Big Black 5/2010

Having ridden in the Vegas summer heat, I wouldn’t recommend a blacked-out Bagger; but if it looks as good as this one I might reconsider. Phoenix has always had the reputation as the hot spot when it comes to customizing American V-Twins. I have never understood why Las Vegas, with the same temperature and the same population, didn’t produce more great customs. After all, they do have one of my favorite shows, Las Vegas Bikefest. In this issue we have two magazine-worthy Baggers from Vegas, so maybe the trend is changing.

Big Black is a ’09 Road Glide that has been heavily customized by the folks at Empire Engineering in Henderson, NV. The 96” Twin Cam motor is relatively stock with the exception of a Roland Sands air cleaner and custom exhaust from Empire Engineering. A 23” Rampage wheel rides up front with a beefy six-piston Performance Machine caliper handling the braking. The 23” front wheel has been embraced by Paul Yaffe, John Shope and Cory Ness; and looks to be a trend that will continue to grow.

The guys at Empire were reluctant to share how they accommodated the front wheel. Usually the frame needs to be raked and raked triple trees need to be used. All I could get out of them was: the frame has been stretched one inch and the neck rake is 33°. The front fender was custom fabricated by Empire Engineering, as was the rear fender which covers the 200mm Avon tire and the 17” Rampage wheel. A Russ Wernimont Designs taillight and license plate mount cleanup the tail section. The mild ape hanger bars were made in-house by Empire and feature a set of Performance Machine grips. The special blend of black paint was applied by Divine One Customs of Henderson, NV.

We will not step foot in Las Vegas until the temperature is under 100°, therefore we won’t see our friends at Empire until the beginning of October for Bikefest. I have a feeling that they will have a few more Baggers to share with us by then.

For more information on Empire Engineering, check out www.empireengineering.com.

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