If you want to ride a brand new stock Harley under $10,000 the lower-priced Sportsters are an option. But if you want a used Custom Harley for almost the same budget, the one featured here is a good representation of what you could build for yourself. Michael Kamalian from Revolution Manufacturing wanted to show what could be done with some trading and ingenuity for a total of $9890.62 in purchase receipts, of course excluding labor time because when you work on your own bike time means nothing…

This total budget includes the donor bike, a 1998 Softail with 28,000 miles (see picture as purchased at bottom) and some primary issues (turned out to be a worn through adjustment shoe) purchased by Michael for $5000. After stripping down the bike, the stock Harley frame was molded to hide the ugly welds, then powdercoated. The stock 80″ motor was kept with cylinders bored .860 over and pistons and rings replaced. Harley 5-speed transmission just received new fluid.

Belt final drive was replaced by a chain and a beautiful 2″ wide Performance Machine Open Belt Bystem, (the most expensive part of the project but financed in part by trading all the stock Softail sheet metal) replaced the stock enclosed primary setup. Wheels were traded for a pair of 16”, disassembled and black powdercoated. Forks were swapped for a FL set set, then received a Progressive Suspension lowering kit. On them an HHI triple trees, new bars and controls. A swap meet tank and fender scrap from out back were painted in-house and Michael fabricated the seat. That’s it. If the days of high dollar bikes are mostly gone, at least you know that it’s still possible to ride custom for a budget still in the means of many bikers.  Used Harley 5 to 15 years old can still be found at bargain prices. For how long? So, take you time to built something looking cool, but start now or for help, call Revolution Manufacturing.

Cool doesn't have to be expensive. @harleymadeeasy

Motor racing has traditionally been the biggest influence on DP Custom bikes: their previous builds have sported the colors of Formula 1 and NASCAR cars. But this time, the Arizona company has turned to classic movies for inspiration. “We’ve enjoyed films like Two-Lane Blacktop and American Graffiti for years,” say the Del Prado brothers. “Both those movies feature Justin’s favorite car of all time—the ’55 Chevy.” That’s the influence for this latest DP bike, which started off as a matching-numbers 1979 Ironhead before it was stripped down and treated to a full restoration and detailing job. At the back is a 15-inch ‘steely’ hot rod wheel, just like the ones that Bob Falfa ran on his ‘double nickel’ Chevy.

“A ton of work went into this wheel,” we’re told. “The original Harley hub had to be machined, and then precision welded into the car wheel. We kept it to within 15-thousands of true, and used a sprocket/rotor combo to expose the left side of the near-chrome powdercoat.”

Using a car wheel also allowed DP to run a Hoosier tire, adding to the old school drags vibe. Other features include an aluminum Mooneyes oil tank, and a classic peanut gas tank finished in a slick jet black. The fork tubes were turned in a lathe to remove the reflector and fender mounts, and then sanded and polished by hand—along with the primary/cam/sprocket covers. The finishing touch is a signature DPC 2-into-1 exhaust … and I bet it sounds as mean as John Milner’s little yellow Deuce coupe.

Images by Jed Strahm.

Related:

• Kamome Sprinter Harley Softail|
• DP Customs “Top Fuel II”

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Nice shovelhead! @harleymadeeasy

There are 3 types of builders, the pros building for clients, the semi-pros building for friends and all the individuals building for themselves with no other purpose than riding what they created with their hands, although some outside help is always welcomed… Jack Deagazio belongs to this last category. I have known him for many years, even sharing lodging with him during big rallies. Always riding the hell out of his bikes with wife Lynn in the back, never missing a piece of the action, obsessively inspecting new parts from vendors all day long, visiting swap meets, just taking one day off  to judge custom bikes in Rat’s Hole Shows where he is a Chief Judge, and at night hanging out with some pro builders… and telling me about the evolution of his new project.

Two years that I hear about “Evil Or Sacred”, a project that required so much time on the lift because Jack has very little spare time available, being most of the week traveling as a Project Superintendent for a large bridge contractor. Also because cool parts at bargain prices can take time to be discovered. Although this project started as a 50′s Bobber intended to be painted black with gold accents, it turned progressively into the 70′s style Chopper you see here. The reason was not only a mood change, but an old Biltwell helmet painted in matt copper with gold leaf pinstriping that his wife offered him. Jack loved so much this helmet that Tom Feher of Syracuse Customs, already chosen to provide some fabrication help and the final paint job, agreed that it had to inspire the build. A case of a bike built to match the helmet… instead of the opposite!  Why not?           

“Evil Or Sacred” uses as main components a Paughco Wishbone rigid frame with a 30-rake, a fully rebuilt 1974 Harley Shovelhead 80″ engine, a RevTech 4-speed tranyy, a narrow 2″ Tech Cycle primary drive, a genuine Harley Springer front end and a pair of 18″ spoke wheels. After basic mockup and driveline alignment, Jack holding 2 DOT welding certifications and a AWS D1.1 D1.5, had no difficulty getting the fabrication job started and correctly done. Tom Feher provided support in making an oil tank from 2 old fire extinguishers that he had laying around his shop, then bent all rigid fuel and oil lines to be later brass plated. Gabe from After Hours Choppers was called to make the gas and oil caps from solid brass. Steve Weinstock from Lillian Rose Choppers chiseled some metal tattoos on the air cleaner. Most of the custom parts have been chosen from vendors belonging to the Limpnickie Lot , a cooperative of Builders (see tech sheet.) Brian O’Hara of B-Man Stripping applied all pinstriping and gold leaf. (photography copyright Lydia Johnson, Johnson Camera, courtesy to Cyril Huze)     

 
Tech Sheet.

Owner/Design: Jack Deagazio. City: East Syracuse NY. Assembly: Tom Feher , Jack Deagazio. Engine: 1974. Model: Shovelhead. Builder: Jack Deagazio. Ignition: Points. Displacement: 80 CI. Cams: Crane. Carburetor: SS-Super E. Air Cleaner: After Hours Choppers. Pipes: Paughco. Primary: 2″ Tech Cycle. Transmission: 2009 RevTech 4-Speed. Frame: Paughco Wishbone. Rake: 30 degree, no stretch. Front End: HD Springer. Wheels: Front Wheel, Size: 130-18 inch. Tire: Soho. Brakes: HD Mechanical. Rear Wheel, Size: 130-18 inch. Brake: HD Mechanical. Painter: Tom Feher Syracuse Customs. Color: Matt Copper. Type: PPG. Brass Plating: Palm Beach Plating. Handlebars: Nash. Handlebar Controls: Kustom Tech. Risers: Paughco. Head Light: HD. Taillight: Crime scene Choppers. Gas Tank: Tom Feher. Rear Fender: Led Sled. Seat: Duane Ballard. Oil Tank; Tom Feher. Pegs: Courthouse Customs. Mirror: Spitfire Customs. Grips: New York City Choppers. Oil Cap-Gas Cap: After Hours Choppers. Seat Pan: Fab Kevin. Special Parts: Low Brow Customs. Metal Tattooing: Steve Weinstock-Lillian Rose Choppers. Molding: Tom Feher Syracuse Customs. Graphics: Brian Ohara, B-Man Stripping.

Special thanks to Anita and Peter Penz of Penz Customs in Austria for the levers and throttle body. To Harley John and Al at AI’s Cycle. To my wife Lynn who put up with me during this build and bought me a lot of the parts…

 

Everything about this bike is cool. @harleymadeeasy

I think this could be revolutionary. What do you think? @harleymadeeasy

I find, in spite of what I used to feel to the contrary, that my tastes in classic Harleys is moving back in time. Over the years I have bought, owned and sold well over 100 old Harley-Davidson motorcycles. No way I could keep them all, and many of them I would not want to keep. But I am able to hang on to a few of them. Including these three wonderful classic Harley twins, which I have or will be writing about in the pages of American Iron Magazine.

Antique Harleys 1915, 1924 & 1926 V-twins

The three vintage Harleys in the recent photo all have personal significance to me and I will probably never sell them. All three are in fine running condition and I do ride all three of them on a fairly regular basis.

They are: LEFT Selma the 1915 Harley I built with Dave Fusiak and I rode cross country on the first Motorcycle Cannonball ride in 2010. CENTER and original paint, original wire 1924 Harley JDCA I bought more than twenty years ago. It was one of the two first Harleys I even bought (together on the same day from the same seller). RIGHT is the modified 1926 Harley J I will be rebuilding at Wheels Through Time and I plan on riding across the US on the Motorcycle Cannonball in 2012.

Three classic Harley motorcycles 1915, 1924, 1926

The 1915 is all rebuilt and sorted out. Strong running bike and light and flickable. I added a small front brake and modern rims to take newer style tires. Magneto powered.

The 1924 is also a strong runner but I have never had to go inside the engine or transmission. Then again, I have never ridden it more than a hundred miles in a day, and that would be rare. I rode on and won the Pewter Run on this bike several years ago.

The 1926 was modified by previous owners with a front brake, British wheels and exhaust and a home made electrics with 2 coils in the battery box. I plan on totally rebuilding this bike for the cross country, 250 miles a day, Motorcycle Cannonball ride in 2012. I still need to add a horn and speedometer.

I love that he is going to ride the 1926 cross country.

Not often that you see a Sportster trike as cool as this one. I find this conversion not only visually appealing but interesting in the sense that the conversion was done without doing any cutting, welding or even drilling on the stock Harley frame. The one-off trike kit is the work of a builder named Norm Wilding of Trike Works . It was fabricated using a modified DNA housing with one-off axles, hubs etc, to enable the use of stock Harley Forty Eight wheels in the rear. A couple of ladies around me told me they would love to ride one . Another reason to publish it. (picture courtesy Onno Wieringa  courtesy of AMD Championship)

I like the old school look. @harleymadeeasy

by Karl Borum (Kbore)

Ape hanger handle bars are one of those subjective things: either you love 'em or you hate 'em.  Apes just require a certain attitude.

If you love the look and attitude, but are unsure of the performance aspects, turn your attention to the study by the Head of the Human Factors Department, Highway Safety Research Institute at the University of Michigan. Okay fine, this study was done with bicycles, not motorcycles, but still there's much to glean.

Entitled "The Relationship Of Bicycle Maneuverability To Handlebar Configuration", the 1974 study says that when compared to standard height handle bars or race bars "...high rise handlebars showed a slight performance edge with tasks requiring the greatest amount of maneuverability."  This was particularly true with figure eights and slalom tasks. Comparing motorcycles to bicycles may seem like monkey business, but maneuverability is quite similar between a bicycle and a motorcycle.

Since you've decided your performance won't suffer, now you have to determine just what is the right height for your apes?  Manufacturer's handle bar height specifications will yield different "body" heights on different bikes.  A 12" ape hanger on a Harley Fat Boy is just short of shoulder high, while the same bar on a Road King, with the same rider, is sternum high.  That is due to seating positions of different bikes. 

Many riders considering apes are fearful that they will lose maneuverability and hence, are too conservative with their height estimation.  A good rule of thumb if you fall into the overly conservative category is to add two inches to what you think is high enough.

If you swap your stock bars with apes, you can realistically expect to change both throttle cables (or Electronic Throttle Control extension cable id, so equipped), brake line(s), clutch cable and wire extensions for the hand control harnesses. Given that this is an expensive proposition, it is better to go too high (which seems rare) than to be too conservative and go too low.  You can go to a lower bar without lengthening cable, but you can seldom go higher.

If you make the switch to apes, you may be in for some extra comfort as well.  Harley riders have some very common reasons for switching from stock handle bars to ape hangers:

• Stock bars are uncomfortable
  

• Neck and shoulder blade pain issues
  

• Numbness in lower arms and wrists

• Unable to ride long distances
  

Human factors expert Dr. Alex Stedmond of the UK Center for Motorcycle Ergonomics agrees.  While studying motorcycle ergonomics, he found that body part discomfort due to neck, shoulders, upper arms and lower arms were ranked highest by riders. 

This seems to be no surprise to Harley-Davidson MoCo either.  Marketing copy from the Motor Company frequently reads "Revised- Improved- optimized- enhanced".   It's been an ongoing design effort for years.  Yet riders making the switch to ape hangers, even mini-monkey bars, report greatly reduced discomfort and longer saddle time without a negative effect on handling or slow cornering.

So what are you waiting for? Shout off in the Forums and let us know why you're for or against ape hangers.

I have 12" baby apes on my 2010 Road Glide Custom. My wife, Jenny, has the same bad ass bars on her 2011 Cross Bones. @harleymadeeasy

These stunts are ridiculously difficult on a Harley. Amazing rider!

Harley Davidson (NYSE:HOG), the biggest U.S. motorcycle maker, saw its stock drop by more than 12% since the beginning of last week. The company’s CEO Keith Wandell’s is hoping to use Ford (NYSE:F) as a template in Harley’s turn around by cutting fixed costs in labor contracts, cutting costs through streamlining production, pushing Harley into emerging markets such as China and India and pushing its dealer network to improve their stores as well as customer service levels.  ^[1] This will help Harley improve its U.S. market share that stood at 58% in the third quarter over peers like Polaris Industries (NYSE:PII),  Honda (NYSE:HMC), Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and BMW that control a major chunk of the remaining market.

See our full analysis for Harley

However Wandell’s long-term strategy for Harley is running afoul with some of its dealers and also constraining inventories for some of its pricier models such as Touring. One Minnesota dealer, St. Paul Harley-Davidson, has sued Harley Davidson for restricting international sales and third-party sales on portals such as eBay and Amazon. ^[2]

Moreover extensive restructuring of one of its largest manufacturing facilities in York is resulting in decreased production capacity for some of the company’s more expensive and most profitable models, leading to overall margin decline. (See our previous article: Harley Davidson Q3 Margins Squeezed by Plant Restructuring)

A recent new dealership survey by the investment firm Robert W. Baird & Co. confirmed that the inventory of new Harley-Davidson Inc. motorcycles is at its lowest point in 10 years, which will result in lost sales in the near-medium term as the York facility restructuring is expected to continue till 2013. ^[3]

We currently have a price estimate of $40 for Harley Davison’s stock, which is more than 15% above current market price.

Understand How a Company’s Products Impact its Stock Price at Trefis

Notes:

1. Wandell Leads Harley’s Comeback as Mulally on a Motorcycle: Cars [↩]
2. Minnesota dealer sues Harley-Davidson [↩]
3. Harley inventories tight, dealers say [↩]

Stocks will go up and down. CEO Keith Wandell is doing the right things overall.

If they can do it you can do it!

Straddle a Harley-Davidson Iron 883, and you might be surprised at how small the bike feels; the 25.3 inch tall saddle sits low, the body is narrow, and the relationship between the grips, the pegs, and the seat is compact. There’s a reason the 883 is one of our 10 Great Beginner Bikes; it feels approachable and manageable, especially to the vertically challenged. But bigger riders might find the Iron 883’s ergonomics somewhat constricting; I’m 5’11”, and the contoured saddle created an unconfortable pressure point on longer rides. However, what irks some riders will be a boon to others. Even though the Iron 883 weighs in at 565 lbs in running order, it’s nimble enough for relatively quick turns—though canyon carvers will force some scraping with the footpeg feelers, and limited suspension travel translates to a firm ride.

 

The view over the blacked out tank reveals a minimalist setup with a plainly marked speedometer in the middle. Per Harley tradition, right and left turn indicators are activated individually.

The Evolution engine coughs to life on a mellow note, and the exhaust note from the dual pipes isn’t as loud as you might expect. If a window-rattling roar is your thing, there are plenty of aftermarket ways to make your Sporty sportier.

The torquey twin offers plenty of pull from low rpms, and the 2-piston front and single piston rear brakes are strong enough to inspire confidence—though it takes a bit of lever effort to bring the Iron to a halt. Engine vibration is noticeable but not annoying, though an amplified pulse develops in top (5th) gear at around 65 mph.

This bike just keeps getting better. The 2012 Iron 883 in Black Denim is the most popular Sportster in the country.

Not many things can be cool for 4 decades but this 1970 Sportster does a nice job of it.

by Pete Schultz

We are all guilty of looking down our noses at Sportsters. The narrow frame and front end, along with the integrated motor and transmission separate it from being amongst the elite Hogs. Sometimes called "starter" or "entry level" bikes, the Sportster has received both disrespect and acclaim. Some riders revere Sportsters as the best handling and quickest factory Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Other riders regulate the Sportster lineup to duty as "chick bikes". Let's take a look at the Sportster in general and decide if they are worthy of the most hardened biker, or if in fact they are just "chick bikes".

Up until a few years ago, the Sportster motor was a solid mounted. Vibration was transferred from the motor through the frame, up into the handlebars through the rider's hands and into their jawline. These vibrations accentuated themselves at highway speeds making long trips on Sportsters downright miserable. Most Sportster riders were not enthused about touring on their bikes. But now that Sportsters are rubber mounted, bring on the highway!  The motor is isolated from the frame keeping the vibes from ruining the ride - same as the counter balanced and rubber mounted big twins.

Sportsters started out with a 900cc motor, and they still are available as an 883, but can also be had in a 1200 (74 cubic inches). For decades the 74 cubic inch overhead valve motor was considered a "big bore". So why would anyone view the 1200 Sportster as an underpowered chick bike? These bikes are quick from the factory, but with a little head work and a set of cams, they are downright powerful machines. Combined with the lighter weight frame and front end, the Sportster has a decided advantage performance wise. Less weight also means easier braking, and better overall maneuvering. There are numerous reasons for riders wanting a lighter motorcycle, some as simple as stature, others are out of need - such as age or disability. The Sportster provides an American made motorcycle for riders who can't handle the big twins; it also introduces riders looking for a quick and maneuverable motorcycle to Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

I know of many dedicated Harley-Davidson riders who have always ridden Sportsters, either because they were far more affordable than the big twins, or because the Sportster was just what they were looking for: a nimble and quick bike that could get the job done. They never took offense to the "piglet" comments. They knew that they were riding American iron and had nothing to be embarrassed about.

Harley-Davidson has continued to modify and improve the Sportster through the years. The bike is no longer an around town or short trip motorcycle that is ridden by devoted legions of "chicks". The Sportster is a refined, smooth running, quick handling Harley-Davidson motorcycle that is snubbed and overlooked by many because of historical stereotypes.

I have always wondered when the Motor Company would evolve the Sportster into a lightweight touring bike. If they would equip the 1200 Sportster with floorboards, hard saddle bags, five gallon fuel tank and a fairing, they would have a definite winner. Bring on the Sportstour!

What do you think? Is the world ready for the Sportstour? Or are Sportsters just "chick" bikes? Shout off in the Forums!

No way. I've seen big dudes on small bikes and small ladies on big bikes. Ride what you want, just ride!