NEVER SAY DIE

BRINGING THE CLUB-STYLE DYNA VIBE TO THE NEW SOFTAILS

With the 2018 Softail lineup wiping out our beloved Dynas, away went our cool club-style bikes—for about one month. For a moment there, it was a race to see who could build the first hot-rodded Softail. Social media was quickly lit up with any of the new bikes that pulled off the signature Dyna style. Was anyone really doubting that the aftermarket companies would let that trend just die suddenly? Well, thanks to Bung King and trusty Harley-Davidson, you can upgrade to the new Softail platform without sacrificing your tall white socks, Simpson helmet and Vans Classics.

SOURCE: HARLEY-DAVIDSON harley-davidson.com

HARLEY-DAVIDSON QUARTER-FAIRING AND LOCKING QUICK-RELEASE WINDSHIELD CLAMPS

There might be a handful of popular quarter-fairings out there for the Dyna, but one of the most popular ones by far is the one that comes from H-D itself. The problem is the brackets that come with it will not work with the 49 mm front forks that the new Softails are sporting. So in place of those, you get a set of the locking quick-release windshield clamps for Harleys as well. These are great for two reasons: One, they lock, so some bozo can’t grab and dash while you are away, and two, if you don’t feel like rocking it one day, you can just pop it off without the need for tools. For the Vivid Black quarter-fairing, you will be looking at $399.95, and $41.95 per locking clamp (four total). Each comes with two keys.

BUNG KING QUARTER-FAIRING TO 49 MM BRACKET KIT AND ONE-PIECE LOWER HANDLEBAR RISER

The other piece to the puzzle in regard to installing the quarter-fairing to the new 49 mm front end on the new Softail is the quarter-fairing to 49 mm bracket kit from with the fairing on, we needed to finish the look by adding some T-bars. For that, we used Bung King’s complete onepiece lower riser ($182.50) and Bung King’s CR high-bend bars ($115), but you can use another tracker-style bar of your choosing. If you’re looking to add a little Dyna style to the new Softail Street Bob, then this kit is for you. HB

Believe it or not, when you crank over your engine, your starter motor is using battery technology that hasn’t changed much in more than 150 years. Same goes for your turn signals—the incandescent bulbs in your bike’s signals have been the status quo for over a century. Manufacturers still use this old-school tech because it’s cheap and fairly reliable, but there are products on the market now that use new-age technology that blows the existing stuff out of the water.

ANTIGRAVITY LITHIUM-ION BATTERY WITH RESTART FEATURE

Dead batteries are a drag. You’re ready to ride, but all you get when you thumb the starter is a clicking noise from somewhere under your seat. With a regular lead-acid battery, you’ll be looking for a jump-start, but with this new “restart” lithiumion battery from Antigravity, the jump-start is built in. You just need to push the button on the top of the battery, and you’ve got enough juice to get your bike cranking again and get going.

This convenient and innovative feature is the result of battery-management circuitry that monitors the cells’ charge and puts the battery to sleep if the voltage drops too much because you left your key on. That means no more dead batteries, or at least a second chance before you have to call for help. Antigravity is the first company to bring this tech to the market, and it’s doing it with new-age lithium-ion chemistry that has some other impressive advantages too.

For starters (pun intended), lithium-ion batteries are going to help your bike start easier since they’re better at dumping current than their lazy old lead-acid counterparts. On average, you’re looking at about twice the cold-cranking amps when you switch to lithium-ion, which is awesome if you’re running high-compression pistons or other performance engine mods that make the motor harder to crank over. Weight is another thing that differentiates lithium-ion from lead-acid. As an example, the Antigravity battery we dropped into a 2013 Iron 883 only weighed 3 pounds, compared to 11 pounds for the stock unit.

SOURCE: ANTIGRAVITY BATTERIES shop.antigravitybatteries.com