Originally Posted by x1rider
Year: 2009
Model: StreetGlide
Engine Size: Hillside 107"
Transmission: 6spd
Pipes: Black FatCat 2 in 1
Seat: HD Brawler
Wheels: Stock
Accessories: Arnott rear air suspension, front suspension lowering kit, Bitchin' Baggers front fender lowering bracket, various pegs, hand grips, SE Heavy Breather, etc...
.....and the story....
The idea came to me after my bike builder and friend passed away last summer from cancer. He is the one who built my 120" FatBoy.
I was looking for a way to honour his memory and I thought that going through the steps he went through to modify a bike would be a good way to do just that, trace his steps from a stock bike to a modified one.... not to the extreme he went to though.
So I discussed it with his wife and she felt like it was a great idea. I purchased a 2009 StreetGlide which I picked up in November.
Two days later, with 1 km on the odometer, I proceeded to taking it apart. My plan was to do a bike my friend (Moreno) would have built for himself, I wanted to build a tribute bike. After a few weekends in the garage, I ended up with this.
My friend was a "go before show" kinda guy so I couldn't just do cosmetic modifications, so I sent the cylinders, heads, and camplate to Hillside cycle in order to put together a 107" engine with Woods cams (I had never really worked on a bike before so it was all new to me, I spent several hours studying the service manual before starting).
While the engine parts were out, I started sandblasting the chromed and various metal pieces to do an almost totally blacked out bike (flat black powdercoating).
I did all the powdercoating myself in an oven that I built for that purpose (It took me a lot of trials and errors, and blown components to get the oven right).
....after I got the oven right, I proceeded to powdercoat the pieces I had taken off the bike.
My friend's wife had given me the windshield and clutch cover she took off his personal bike before parting with it, I felt very privileged to have them and wanted to give them a good home.
The windshield was airbrushed by Fitto and the clutch cover is a one-off design CNC'ed into a stock cover, both with my friend's riding group's logo.
When the powdercoating was done and the engine parts back in my garage, it was time for re-assembly. Here are pics of the finished product, my blacked out Moreno Tribute Bike.
....and as a finishing touch to truly make it a tribute bike, a custom licence plate "In Memoriam Moreno P. Forigo".
......Sorry for the long story, I just felt like it was worth telling. I hope my friend is proud of me and I feel privileged to have known him as a friend as well as a bike builder.....
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