This bike turns heads everywhere you ride it, and people's eyes are glued to it once they see it. As soon as they hear the low rumble of the 2-into-1 exhaust pipes, they're heads snap to attention with 180 degrees of neck-swiveling motion, then relish the sight for as long as they can hold the bike in focus, followed by a gaping mouth in awe. There's no doubt in the rider's mind that the '05 Ironhorse Texas Chopper grabs attention like a wrestler's headlock. Maybe people are drawn to the subtle graphics of the killer paintjob, or it could be all the flash of the fully polished 117ci S&S motor, or possibly the fat look of the 280mm tire in the rear. Whatever it is, it doesn't match how much fun the bike is to ride.
The Texas Chopper looks awesome, but it was built to ride. When AIH decided to put a huge 280mm tire in the rear, it moved the final driveline to the right side of the bike for better balance. That change alone made the bike handle better than almost every bike with a wide tire and a left-side drive. Add to that a six-speed close-ratio polished transmission, and the bike will do well over a 100 mph in the click of a few shifts. Even though the motor is corked up due to EPA restrictions, it still has a ton more horsepower and torque than a stock H-D. With very few modifications to the motor, you could get horsepower numbers close to 130. Don't forget to check out the adjustable air-ride suspension in the rear. A few switches under the ignition cylinder lock control the ride height and compression rate of the shocks, making it easy to correct your suspension if you happen to pick up a passenger on your next ride.
We have fallen in love with the Texas Chopper, but nothing's perfect. The only thing that we would even consider changing is the amount of lean angle. It is way too easy to scrape the kickstand on the left side. But, we already have a solution to the problem, in an upcoming issue we'll be moving the kickstand to the swingarm plate, an easy modification anyone could do on their lift at home.
The big, stretched-out bike (4 inches in the backbone and 8 inches with a 38-degree rake) has made such an impression on us that we've decided to adopt the bike for a while. We've taken it on as a STREET CHOPPER long-term test bike - a month just wasn't enough for us. In fact, we're gonna ride it to Sturgis this year, and you'll get to see us hop up the beautiful 117ci S&S motor so it reaches it's full potential.