Harley-Davidson Softail 'Redhot' Cross Bones by Roberto
Rossi
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The 2011 Harley-Davidson Softail
Cross Bones (FLSTSB) is the last H-D model to come with a standard Springer
front end which, in combination with the fat tires (130 mm at the front, 200 mm
at the rear), provides this motorcycle with an image that’s quite reminiscent of
the bobbers of the 50s. With that in mind, it is just logical to expect that the
customizations of this model would just follow the same style.
Roberto Rossi, a customizer from the Italian town of Mantua, introduces his
interpretation of this 2009 Cross Bones, aptly re-dubbed ‘Redhot Bones‘. The
first relevant modification concerns the rear, where the 17×6 rim is replaced by
a 16-inch one fitted with a 5-inch Firestone ANS tyre. The same tyre has been
used for the front too.
Gone are the standard mudguards,
though the one at the front comes back properly cut and polished. At the rear
instead we get sheet metal shaped by hand to resemble the sporty tail of the
Laverda 500 Formula, an old 500 cc racer that the now defunct Italian
manufacturer introduced in 1978 to promote its own trophy. The rear section is
enriched with fine leather courtesy of Connolly Luxury Leathergoods Limited, the
same company that took care of the upholstery on the Rolls Royce Phantom II of
the 1930s. The original fat bob tank got replaced with a classic 8-liter peanut
one with electric pump, borrowed from a modern Forty-Eight and embellished with
the graphics of the 1972 H-D XRTT racer. Nice fishtail exhaust tips complete the
looks of this awesome special bike.
Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated.