uilding this one was a real honor. There are so many shops out there, and so many talented guys that the folks at Drag could’ve gone to. This is a huge opportunity for us, and when we learned this was going to be the FatBook cover bike for ’04 we about jumped through the ceiling!” Mike Graham, obviously, is pretty excited about the latest bike to roll out of Heavy Metal Customs. With good reason. Cover-bike status aside, Mike and the rest of the crew in Faribault, Minnesota, came through. Big time. The 2004 FatBook Cover Bike is a Candy Apple Red stunner, and then some.
     More than just seeing this bike on the cover of the FatBook all year, we’ll also be getting a good up-close look at the various elements of it as it went together, too. Sort of a work-in-progress chronicled right inside those same pages. “The photographers were right there in the shop along with us,” Mike says. “They shot the introduction pages for all the various FatBook departments as we went along, using this bike as the model.” As well they should. This bike has plenty of brand-new FatBook hardware in and on it, all sorts of parts and accessories new to Drag Specialties—beginning with the Chopper Guys Pro-Comp softail-style frame.

     “It’s set up to run a 200-series tire, too,” Mike explains. That 200/50VR18 Metzeler is matched with a 90/90-21 front, both mounted on GMA W-7 rims. It’s a great combination, Mike feels, dealing up a tough look and a “real world, everyday rideable bike.” That tire-size spec was a collaborative decision, too, with both Mike and the guys at Drag coming to the same conclusion. Still, after batting ideas like that back and forth, and finalizing a parts list that would include all those new FatBook additions, it was Heavy Metal that made it happen. No question, fork-to-taillight and handlebar-to-sidestand this softail custom is a product of the FatBook, but it’s also most definitely a creation of Heavy Metal Customs. Take a look at what the guys have done to that Independent fuel tank, and to Russ Wernimont’s new-style rear fender. Tricky pieces to begin with, Mike and the guys made ’em even trickier, by cutting, welding and recessing some neat little panels into the tank sides and fender top. “We thought about continuing that theme onto the front fender, too,” Mike says, but there just wasn’t room to do it, clearance-wise, between that tight-fitting fender and the tire.
     Along with that fancy metalwork there’s a pretty fancy display of all those new for ’04 FatBook parts, of course. The Tradewinds headlight, for example, is something brand-new. So is the High End seat; it’s a new style for ’04. And that rear fender, the one Mike sculpted up? It’s new from Russ Wernimont, incorporating a neatly integrated license plate/taillight/brakelight assembly. The contoured and extra-smooth Storz front end is new, as well. And there’s a lot more. Take a look at the build sheet, and take special note of all the parts just introduced. It’s considerable, and impressive.
     And so is the motorcycle it all comes together to form. “We got the opportunity to ride this bike a lot before we had to deliver it,” Mike says, “and it’s a dream on the road. That TP engine delivers all the power you need, the Legend Air suspension really smoothes out the ride, and those GMA brakes, especially that big 13-incher up front, deliver real rider confidence. It’s a super enjoyable bike to ride. We think it looks pretty good, too.”
     Up close and in person it all looks even better. Those recesses in the tank sides and rear fender are pretty special. At some points they’re a full 5/8 of an inch deep, but they also taper off to flush with the original sheet metal. “They add real depth,” Mike says, “a three-dimensional look.” And the House Of Kolor Candy-Apple Red paint is something else, too. Actually a two-tone job (beautifully completed by TJ Design, of Jordan, Minnesota), there are different shades of reds working here, and in the sunlight it’s an explosion of color.
     Check it all out at a show if you get the chance. And if you can’t, check it out in the photos as closely as you can. You’ll sure have ample opportunity. Hey, this is the bike you’ll be admiring all this year, posed right on the cover of the FatBook!