Photo: Bad Land
The long breed of Harley-Davidson Softail motorcycles has had some very successful models over the years, and others that were less so. The Deuce falls in the latter category, as it's one of the most short-lived Softails ever made.
Introduced by Harley in 1999, it was supposed to be a beautified version of the bikes made back then in the same family. Sporting a longer fuel tank, fresh fenders, and a lot of chrome, it was a true looker in its time.
Sadly for it, looks alone were not enough, and just six years after it was introduced the Deuce was pulled from production. Plenty of examples have been made during this time, though, and you can still find some on the used market, going for prices that generally hover right under $10k.
But that's the price for Deuce motorcycles that are still in stock form. There are plenty of modified ones doing the rounds as well, and those generally tend to be a lot more expensive, and less Deuce. Kind of like the one we have here.
The bike was transformed into a much more aggressive version of its stock self by Japanese custom crew Bad Land. It's still a Deuce, all right, but a bit difficult to recognize because of the dropped rear, less chrome, and prouder stance.
Showed for the first time in 2012 as the Vanquish, the Deuce was first and foremost propped on new wheels. In this case, we're talking about pieces of hardware sized 21 inches at the front and just 17 inches at the rear – hence the feeling you get the motorcycle's horizontal line drops as you approach its back end.
Like it happens with most other builds handled by Bad Land, the wheels have been sourced from a shop called Rick's Motorcycles, and they are of the Super Steve, multi-spoke variety. Both are wearing Metzeler tires and are shielded by unique fenders.
The wealth of chrome that generally dresses a Deuce was dropped in favor of a more elegant look, owing to the use of black. Sure, the engine is still drowning in the shiny stuff, but the exhaust, for instance, supplied by Bad Land itself, is now black. And that adds a touch of style to the whole thing.
Aside from the exhaust and the Rebuffini air cleaner no other change seems to have been made to the bike's engine. That means we're still dealing with the air-cooled V-twin Harley used back then.
Because a lot of time has passed since the Harley-Davidson Vanquish first surfaced, it's impossible for us to determine its current whereabouts. The price of the build is also a mystery. Yet none of these two great unknowns make the custom less impressive or less worthy of its 15 minutes of fame this weekend.
Sadly for it, looks alone were not enough, and just six years after it was introduced the Deuce was pulled from production. Plenty of examples have been made during this time, though, and you can still find some on the used market, going for prices that generally hover right under $10k.
But that's the price for Deuce motorcycles that are still in stock form. There are plenty of modified ones doing the rounds as well, and those generally tend to be a lot more expensive, and less Deuce. Kind of like the one we have here.
The bike was transformed into a much more aggressive version of its stock self by Japanese custom crew Bad Land. It's still a Deuce, all right, but a bit difficult to recognize because of the dropped rear, less chrome, and prouder stance.
Showed for the first time in 2012 as the Vanquish, the Deuce was first and foremost propped on new wheels. In this case, we're talking about pieces of hardware sized 21 inches at the front and just 17 inches at the rear – hence the feeling you get the motorcycle's horizontal line drops as you approach its back end.
Like it happens with most other builds handled by Bad Land, the wheels have been sourced from a shop called Rick's Motorcycles, and they are of the Super Steve, multi-spoke variety. Both are wearing Metzeler tires and are shielded by unique fenders.
The wealth of chrome that generally dresses a Deuce was dropped in favor of a more elegant look, owing to the use of black. Sure, the engine is still drowning in the shiny stuff, but the exhaust, for instance, supplied by Bad Land itself, is now black. And that adds a touch of style to the whole thing.
Aside from the exhaust and the Rebuffini air cleaner no other change seems to have been made to the bike's engine. That means we're still dealing with the air-cooled V-twin Harley used back then.
Because a lot of time has passed since the Harley-Davidson Vanquish first surfaced, it's impossible for us to determine its current whereabouts. The price of the build is also a mystery. Yet none of these two great unknowns make the custom less impressive or less worthy of its 15 minutes of fame this weekend.
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