Roaring Toyz and The Chief: A Custom Harley Road Glide with Style and Performance

The Roaring Toyz philosophy is simple: build bikes you can ride hard, and ride what you love. Robert Fisher had both of those things in mind when he built The Chief, a 2009 Harley-Davidson Road Glide ABS. When Roaring Toyz first launched a division for developing and distributing high-quality components for V-twin motorcycles, The Chief served as a development platform. Now, Fisher is ready to part with it so he can begin development with other touring bikes.

“We were getting into building some custom Harley touring bikes, and I wanted to build one for myself so we could develop our components,” Fisher says. “I prefer the Road Glide because it offers more space in the fairing for upgrades, accessories and more speakers. Also, coming from sportbikes, I’m used to the front of the bike being attached to the frame so only the handlebars turn. Since the fairing isn’t attached to the bars, you don’t have to turn extra weight.”

The clutch and brake levers as well as the floorboards on The Chief are all Roaring Toyz components that were developed with the bike. Fisher had noticed that a lot of highly-customized baggers still had the stock clutch and brake levers. The challenge for aftermarket replacements is that they have to match the comfort and function of the stock levers while upping the style factor. Not only does Roaring Toyz deliver, but they offer one of the few brake and clutch lever options that bolt right into the stock controls.

When it comes to The Chief, size matters. Leading the way is a massive 26-inch front wheel, a Performance Machine Shock Contrast Cut beauty that didn’t just bolt on. The frame has 1.5 inches of stretch horizontally, 1 inch vertically, and it’s raked 9 degrees to accommodate the big front wheel. Billet CNC 9 degree raked triple trees were also added to get the trail numbers correct for proper handling.

While some custom builders care only about cosmetics, Fisher is meticulous about maintaining a bagger’s comfort and handling. Fisher became an expert in geometry and suspension during his career as a roadracer, and he applies that knowledge to all of his custom builds. A big wheel on a V-Twin is more than just a showpiece; it’s also the result of precise engineering.

The gas tank, side covers, custom dash piece, saddlebags, and rear fender are all stretched. In addition, The Chief also has a custom Sinister molded-in windshield and a custom molded inner fairing, all fronted by a Yaffe Scowl headlight. The taillight is custom molded into the fender. The taillight and brake light illuminate the Roaring Toyz shield painted on the back, while the turn signals are molded into the graphic. Gabby at Lit’Em Up Kustomz in New York handled all of the illuminated molding at his shop in Chicago.

There was a lot of real estate on the back end of this custom bagger, just waiting for a custom paint job. Fisher and longtime collaborator Paul Wong decided to use the Roaring Toyz tee-shirt design as the inspiration. The Roaring Toyz badge went on the back, and the wings on the shirt were enlarged so they spread across the bike. The gold, yellow, lime and green pearl flake paint sets off the custom design. There are 48 different pieces painted in multiple layers spread throughout this Roadglide creating a huge layout in the paint booth, not to mention countless hours of prep, spray and detailing. Its hard to explain how much time goes into a paint job like this!

“This bike has an incredible amount of work done to it. The amount of labor and love that goes into a build like this isn’t apparent at first glance,” Fisher says. In order to build a custom Road Glide that was both stylish and functional, a lot of work went into the details, some of which aren’t even visible.

The painted hidden axle fork legs are amped up with custom internals to get the ride height perfect, while rear air ride provides a barrier between bumps and the 3” drop seat kit subframe.

The only thing on The Chief that’s louder than the Yaffe Phantom pipe is the custom sound system. Roaring Toyz partnered with Underground Audio for the build, and the result is a Double Din TV navigation unit molded into the dash, four Phoenix Gold speakers in the front fairing and a ported sub molded into the rear saddlebag.

Fisher says The Chief is a perfect example of what Roaring Toyz brings to the custom V-twin industry. “When we build a custom motorcycle, we build them to ride. When we plan a motorcycle, the fit and function is crucial because it still has to be a good ride. We put on good quality components that can withstand long, aggressive riding.”

Check out all of the details that went into making The Chief one of the hottest custom V-Twins on the road, and call us if you want a custom bagger to ride!