ank Ewsichek should be a familiar name to everyone in the Drag Specialties family–and if that name doesn’t ring a bell, well, just take a look back at some of those Drag Specialties show bikes from the past few years. Tank, working out of his Tuff Cycle shop in Aurora, Ohio, has built more than a half-dozen of the FatBook/Drag Specialties show bikes, and when we say “built” we mean just that.      Tank does it all, personally taking care of everything from the basic fabrication and welding clear through to final assembly and paint. “The only things I don’t do,” he says, “are the upholstery, chrome plating and polishing.” Tank has been delivering those Drag Specialties/FatBook bikes since back around ‘99 or 2000, but says he first got paid to do a custom motorcycle when he was 13 years old. “It sure wasn’t an Arlen Ness build,” he chuckles, “but I did the best I could. It didn’t turn out bad at all. My customer was happy.”
     Tank’s more than just the “go to” guy for those Drag Specialties show bikes, though. Over the years Tuff Cycle has come up with a number of trick little tools and accessories to make a bike-builder’s life easier and they’re in the FatBook, too. The Tuff Cycle Paint Cutter is a great example. This ingenious little tool-set eliminates that “mushed out” paint problem so often encountered during final assembly, and so often resulting in flaking or peeling paint or powder coat. The tools are easy to use and there are sizes to match all the popular fasteners. Then there are the Tuff Cycle Custom Frame Side Panels and the Front Frame Cover. The Side Panels are a direct replacement for the OE Harley side covers and neatly fill-in the area around the front of the saddlebags on all ‘95-‘08 FLTs. They add a full-bodied look to the bike and they’re great to continue a paint scheme front-to-back. The Front Frame Cover is equally cool. It fits around and totally covers the front frame tubes and lower mounts to clean up that area on a bike. It works on all ‘97-‘07 FLTs, FLHTs, FLHRs and FLTR models. Both the Side Covers and the Front Frame Cover are made of tough, formed ABS paintable plastic. They’re easy to trim or custom form if needed, too.
     Tank just added Tuff Cycle Mirrors to this parts-and-tool mix. They’re brand-new and they’re available now. A neat teardrop shape, there are four new part numbers and styles here. The mirrors are available with a couple different stem lengths, a long and a short, and they’re offered in both chrome and black finishes. “I think they’re just a little more pleasing to the eye,” Tank says. “They blend in nicely with the stock Harley-Davidson handlebar controls.” The mirrors are all direct replacements for the Harley-Davidson originals so they’re quick and easy to install and, as Tank says, they look right at home matched with those OE hand controls. They’re in stock now, in all those sizes and finishes.
     The new Tuff Cycle mirrors, along with those Tuff Cycle Side Panels and Front Frame Covers, are exactly what riders are shopping for these days–bolt-on parts. While Tank says he’s still plenty busy building those frame-up customs–and using that Paint Cutter during final assembly–the trend lately is more towards basically stock Harleys dressed up and personalized with bolt-ons. And the FatBook is loaded with them…some even coming from the guy who builds the showbikes…