From the Janesville Garage
To the World's Catalogue
Janesville, Wisconsin. Small city in the south of the state, an hour from Madison, two from Chicago. In 1967 a company called LeMans Corporation set up there to distribute powersports parts to dealerships across the Midwest. A year later they launched Drag Specialties as the V-twin division — the catalogue arm that focused specifically on Harley-Davidson, building inventory for dealers who needed routine replacement parts in days rather than weeks. The two have grown together for fifty-seven years. The HQ is still on Kennedy Road in Janesville.
LeMans is now the largest powersports aftermarket distributor in the world. Six distribution centres globally, around 1,000 employees, $411 million in annual revenue, more than 150,000 individual SKUs across the four divisions. About 20,000 dealerships pick from it every day — from independent shops in rural Pennsylvania to multi-site UK retailers. Drag Specialties handles the V-twin half of that catalogue; Parts Unlimited covers metric, Japanese sport, and ATV; Parts Canada serves Canadian dealers; Parts Europe is the European arm.
That last one matters more than it sounds, for an Iron Stable customer specifically. Most of the "Parts Europe" SKUs in our catalogue are Drag Specialties parts — same packaging, same stock numbers, same warranty backing — they've just shipped from the Parts Europe warehouse on the continent rather than from Wisconsin. That's why your Drag Specialties handlebar arrives in two days rather than two weeks; it never crossed the Atlantic to get here. The brand on the box is Drag Specialties. The shipping origin is Parts Europe. Same part, faster route.
Why This Brand Sits at the Top of the Pick List
Three things, none of them glamorous. Breadth. If a Harley needs it, Drag Specialties stocks a version of it — and usually three or four versions in different finishes and price points. Brake light bulb to 14" chopper bar to shifter linkage to oil filter, all in one catalogue. Availability. Parts are warehoused, not drop-shipped — which means the listing on the website reflects what actually exists in the building, not what the supplier might have next month. OEM-quality replacement. Drag Specialties parts are engineered to meet or exceed OEM Harley spec, often with stronger materials — stainless inner wires on cables where the OEM uses zinc-plated, higher-carbon steel on rotors. Same fitment. Often a marginally better part. Always an in-stock alternative when the dealer's on six-week back-order.
Pillar One
The Cockpit — Bars, Cables, Mirrors
The single biggest area of the Drag Specialties catalogue, and the part you'll touch first on most builds. Drag Bars to apehangers, throttle-by-wire and cable, every cable length from stock to plus-twelve, every mirror style from bar-end to fairing-mount. This is where DS earns the "first call" reputation — the choices are deeper than anywhere else.
Handlebars — Drag Bars, Apes, Buckhorns, Choppers
Five families. Drag Bars are the flat, low, slightly-pulled-back option — the default for sport-cruiser and bobber builds. Apehangers are tall (10", 12", 14", 16" rise) — the cruiser-statement bar, deliberately uncomfortable for anyone who's not the rider. Buckhorns are the touring-friendly upright with bend, factory shape on a lot of Softails. Chopper bars are the dramatic forward-pulled bend you see on West Coast custom builds — DS sells them in 10" through 16" rises, all in TBW or cable variants. Z-bars are the old-school squared bend.
Cables — Throttle, Idle, Clutch
Three cables, three lengths to match the bar. Stock length for OEM bars. +4, +6, +8 for moderate riser bumps. +10, +12 for full apehanger conversions. The number on the DS code is inches added over the OEM Touring length — straightforward once you know the convention. Inner wires are stainless on the current generation, which is the difference between a five-year cable and a fifteen-year cable. Going one size too short kinks at full-lock; going one size too long catches on the tank. When in doubt, oversize.
Mirrors, Risers, Switch Housings, Custom Controls
Mirrors in three mount styles — bar-end (cleanest, narrows the bike), stem-mount (most common, most adjustable), fairing-mount (Touring fitments only). Risers in pullback ranges from 0" (straight) to 4" (mild custom), with rise heights from 1" to 6". Switch housings in OEM-replacement and custom contour styles, in chrome and black. Custom brake/clutch lever assemblies for builders who don't want the OEM master cylinder bulk visible on a stripped build. The catalogue covers it all.
Pillar Two
Electrical — Lighting, Charging, Switches
The second-largest area of the catalogue. Stock OEM lighting on most pre-2018 Harleys is incandescent — yellow, hot, dim. Drag Specialties LED upgrades are the highest- volume line in this section, and the right answer for almost any pre-LED bike. Plus the routine electrical that ages out — alternator stators, starter solenoids, switches, bulbs, ignition coils, every connector and sub-harness Harley specs.
Headlights, Tail Lights, Turn Signals
7" round headlights in LED reflector and projector formats, ECE-approved for UK road use. The black-housed ECE-compliant kit is the most common upgrade — drops into stock OEM headlight buckets, twenty-minute fit, dramatically better night visibility. Tail lights in OEM-replacement, low-profile bobber style, and integrated brake-and-signal layouts. Turn signals in stalk-mount, flush bullet, and built-into-mirror variants. LED across the range; load equalisers sold separately where the relay needs them.
Charging, Starting, Switches
The bits that actually wear out. Alternator stators for Twin Cam, Evo, and Milwaukee-Eight — direct OEM replacements with thicker windings and uprated diodes. Starter solenoids and motors covering 1965-onwards Harley platforms. Ignition coils stock and high-output. Handlebar switches in OEM-replacement and custom housings. Bulbs across every Harley socket type. Routine, unglamorous, exactly what you order when something dies on a Saturday morning ride.
Pillar Three
Stopping & Rolling
Brake pads, rotors, lines, axles, tubes. The wear items that aren't optional, and where DS sintered pad compound and street-rotor steel both outperform the OEM equivalents on longevity at the cost of marginally more bite character.
Brake Pads & Rotors
Two pad compounds, one rotor line. Sintered metal pads use a copper/tin/iron friction matrix — bite hard from cold, last roughly twice as long as OEM, resist heat fade better. The cost: marginally noisier in the cold, slightly more rotor wear over the long term. Organic pads are quieter and gentler — the OEM-style answer for city commuting and short hops. Drag street rotors use a higher-carbon steel than the OEM Harley rotor; same dimensions, more resistance to warping under heavy braking.
For touring and two-up riding, sintered is the right answer. For city stops where you brake hundreds of times a week from cold, organic is the friendlier choice. Most riders settle on sintered front, organic rear.
Wheels, Axles, Tubes
The unglamorous side of the bike. Inner tubes in every Harley size from Sportster front through Touring rear, in heavy-duty and standard wall thickness. Wheel axles with full hardware kits — exact OEM-replacement dimensions in stainless steel rather than the Harley plain-zinc original. Wheel bearings sealed for life, double-row where the spec calls for it. Spokes and nipples for laced-wheel rebuilds, in chrome and stainless. None of this is exciting kit. All of it eventually needs replacing.
The scale of the catalogue here is what makes it useful. There aren't five interesting tubes; there are forty boring ones, in every size combination, all in stock. That's the DS proposition.
Pillar Four
Seats, Touring, Maintenance
The bike around the bike. Touring seats with gel inserts and optional backrest mounts, chrome and skull gas caps, oil and fuel filters, kickstand parts, hardware kits — the routine-running items that don't get the magazine covers but keep the thing on the road.
Touring & Custom Seats
Touring solo and two-up seats with gel inserts as standard on the mid-tier and up — 12-hour ride days are what these are tested against. Optional backrest brackets bolt on without seat removal. Solo bobber seats in Sportster fitments, leather and synthetic-suede coverings. Pillion pads for two-up Sportster builds that started life as solos. The seat is one of the few categories where the visual side is as important as the function — DS offers about sixty Touring seats in the current range, in every cover style and stitch pattern stock OEM doesn't bother with.
Tank Hardware & Gas Caps
Vented and non-vented gas caps in chrome, black, brass, and the custom skull/eagle/flag patterns the catalogue is famous for. Year-specific fitments for 1984–1996 vintage tanks (the threaded screw-in style) and 1996-onward push-twist tanks. Tank trim, mounting hardware, petcocks, fuel valves. Routine replacements for vintage rebuilds.
Maintenance & Hardware Kits
Oil filters, fuel filters, air filters across every Harley engine from Shovelhead to Milwaukee-Eight — DS-branded and several name-brand options (K&N, Hiflofiltro) sold in parallel. Kickstand parts — springs, bushings, extensions for lowered builds. Hardware kits in application-specific assortments: a full bolt and washer set for a Touring primary cover, a fastener kit for a Softail rear fender, the small-parts equivalent of a tin of nails. The unsexy items that take a half-day to find one at a time and an hour to find as a kit.
Since 1968
Fifty-seven years of V-twin parts distribution. Same Janesville, Wisconsin head office; never moved, never sold to a parent group.
Largest Aftermarket Distributor
Six distribution centres globally. Around 150,000 SKUs across LeMans's four divisions. 20,000+ dealerships pick from this catalogue.
OEM-Quality Replacement
Engineered to meet or exceed Harley OEM spec. Often a stronger material — stainless inner cables, higher-carbon rotor steel.
Fast UK Delivery
Most DS parts ship from Parts Europe — typically 2-3 days to UK addresses. Free standard delivery on orders over £100.
Common Questions
Drag Specialties FAQ
Are Drag Specialties parts OEM-quality?
Who actually makes Drag Specialties parts?
Is Parts Europe the same company as Drag Specialties?
What's the difference between Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited?
Will a Drag Specialties handlebar fit my 2024 Sportster S?
Are DS sintered brake pads better than OEM Harley pads?
How do I match a clutch cable length to apehanger risers?
Do Drag Specialties LED lights need a load equaliser?
What's the warranty on Drag Specialties parts?
Can I return a Drag Specialties part if it doesn't fit my bike?
Do you ship Drag Specialties parts to the UK and EU?
Practical Terminology
V-Twin Glossary
- Drag Bar
- The flat, low handlebar with a slight pull-back. Default sport-cruiser bar — quick steering, less wind resistance, the bar most stripped Sportsters end up with.
- Apehanger
- Tall handlebar, 10–16" rise. The cruiser-statement bar — deliberately uncomfortable for anyone who's not the rider, which is much of the point. Needs longer cables and risers; sometimes longer brake lines.
- Buckhorn
- Touring-friendly upright bar with a moderate bend. Factory shape on a lot of older Softails. Comfortable for long days, less aggressive than Drag Bars.
- Chopper Bar
- Forward-pulled dramatic bend in 10–16" rises. The West Coast custom shape. Available in cable-throttle and TBW (throttle-by-wire) variants.
- TBW (Throttle-By-Wire)
- Electronic throttle — no physical cable. Standard on 2018-onwards Touring, 2020-onwards Softail, all Pan America, all Sportster S. TBW handlebars route the wiring internally.
- Cable Length Code
- Drag Specialties cable codes use "+0" (stock OEM Touring length) through "+12" (twelve inches longer). Match the number to the riser/bar combination — bar pullback plus riser height = cable plus.
- Riser Pullback
- How far the riser angles the bar towards or away from the rider. 0" pullback = straight up; 4" pullback = bar sits four inches closer to the rider.
- Riser Rise
- How tall the riser is. 1" rise lifts the bar an inch above the triple clamp; 6" rise raises it half a foot. Combined with bar rise to give total reach height.
- Sintered vs Organic Brake Pads
- Sintered = copper/tin/iron friction compound, longer life, harder bite, more rotor wear, marginally noisier cold. Organic = traditional resin compound, quieter, gentler bite, shorter service life.
- Floating vs Solid Rotor
- Floating rotor = inner carrier and outer brake surface are connected by floating buttons that allow the surface to expand under heat without warping. Solid = single-piece. Floating runs cooler under heavy braking; solid is cheaper and quieter.
- LED Load Equaliser
- Resistor pack fitted in-line with LED turn signals to mimic the current draw of incandescent bulbs. Without it, the OEM flasher relay sees no load and "hyperflashes" (twice the normal speed). One per circuit.
- ECE / DOT
- Lighting certification standards. ECE is European; DOT is US Department of Transport. Drag Specialties sells both — UK road-legal headlights and tail lights need ECE marking.
- Pillion Pad / Solo Seat
- Pillion = the small rear passenger pad behind the main seat. Solo = single-rider seat with no pillion. Bobber-style builds usually run solo; Touring builds usually two-up.
- Gel Insert
- Soft viscoelastic gel layer built into the seat foam for vibration absorption. Standard on most DS Touring seats; optional on some custom seats.
- Hardware Kit
- An application-specific bag of bolts, washers, and small parts for a particular job — primary cover hardware, fender hardware, sissy bar bolts. The "small-parts equivalent of a tin of nails."
- Parts Europe
- The European division of LeMans Corporation — sister brand to Drag Specialties. Most "Parts Europe" SKUs in our catalogue are physically Drag Specialties parts shipped from the EU warehouse rather than from Wisconsin.
From Our Garage To Yours
The Catalogue You Reach for First
Browse 2,524 Drag Specialties parts — handlebars, cables, electrical, brakes, seats, lights, fasteners, hardware. Routine replacements in days, not weeks. Most parts ship from the Parts Europe warehouse for fast UK delivery. Iron Pass members get an additional discount at checkout.