Sportsters

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  Sportsters make incredible Choppers and for that reason they are one of my favorite bikes for building low-cost chops.

One of the best I've ever seen was built by a guy named Curt who I met at an Oklahoma City bike show. Sorry I didn't bother to get his last name, but the bike is a true piece of rolling artwork.

When I first walked past the bike, I thought it was a knucklehead at first glance until I got closer. The bike has been beautifully detailed.

The split rocker boxes are a great touch. Chrome on the bike alone probably cost more than my last car. Can't see it here but there's also a small shock under the seat to smooth out the spring action.

I've still got the stock low milage 82 I bought as a daily commuter back in 2015 but haven't had time to do anything with it but it'll eventually get some kind of mild treatment as time permits.

Another project we started in 2016 was sold before it was ever finished but had great potential. A fellow came into the shop one day and just had to have it and wouldn't take not for sale as an answer, so he went home with it.

The 'rigid' forks with the 4-bend bars seemed to be the main selling point. Lightweight Sportster chops are well suited for rigid front ends, the longer the better.

This bike used a 2-up Paughco frame with a 40-degree rake. Can't remember why we didn't bother to put a tire on that front wheel.

This is the motor we started with. A typical basket case, but the price was right. The customer wasn't impressed with this jewel, so we've still got it on a shelf somewhere.

We'll be doing another Sportster chop project this year so stay tuned.