Extreme Softail Makeover - Tech

18. Then the taillight and stock rear fender got pulled off and set in the swap meet pile with the rest of the stock parts.

19. The new RSD struts didn't work with the factory frame struts, so they had to go!

20. We made quick work of the struts with our handy-dandy reciprocating saw and an 18 tooth per inch bi-metal blade.

21. It was time to say goodbye to the stock 16-inch wheel.

21. Now we had an '06 rear brake setup and a 18x5.5 80-spoke wheel because we wanted to run a 180 rear tire without any clearance issues. To run the '06 model brakes, you just need to cut 1/4-inch off the brake hanger. Here we have it taped off.

22. We used a 4-inch grinder with a cut-off wheel to make quick work of the brake tab.

23. And here is the end result before we cleaned it up with a sander and hit it with some fresh paint.

24. While the paint was drying we installed the Heartland USA side mount license plate/taillight.

25. Next we installed the pulley on the new wheel with the new hardware and torqued it to spec.

26. We also torqued down the new floating rotor from Harley-Davidson.

27. Getting the wheel, brakes, and all the axle spacers between the swingarm at the same time and the belt on the pulley was kind of tricky, but it was nothing that another set of hands couldn't fix.

28. Here, you can easily see where the 1/4-inch we took off the brake bracket made all the difference. The new PM caliper and the H-D rotor are lined up perfectly.

29. Once we got the axle installed and the rear wheel tight, it was time to connect the factory brake line to the new caliper with the provided banjo bolt and crush washers.

30. On the bench, we loosely attached the struts to the fender.

31. Then we just sort of pulled the struts apart to get it all slid over the frame where it mounts. Then once everything is aligned we tightened all the hardware.

32. After we finished up the wiring and gave everything the once over to make sure it was all tight, we added some fresh DOT 5 brake fluid and bled the brakes.

33. Next issue, we'll show you what we are going to do about the seating situation with a custom seat from LePera, but the lines are coming together very nicely.

34 & 35. Before
And here is a quick recap of what we did to the front end from bottom to top, Avon 120/70/21, 21x3.5 Landmark Wheel, Hawg Halters Mid-Glide forks, Performance Machine 6-piston caliper, DeLisle risers, Roland Sands Designs bars, and Westbury grips.