We were flying on this build, one item slammed together after another. We were flying, because I’m at a standstill at this moment waiting on a couple of elements. But that’s another story. Six days until I’m due to pull out for the run to the Badlands. It’s currently looking shaky. We’ll see what happens next.

This project has been a rush for the most part. It’s like building a bike to be more performance oriented than any other motorcycle I’ve built. Everything about this V-Bike, by John Reed, of Custom Chrome, is about handling and performance and we took it to another level with this segment. I spoke to a friend, Wil Phillips, of True-Track, the man who designed the first working rubbermounted Softail frame, the Rubbertail. Wil’s complete focus in this industry is handling right now. He developed the True-Track system to take the wobble out of touring Harleys, but his investigative efforts never stop.

When I told Wil I was building a big twin Buell with an Accurate Engineering 120-inch Panhead engine for Bonneville, his handling lights went on. He explained every aspect of the rubbermounted FXR chassis and how to detail the handling for high speeds. Here’s the list:

1. The very latest H-D forward rubbermount

2. Buell side rubbers
3. ¾-inch swingarm axle
4. Brass, self lubricating swingarm bushings
5. Dyna Glide axle adjusters
6. 1-inch axles (we didn’t go there)

7. Stainless steel Heim joints
8. Modified True Track for the V-frame.

Here’s the notion. We needed to eliminate vibration but retain rigid handling, prevent wobbles, flexing in corners or flat out. If you ride a touring bike, you know the drill. The True- Track is the first line of defense for any Touring model. So our first move was boring out the swingarm bushings for the heavier, stronger, H-D swingarm axle. Wil cut off a chunk of his stock Touring True Track and machined the edge on our milling machine to contour the frame member.

Wil had to make his system work with the Custom Chrome frame. He turned to the vast Bikernet Headquarters machine shop and went to work trimming his system and creating a way for it to mount to the CCI frame.

With each move Wil refit the True-Track to the frame over and over for a perfect fit. His extruded True-Track system was a step-up from his original billet machined units that gobbled time and material.

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