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Rats Custom’s Softail Kicks Brass at the Washington DC IMS
Rats Custom’s Softail Kicks Brass at the Washington DC IMS
26 Jan 2017
The K&N Performer award winning Softail from the DC IMS sits low and long
The Washington DC stop of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show (IMS) was one to remember for Ross Latimer of Rats Customs. All Latimer did was walk away with two first-place awards at the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. We already told you about his Hot Wheels custom that won the Modified Harley® category. Now we'll focus on his 2000 Harley-Davidson Softail named Twinkie that won the K&N Performer Award.
So let’s get down to brass tacks. Actually, let’s get down to brass motivation, since that was the creative spark behind this fantastic build. The malleable alloy is near and dear to Latimer’s heart.
Latimer's custom Harley sits on the IMS red carpet
“The silver Softail is more of an old school classic ride, built to scratch the itch that I developed with brass,” Latimer said. “I love brass. It's awesome to work with. It's beautiful when done. And it looks great at any age.”
Those brass touches abound on the Softail custom, and Latimer carried the theme off without making it seem overdone. To accentuate the brass on the fuel tank, oil tank, trim, and various fasteners and brackets, Latimer decided on a beautiful gunmetal paintjob. Getting the paint just right is a hallmark of a Rats Customs build, and the flat grey finish on the Softail is a huge departure from the flashy coating on his Hot Wheels build.
Brass accents are the defining elements of the Rats Customs Twinkie Softail
Making the brass Softail move is a V-twin running 117 inch S&S jugs and Wiseco pistons. Those big cylinders are topped by heads and cams built by Zippers Performance Products. All of that performance hardware rests on stock Harley cases.
Bringing Twinkie back down to speed is the job of the Galfer brakes featuring wave rotors. Those rotors are bolted to spoked wheels with rims finished in understated black.
Latimer crafted the very cool shortie exhaust out of stainless steel and tipped the pipes with, you guessed it, brass. The stainless intake velocity stack is also a Rats Custom creation (although K&N hopes the owner will run one of our filters out in the real world!)
Twinkie rumbles through an unrestricted exhaust tipped in brass
When asked about the touches that he integrated into Twinkie that are his personal favorites, Latimer said, “I'd have to say the coolest feature is the porthole in the gas tank, or the key and switches in the oil tank or frame.”
Latimer is only in his mid-20s but he is no rookie in the custom bike world. The Twinkie Softail is one of over a half-dozen customs he has crafted.
As far as the future, Latimer said, “I plan on using the support that K&N has provided to bring a flat tracker build I'm currently working on up to the next level.” Ross, we are more than glad to help!
