Words: Megan Olson Photos: Jeff G. Holt
When I was an 11 yr-old girl my dad rode me to Sturgis in a sidecar. After that adventure ended as you can imagine I was totally and completely hooked on Harleys. We all would then take more family trips on bikes anytime we could get a few days off of school and work. Sometimes I would ride in the sidecar with dad and sometimes I would ride with my brother on the back of his bike. But that wasn’t good enough for me. I wanted to ride my own motorcycle and nothing was going to stop me from doing so.
When I turned 16 I didn’t waste anytime following my dream of riding. I signed up for a motorcycle safety course. Once I passed the course and got a few miles under my belt my dad was kind enough to procure me a 250 Honda Rebel to learn on. He spent a lot of time teaching me how to properly and safely ride it on the street. I whole heatedly agree that talking a riders course to learn any and all riding basics is a good thing indeed. But having an experienced rider teach you what they know is the gospel of motorcycle riding.
After my time cutting my teeth and racking up miles on that little Honda Rebel I then got real about things. I bought my first Harley when I turned 18. It was a Sportster and I loved it. In 2009 I moved to AZ from Minnesota and I really craved something with more power and capacity, so a few years later I bought an H-D Road King. And a bit later after wanting to have some wind protection and some music, I had it converted to a Street Glide setup. After riding the bagger for a couple of years I wanted to get a bike that fit me better. I am only five-foot four-inches tall, so I set my sights on a Dyna.
After a bit of searching online and locally I found the 2001 H-D FXDP, which you see here. When I first scored the bike It looked and rode nothing like it does now. Like all bikes its age it needed a bit of mechanical work. After a short period of time I took the bike to Rick at Gentlemen’s Cycles. The rear end was then lowered for my lack of height with some new piggyback shocks. To get the bike ample amounts of better breathing, we installed an Arlen Ness Big Sucker intake on the CV carburetor and a stainless steel Bassani Road Rage exhaust on the Twincam engine’s 88ci heads. Frankie at Dirty Customs found me the Rifle Fairing, which I like a lot because not a many people run them on their Harleys. After all the mechanical stuff was completed on the bike I for sure wanted some custom paint. I hit up Daniel Sosa to paint it blue with some simple and classy graphics and Ron Hernandez did some pinstriping on it as well. After the FXDP was done I have just been happy as hell peeling off the miles going where I want and doing what I do. I cant thank all the fine folks who helped me get this machine together, running good, and looking the way it does. All day everyday I just want to do is get on this Dyna and hit the highway. What can I say, motorcycling is in my blood. Thanks for that ride to Sturgis Dad! Forever two wheels…
Owner- Megan Olson
Shop- Gentlemen’s Cycles
Year/Make/Model- 2001/H-D/FXDP
Build Time- 8 Months
ENGINE
Year- 2001
Type- H-D Twin Cam
Size- 88ci
Builder- H-D
Cases- H-D
Cylinders- H-D
Heads- H-D
Rocker Boxes- H-D
Cam- H-D
Carburetor- H-D CV
Air Cleaner- Arlen Ness
Exhaust- Bassani
TRANSMISSION
Year- 2001
Type- Six-Speed
Gears- H-D
Clutch- Primo
Primary Drive- Primo
FRAME
Year/Type- 2001/H-D
Rake/Stretch- Stock
SUSPENSION
Frontend- 39mm
Length- 2-inch over
Triple Trees- H-D
Swingarm- H-D
Rear Shocks- Neverland RYF
ROLLING STOCK
FRONT WHEEL
Builder/Size- H-D/19-inch
Tire/Size- Dunlop/100×19
Calipers- H-D
Rotors- H-D
REAR WHEEL
Builder/Size- H-D/16-inch
Tire/Size- Dunlop 130×16
Caliper- H-D
Rotor- H-D
Pulley- H-D
PAINT & PLATING
Paint Manufacturer- House of Color
Colors Used- Black & Blue
Painter- Daniel Sosa
Graphics- Ron Hernandez
Plating- None
Polishing- None
Powdercoating- AVP
ACCESSORIES
Fairing- Rifle
Front Fender- H-D
Rear Fender- H-D
Gas Tank- H-D
Dash- H-D
Gauges- H-D Police
Handlebars- 2-inch rise MX
Risers- Vintage Pullbacks
Grips- Lowbrow Customs
Mirrors- H-D
Hand Controls- H-D Police
Foot Controls- H-D
Pegs- H-D
Headlight- H-D
Taillight- Kuryakyn
License Mount- Kuryakyn
Seat- Custom
