2008 Harley-Davidson Crossbones: Big Motor with Big Looks! (Photo Location Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina)

The Harley Crossbones was the perfect opportunity to do a high powered custom bike with the nostalgic blacked out look. We here at Clayton Cycle Performance are addicted to power and we jumped at the chance to build a top notch custom like the Crossbones pictured.

The 124” S&S Hotsetup kit was just what the doctor ordered. The Timken bearing conversion was necessary to help contain all the extra power delivered by the new engine and we converted the final drive to a 530 o-ring chain since, at the time, there were no companies making a reinforced 20mm belt that is used with the 200 rear tire on the stock Crossbones. A Barnett Scorpion clutch takes care of transferring the power from the motor to the transmission and still provides very manageable clutch pull.

After break in we then did a full dyno tune on our Dynojet 250i dynamometer.

We kept the black theme going by powder coating the S&S rocker boxes, the shift linkage, the brake pedal and many other odds and ends. The electronic compression releases are tucked down in the center of the rocker boxes and make starting a simple procedure. The power for the compression releases is supplied when the starter button is pressed and is completely transparent to the casual observer.

We added a Harley tachometer to the handlebars with a stock handlebar clamp. We had the tach can and bracket powder coated black to match the rest of the bike. The handlebar mounted tach blends right in with the nostalgic theme of the motorcycle.