It’s a well used catch cry but the phrase ‘’a labour of love’’ really does describe Deadman’s Hand.
Deadman’s hands owner Michael Mallia with the help of Ken (Cobra Craft) spent 2 ½ years customizing his 2009 Softail Custom which is a long time to wait for anything but Michael now says the long wait was well worth it.
Michael bought the bike secondhand and wasn’t fond of the custom touches the former owner had made, so he enlisted the help of Kenny (Cobra Craft).
“The mini ape bars as well as the king and queen seat had to go, there was no chrome and standard pipes. I had heard of Ken’s reputation and asked if he could help me out.’’
In true Cobra Craft fashion the bike had to be long and fat so first thing was to rake the standard Softail 7degrees with 7 degrees triple trees. Then the standard 200 arse end was switched out for a custom 250 wide arse rear end with a Jesse James West Coast Choppers back guard. Ken frenched in the number plate and made the guard spaces and fabricated the front guard. The Mini Ape bars and King and Queen seat where next to go, replaced with drag bars and a single saddle. Dead Man’s rims and matching rotors are from Signature and the callipers PM (Peformance Machine).
The pipes were replaced and to use Michael’s words ‘a shit load of chrome was added and braided lines’. The colour is Jet Black and the airbrushing took around a year and a half (for reasons unknown) and contributed to the fabrication time.
Overall, the bike came out a nice little rider, the rake and handling is good.
The rider is made all the better with the laid back 6 inch rise, drag bars and single saddle and would be rider friendly on those long rides as well as being an everyday ride.
What I like about the bike is that the boys resisted the temptation of going overboard with the project and have been able to come up with a bike that not only looks good but is functional.
Studio photos Lawless Studios