Maindrive Cycle

Finished up David’s Softail recently. I’m really happy with how it turned out! I didn’t show David any final assembly pics, so he was SUPER stoked when he got to see the completed bike in person. Great moment, for sure.

Just realized I never posted detail pics of the rear fender mounting setup and grab rail that I made for David’s Softail…so, here they are:

The Roland Sands Design risers finally came in, so I was able to mount up the Maindrive Cycle handlebars. Mockup is done, time for finishes.

Most rigid rear fenders are made to fit 18″ wheels/tires, but since David’s Deuce has a 17″ rear, a little work was needed to get the fit just right. Here’s the brand new Twisted Choppers rear fender (excellent quality, by the way)…notice how it doesn’t fit the tire very well:

First step is to cut slits in the fender every 2″ (leaving the center intact). Now the fender can flex like a spine:

Using towels to establish the desired clearance, a strap holds it all in place:

Weld in steel straps on either side to lock the position, then remove from bike:

Begin welding, being sure to stagger the welds to minimize warpage:

Once all welding is finished, remove the steel straps:

Then grind the welds smooth:

Now the fender fits perfectly:

It takes quite a bit of work, but is well worth the effort to get the look just right. A rear fender that doesn’t follow the rear wheel will always ruin the look of a bike.

In the past, I’ve chopped this frame gusset bar to really clean up the look. But this time, the tank was covering up most of the bar, so there was no need for that. I’ve seen others builders fabricate elaborate covers in an attempt to hide this bar, but they all look pretty silly to me…so I came up with something simple. This part basically ‘enlarges’ the smaller tube so that it flows nicely with the larger portion of the neck forging. Once powder-coated, it will blend nicely. And it mounts using the existing 2 holes that are already in the the bar. Easy.

For the fuel tank, I got busy building a classic Sportster-style tank. I started with a King Sportster shell:

I then rounded out the flat top that these tanks traditionally have, and removed 1″ from the rear for a sleeker look.

I then built the square tunnel and bottom, fabricated the mounting system, and welded in the petcock bung and Pro-Vent gas cap. Came out great!

To mount the tank, I drilled a hole thru the factory nubs on the neck forging to pass a bolt thru:

For the rear tank mount, I simply drilled and tapped a hole into the backbone. Here’s the completed tank mounted on the bike.

I am now setup to build these tanks without physically having your bike in my shop, and am offering them as a product. Will bolt on to any Twin Cam Softail (’99 and up) with the minor modification shown above. This tank was obviously for a carbureted bike, but I will be offering fuel-injected tanks in the very near future. Email me at info@maindrivecycle.com if interested. Finally, a cool option for folks wanting a custom tank for their Softail!

I took off the swingarm to chop off the unused tabs, and while it was off, I mounted one of the new Maindrive license plate brackets:

Next up was the all-important suspension modifications to get the stance right. I’m a firm believer that getting the perfect stance is probably the most important step of any build. At the rear, I kept the factory shocks, but used a lowering kit to set the height. Up front, I used new shorter fork tubes. The bike really sits nice now.

Stock splash guard slimmed down:

Here are all the parts removed so far…major weight loss!

For the seat, I went with my usual Redtail Leather seat pan. Pretty simple mounting system: 3 tabs welded to the pan, 3 tabs welded to the frame…rock-solid. I really love the look of these seat pans. It flows real nice with the lines of the bike.

Chopping the frame horns is easy, anybody can do it. Making it flow in a nice, smooth way is a whole ‘nother story.

Before:

After: