Peter Ballards Bike Built For An Adventure

you’ve got to give HarleyDavidson credit where credit is due. For years they’ve created multiple platforms of frames and engine configurations that have supplied the basic essentials needed to build a custom bike. This sweet Evo Softail Bobber built by Peter Ballard is definitely no exception. Since its inception, the Softail line has been extremely popular. It was introduced in 1984 and up until the 2018 model year that combined the Dyna and Softail frames it saw more than a few revisions to its frame design: this was due to the introduction of the Twin Cam “B” motor and increased tire sizes. An interesting side note that deserves a mention is that the original concept for the frame was designed and fabricated by a rider from the St. Louis area. After a few prototypes were built he sold his patented design to the Motor Company…and the rest is history. The all new Evolution motor was placed in it and Harley-Davidson started to see some improved sales every year. The Softail remains a strong part of their production motorcycles to this day. Okay, enough with the history lesson.

The owner of this Softail is Peter Ballard, who like most of us grew up riding various makes and models of bikes. He got his first HD when he was 24 and from then on it was only Harleys. The idea for this bike started at Daytona Bike Week after his good friend Kyle Shorey of Shade Tree Fabrication invited him to ride along on the Hot Bike tour that was to kick off in September of that year. It took a few minutes for Peter to realize that if he went along he would be riding the Tail of the Dragon on his 40th birthday, so needless to say he was pumped.

He decided he wanted to build a new bike for this adventure and with the timeline he was facing he thought

Article By: Roadside Marty Photos By: Carsten Fritzen

using an existing bike would help ease the fabrication process. On the way home from Daytona he made a call to his father-in-law who had a 99 Fat Boy that was collecting dust in his garage. He knew it only had 5400 original miles on it and he knew it was the perfect candidate for what he had in mind. The bike eventually earned the nickname “Dotty” because of the oil dots she left behind wherever she went. The gaskets had gotten hard from years of just sitting- thus the “dots”. Not only did Kyle give him an invitation to go on the tour he also kicked up a few parts from his Shade Tree Fabrications line of Softail components. This included things like the rear fender struts that give the frame a more aggressive stance. This is fast becoming a very popular modification on these frames. Next up was a Led Sled fender that was worked into place and since it came undrilled Peter was able to lower it to the point where it hugs the rear tire perfectly. The seat was made using a hinge mount on the pan that was covered with a 1/2” gel pad and after staining a raw piece of leather black it was mounted up and good to go.

As he was making modifications to the bike he decided to clean up the exposed areas of the frame by cutting off any unneeded tabs. He decided to leave the motor and transmission stock untouched because of the low miles. Given the Evolution motor’s reputation for dependability he knew it was the right choice. He did take the original primary assembly off and used a 2’ belt primary from Ultima. The only change he made was to paint the inner plate wrinkle black to match the motor and transmission. Another Ultima piece is the round oil tank that was used to replace the stock unit because Peter felt it looked more in line with his vision. One of my favorite pieces

is the taillight. Peter cut down the stalk of a stock turn signal and after replacing the lens with a red one it worked like a charm. Another trick part of this build I really dig is the stock odometer trip reset button. This was rewired to work as the starter button, really a nice piece of work! Most people underestimate the CV carb but Peter kept this one. He did add another Shade Tree component when he used one of their free flow air cleaners that matched perfectly with the Shade Tree floorboards. The Vance and Hines short shot pipes were a Craigslist find and the exhaust wrap was left over from a 72 Nova project. Originally, Peter used the stock Fat Boy front end but after a 1000 miles with it he decided to use a 2” under stock reproduction springer that gives it a nice level stance. He used a narrow squared off set of bars that he had to machine special risers for due to the width of the springer top tree. He also updated the front brake with a GMA unit that he custom milled for a clean look. The stock wheels didn’t go with what he had done so far so he went with a set of Ultima 60 spoke wheels.

Owner: Peter Ballard city/state: Barrington, NH Fabrication By: Peter Ballard Year: 1999 Model: Softail time: Never Enough value: Too Much ENGINE

Year: 1999 Model: Evo Builder: Stock ignition: Stock Displacement: 80” pistons: Stock heads: Stock Carb: Stock cam: Stock Air Cleaner: Shadetree Fabrications Exhaust: Primary: TRANSMISSION

Year: 1999 Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: Foot Frame

year: 1999 make: Softail rake: Stock Stretch: Stock front end

Type: Springer Builder: Mid-USA Triple trees: extension: -2” WHEELS

front Wheel: 60 Spoke Size: 23” front tire: Bridgestone front brake: GMA rear Wheel: 60 Spoke Size: 16” rear tire: Firestone rear brake: Harley-Davidson PAINT

painter: Pete’s Custom Cycles Color:Rescue Green Type: MBC Powder Coat: ACCESSORIES

Bars: Biltwell risers: Custom Hand Controls: Stock foot controls: Shadetree Fabrications Fuel tank: Stock oil tank: Ultima Front Fender: Shadetree Fabrications rear Fender: Shadetree Fabrications seat: Shadetree Fabrications Headlight: Who Knows? taillight: Chopped Up Blinker speedo: Stock

However, instead of the tried and true chopper formula of a 16” rear and a 21” front he used a 16” rear and a 23” front with Bridgestone dirt bike tires. That nice paint job was laid down by a good friend named Pete Carver who paints all of Peter’s bikes. Peter opted for a modern twist on the traditional HD green and went with a Jeep color called “Rescue Green”.

According to Peter he couldn’t be happier with the way the bike turned out, I personally like how he turned an otherwise stock bike and made something any biker would be proud to ride. Peter wants to thank his wife Sara for all of her help and support with this bike!

Thanks for your sharing your ride with us Peter!

my first motorcycle was a 1985 Honda Interceptor 500. It was metallic red, white and blue with black wheels. I bought mine the same day my buddies bought theirs. Our riding group consisted of three Interceptors, a couple of Ninjas and a Kenny Roberts Edition Yamaha FZ350. The yellow one with the black and white stripe design. We watched a lot of Grand Prix when we weren’t racing up and down South 14 outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Nobody ever won, we just rode fast and enjoyed the company. That is where it all started. Bikes were our life. Not just riding, but always trying to customize our bikes to stand out and look faster. By the time that Interceptor went to meet its maker, it had a single seat cowl, lower

Article By Chris Callen And Jimmie Lee Cohen Photos By: Michael Lichter And Heather Callen