H-D Based on a 1990 Softail Custom

although Spin points out that it was Briggs Weaver Who designed skirted fenders back in the 1930s. All humility aside, today Spin and his partner, Kent, have also discovered Eldorado, building what they call their Eldorado Conversion, whereby they take a stock Harley-Davidson Softail, and turn it, almost overnight, info a high-tech retro-cruiser, a bike Indiana Jones or Buck Rodgers would feel righ at home on.
This particular Eldorado, which Spin himself painted in elegant shades of gun metal and rose candy, belongs to Don Ristich and Allan Stein. Based on a 1990 Softail Custom, it wears the custom D&S components that make up the Eldorado package: distinctive fenders, mufflers, hand-beat stainless fender bumpers, polished stainless brake and oil lines, rear pegs, seat and a 5-gallon Custom Chrome gas tank. Golden performance touches to the stock Evo motor include a Crane EV2 can and Screamin' Eagle carb and ignition, producing more bang per cubic inch. "We take in any year Softail, attach a Wide Glide front end with an FLH headlight shroud, and install 16-inch whitewall tires. The customer then chooses from a list of option to his or her own taste. We can have a bike shipped to us for the conversion or we can send the complete kit to a shop that's skilled enough tohandle the conversion, keeping in mind this is no follow-the-dotted line, easy bolt-on deal"
Aclose look will justify his warning. For example, the seat and compete exhaust system is a special construction while the body parts are not simply fiber glass but fishioned fro much stronger, hand-laid, nonshrink tooling resins.
"This bike was inspired in part by the ZZ Top custom bike, particularlyvthe inset tailling," says Spin. I wanted to use off-the-shelf parts to keep the costs down, and to make replacement parts easy to find. So, instead of using custom billet and special formed lenses, I used a bezel from a 1991 Cadillac. I can now supply the bezels, which I make. We also do a special hard oil line adaptation that I can teach to other builders contemplating such an Eldorado project."
Oneobvious question is how difficult is it to service the bike, considering the rather large, all encompassing fenders?" A snap," says Spin. "There's a hinge with three 5/16-inch aircraft screws. All you have to do is remove the pop-off seat, and the fender swings up and back for easy access to the rear wheel,pulleys, et cetera."