2005 Harley Davidson Softail Deuce

This is me on my Harley Deuce. I'm approximately 6'2" tall and I weigh somewhere between 210 and 220. As you can see, this is not a little motorcycle.

My Deuce is powered by this 88B VTwin motor. All Harleys have the VTwin motor. Basically, a VTwin is two cylinders (and pistons) set up in a V shape. The "88" indicates how big the motor is and means 88 cubic inches of displacement (approximately 1450 cubic centimeters). The "B" stands for "Balanced" which means that the motor is designed to have less vibration. If you want to get more technical, this Harley is an FXSTDI. The "ST" standing for "soft tail", the "D" for "Deuce" and the "I" for "Fuel Injection". Harley owners want some vibration to remain in the engine because that's part of what gives the bike it's feel or personality.

See those awesome looking exhaust pipes coming from the motor? Those are custom Vance & Hines Sideshot exhaust pipes. Harley Davidson did not manufacture my Deuce with those pipes on it. Why? Because they're loud, and made more for performance and less for people's sensitive ears.

They give my Deuce an AWESOME sound and extra power. Most Harley Davidson motorcycles sound great to begin with, but they sound even better when you add a set of pipes like these.

Those foot pegs are custom and my Deuce has them installed for the driver and the passenger. As a Harley owner, it's almost as fun to customize your bike to fit your personality as it is to ride your bike.

Custom parts like these are readily available for almost any Harley Davidson and as you can see, my Harley Deuce has a lot of custom parts added to it.

Even the grips on my Harley Deuce are custom. Those grips are also flame theme and chrome to match the rest of the motorcycle. Sweet, aren't they?

Check out the bullet casings installed over the bolts on the risers. Aren't those awesome? They give a lovely custom look to the bike and also go with my gun rights personality. Which is really what customizing your Harley is all about - altering the bike such that it fits your personality - making it your bike.

Another item common customized on a Harley are handlebars. Looking at the picture, you'll notice these handlebars rise high and are slightly forward. These are custom handlebars because the 2005 Harley Softail Deuce was manufactured with shorter handlebars. But again, it's all about fitting the bike - not only to your personality - but to your body as well.

After riding for a few months now, I've come to the conclusion that everyone needs at least two Harley Davidson motorcycles. Why? We need one for cruising around town, a Harley that's sporty, sounds great and fun to ride for short hauls. The second Harley should be a touring style bike. A Harley we can hop on and ride for hours and hours on the highway, carrying a passenger and plenty of luggage. The Harley in the picture above is called a Road Glide Ultra. All I need to do now is convince my wife to let me purchase this bike.

Seems to me this Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra is the ultimate touring motorcycle. No offense to GoldWing owners, they're great bikes too. I'm just partial to Harleys. Look at all the space for luggage and the comfortable passenger seat. This bike also features anti-lock brakes, cruise control, a six gallon fuel tank, DVD/Stereo player, an intercom system, and much more. The fixed fairing design provides for a more comfortable ride and allows you to enjoy many more hours on the road.

Had to have a custom biker vest to go with my new Harley. So, my wife found this leather biker vest at Goodwill for $4 and she had to buy it for me. She's thrifty like that.

I had a thought that my father (Ted Welch) might paint me an Eagle on the back of the vest and so he did. As awesome of an artist as he is, the Eagle still exceeded my expectations. Thanks Dad!