Building a Modern Tour Glide..."Ester"
OK....Dont have the cash to buy a RGU, kinda semi-retired and on a fixed income. I got rid of my 09 EGC (payment) and bought my 89 Electra Glide Sport (the Road Kings grand-dad) for cheap cause it needed ALOT of love. Her bones were good, everything was there, engine with a fresh top end, and the trans had been changed and in good condition. The front end was there but bottomed on everything, the rear was just as bad and "wiggly". The electrics............well it would start and the headlight came on, that was about it. Oh yea, and the battery would die in 2 days and the seat was trashed. This is the back story.
I sorted out the electrical, new stator, regulator, blinker module, and ALOT of wire work. The front end got rebuilt, lost the air system and went with a full Revtech makeover. Gold emulators adjusted for sport with there springs preloaded with and extra 1/2" of spacer and new bars. With some other work done to the carb and other engine systems and cobbing an 09 seat that was laying around............I had a "rider" now, a little "wiggly" in the rear swingarm, but a rider.
Now for the task of a fairing! I CL'd a RK quick release windshield, thinking I could maybe set it up to use a Dead Center or Dragon Fly fairing.....FAIL!!! Then I saw a TG, it had the same gauge pod as my EGS! A little research turned up that there really wasnt any difference between the two models except for the bodywork. So the search began!!!!!
I secured a TG fairing with radio pod and a right lower for a decent price. By the way my wife HATES THE SHARK, and tell me its ugly all the time......oh well. It doesnt keep her off of it though.....LOL. I get the fairing mounted and kinda like the look and ride.
Find another lower, paint the lowers and the fairing, only have 1 glovebox,me on my and the 09 seat doesnt fit very well, still wiggly, but I have a bike again. Fast-Forward........We move, I now have a REAL garage and more tiime to get "Ester" sorted out.
I collect the parts to start to bring her into the 21st century. Late model TC swingarm, 1" axle, late rear brake and rotor, 9 spoke wheel with 1" sealed bearings, new rear pulley and belt. I went with Custom Cycle Engineering convertion kit to adapt the late swingarm to the early frame. It uses stock HD spherical bearings and there bushing/adaptors. This has been the SINGLE BEST MOD TO DATE. This bike rides and corners as well as my 09 EGC did, maybe better. I find a Mustang seat for a RK for cheap. I hade to modify the seat pan to fit my frame, but its WAY better than the 09 seat. I found brand new matched lowers, and traded my umatched set for a set of gloveboxes. I color sanded and polished my rattle can painted fairing.....its a 10 footer....but I'll fix it next year. I learned ALOT about paint on this project. I've also done a Fulsac true dual convertion with drilled and lolipooped factory mufflers. I just recieved a set of diamond reflector, H4, headlights to bring her into modern era lighting, and have yet to fit my new 04 rear fender and take-off 09 touring shocks (saving for Ohlins), to complete the build for now.
ANY OPINIONS OR IDEAS TO FURTHER ESTERS LAUNCH INTO...........MODERN, WOULD BE A HELP
OK....Dont have the cash to buy a RGU, kinda semi-retired and on a fixed income. I got rid of my 09 EGC (payment) and bought my 89 Electra Glide Sport (the Road Kings grand-dad) for cheap cause it needed ALOT of love. Her bones were good, everything was there, engine with a fresh top end, and the trans had been changed and in good condition. The front end was there but bottomed on everything, the rear was just as bad and "wiggly". The electrics............well it would start and the headlight came on, that was about it. Oh yea, and the battery would die in 2 days and the seat was trashed. This is the back story.
I sorted out the electrical, new stator, regulator, blinker module, and ALOT of wire work. The front end got rebuilt, lost the air system and went with a full Revtech makeover. Gold emulators adjusted for sport with there springs preloaded with and extra 1/2" of spacer and new bars. With some other work done to the carb and other engine systems and cobbing an 09 seat that was laying around............I had a "rider" now, a little "wiggly" in the rear swingarm, but a rider.
Now for the task of a fairing! I CL'd a RK quick release windshield, thinking I could maybe set it up to use a Dead Center or Dragon Fly fairing.....FAIL!!! Then I saw a TG, it had the same gauge pod as my EGS! A little research turned up that there really wasnt any difference between the two models except for the bodywork. So the search began!!!!!
I secured a TG fairing with radio pod and a right lower for a decent price. By the way my wife HATES THE SHARK, and tell me its ugly all the time......oh well. It doesnt keep her off of it though.....LOL. I get the fairing mounted and kinda like the look and ride.
Find another lower, paint the lowers and the fairing, only have 1 glovebox,me on my and the 09 seat doesnt fit very well, still wiggly, but I have a bike again. Fast-Forward........We move, I now have a REAL garage and more tiime to get "Ester" sorted out.
I collect the parts to start to bring her into the 21st century. Late model TC swingarm, 1" axle, late rear brake and rotor, 9 spoke wheel with 1" sealed bearings, new rear pulley and belt. I went with Custom Cycle Engineering convertion kit to adapt the late swingarm to the early frame. It uses stock HD spherical bearings and there bushing/adaptors. This has been the SINGLE BEST MOD TO DATE. This bike rides and corners as well as my 09 EGC did, maybe better. I find a Mustang seat for a RK for cheap. I hade to modify the seat pan to fit my frame, but its WAY better than the 09 seat. I found brand new matched lowers, and traded my umatched set for a set of gloveboxes. I color sanded and polished my rattle can painted fairing.....its a 10 footer....but I'll fix it next year. I learned ALOT about paint on this project. I've also done a Fulsac true dual convertion with drilled and lolipooped factory mufflers. I just recieved a set of diamond reflector, H4, headlights to bring her into modern era lighting, and have yet to fit my new 04 rear fender and take-off 09 touring shocks (saving for Ohlins), to complete the build for now.
ANY OPINIONS OR IDEAS TO FURTHER ESTERS LAUNCH INTO...........MODERN, WOULD BE A HELP