are still learning his name with some of his recent monstrous 26 and 30 inch builds. Kory owns Kory Souza Originals and has been building badass bikes since 2002. After eight years mentoring and learning from some very reputable builders, he stepped out from the shadows to offer his services and ideas with his style of building and customization. Since that day, there’s been no turning back. When it comes to Harleys, Kory has built some of the most exotic bikes around. Between H-Ds and sportbikes, Kory has landed a great deal of his bikes on the pages of a wide variety of magazines. Tucked away in some beat-up cardboard boxes are plaques of features that Kory has built over the last decade. Maybe it was that box or just maybe it was that Kory was a friend of Jon’s; either way, the decision was made to team up for this project, a 2009 Harley-Davidson Street Glide.

While the audio output on this Street Glide might rock the party, the gleaming chrome 23-inch Myrtle West wheel draws plenty of attention as well.

While the audio output on this Street Glide might rock the party, the gleaming chrome 23-i

The project bike came about as a repossession purchase. Repossession? One man’s inability to exchange agreed US currency to a bank becomes another man’s rolling advertisement, I guess. This Street Glide serves only one purpose as Jon explains, “We needed to showcase our dedication to the V-twin market by making something simple, not over the top, yet!” However, if you know anything about Myrtle West, “simple” is not a word typically used to describe the shop or its products by any means. After going over the plans for this Street Glide with Kory, it was time to get to work. While Kory waited on Jon to machine the front wheel for this bike, Kory began by replacing the stock exhaust with something a little more sweet from RC Components. While swapping parts Kory made sure to take the time to install an Arnott air ride system in the rear. He continued by replacing the gas tank, front fender, and seat with parts from Paul Yaffe’s Bagger Nation. The rear fender came straight from Bad Dad and to flow with the new Screamin’ Eagle CVO saddlebags. The stock side covers were replaced with a set from Sinister Industries that Kory cut and shaved down to match the CVO bags. The brake calipers and mirrors came from Arlen Ness and a set of handlebars from Tec Distributing were also bolted in place.

Sometimes bike builders will reach out for a helping hand and in this case Kory tapped Sal Vierra of Florida. “I’d like to give a special thanks to Sal for helping me. With him, the build was more exciting and less difficult than doing it alone,” Kory stated. By the time the major components were swapped out, the UPS man had finally arrived just in time, holding his tablet for Kory’s signature; one more cardboard box for his collection, Myrtle West’s 23-inch wheel Jon decided to showcase on this Street Glide. With the wheel in possession, a few last changes were needed to make everything fit and flow together. The frontend was raked 3 degrees and then Kory took the right side fork leg off and cut/shaved the caliper mount off the leg, thus giving a smooth look on the right side. The wheel was then mounted in place with an axle from Bagger Nation.

Kid ’N’ Play wouldn’t know what to do with the jams bumpin’ out of this house party. The Bagger Nation Rockford Fosgate audio system comes with a 300x4 amp, 6.5-inch speakers with speaker adapters, and audio speaker saddlebag lids with 6x9 three-way speakers.

Kid ’N’ Play wouldn’t know what to do with the jams bumpin’ out of this house party. The B

After being under the knife for less than two months, the Street Glide made its debut during Myrtle Beach Bike Week. When the bike wasn’t cruising the beach, Myrtle West was ripping it down the drag strip or providing a rolling party via the Bagger Nation House Party audio system the bike was outfitted with. Since the completion of this build, Jon already has more parts and components in the works as well as many more builds lined up. Myrtle West is excited to build and continue to grow its reputation in the bike world as a whole now, not just in the sportbike industry. It offers rake kits for all sizes of larg diameter front wheels. When any member of the Myrtle West team is asked what they take the most pride in, the immediate response is “We’re proud to manufacture all our parts and wheels in our own shop, in the USA.”