This project started as a 1986 XLH 1100 Sportster with Long Shot pipes, leather saddle bags, a windshield, and a spray can red and white paint job. We stripped the bike and sand blasted the frame. We cut the ends for the fender supports off of the frame and John fabricated new fender supports that mated to the shortened frame and welded them in place using the stock fender as the template. John then bobbed both fenders with a pattern that he designed, cleaned up the gas and oil tanks and we were ready for paint. The paint we ordered was supposed to be GM Sunburst Orange, but the paint supplier mixed something completely different. It looked acceptable in the can, it was a little bright on a test panel but definitely noticeable. While John was painting everything, including the black flames, Van took the engine apart and replaced all of the stock pieces with chrome replacement pieces. With everything painted and chromed we began to assemble the bike. Van shortened a set of FXST front forks an inch and installed 2” shorter rear shocks. An aftermarket headlight and a Performance Machine front caliper setup were used in place of the stock parts. John fabricated a bracket that mounted the side mount license plate to the swing arm. John fabricated the cover attached to the upper motor mount to hold the ignition switch, choke cable and headlight switch while Van ran all of the necessary wires to the new location. The handlebars were replaced and the stock controls were used after John reshaped them and they were polished to a bright finish. The stock instruments were replaced with a simple 2” speedometer. The seat is from a later model Sportster. Forward foot controls and 40” drag pipes were installed while John made the rear fender tip that was chromed by ABC Plating and put on as the finishing touch. We took the bike to Bike Night at Boomer’s and everybody saw that bike coming. Even the black flames didn’t tone down that orange color. |
