Sportster chopper build

[brooklynbomber]

Ooh yeah that’s nice looking. Worth the $$ for those

[ryanrowlett]

Ooh yeah that’s nice looking. Worth the $$ for those

I hemmed and hawed over it for so long then found someone on Chopperswapper selling one so I bit the bullet. Theyre steep but they look fucking awesome. The braking power seems comparable to stock... Anyways, thanks man

[Skjoll]

The new brake MC looks good... did you go with the same bore diameter?

[ryanrowlett]

The new brake MC looks good... did you go with the same bore diameter?

Yep, same old boring ass 9/16" bore.

[brooklynbomber]

I have the same style clutch lever, hows your clutch actuation with it compared to stock? The bike I have has always had that so I have no comparison but just curious how your adjustment settings have compared to a stock lever.

[ryanrowlett]

I have the same style clutch lever, hows your clutch actuation with it compared to stock? The bike I have has always had that so I have no comparison but just curious how your adjustment settings have compared to a stock lever.

I can’t tell the difference. It rattles a little and looks cooler.

[ryanrowlett]

Clear over powder

After a year of exposure to gas and UV the powder on the tank was starting to dull.

I hit it with a coat of Spaymax 2K and after a little wet sanding and polishing it’s looking good again.

Lesson learned: powder is not as gas resistant as clear coat. Still totally happy with the choice of powder over paint. Cheaper. Tougher- but needs a clear coat.

[CodyPaycheck]

Love this build and beginning a similar one with a 1996 1200. Could you post anymore pictures of the wiring? Did you relocate the coil and ignition?

[ryanrowlett]

Thanks! I did relocate the coil and ignition as well as ditch the relay and put in a plunger on the solenoid. I modified my top motor mount to hold the coil and bought a little bracket to mount the ignition to the primary cover.

[hurricanebrax]

Love the set up on this build, did you just grab the clutch lever from a used parts shop or is it from somewhere online? Mine is much worse for wear due to the friendly drivers down here and want to get something slimmer that will still work like the stock one. Props on the bad ass build

[ryanrowlett]

Thanks man,
It's an old Harley lever, part no. 38604-65A. It looks like Dennis Kirk has them. You have to rig it a bit to get the ring-style cable end to seat on a modern clutch cable but its not too difficult.

Cheers, Ryan

[ryanrowlett]

Putting a 1200 top end on the Sporty. Went with the S&S kit. The quality is great. I picked up a ring filer from Jegs to do the gapping and it went together fairly easily. Currently the bikes all torn down and ready for install of the new jugs.

[ryanrowlett]

In rejetting the carb (it’s still the stock Keihin model) I noticed the slide diaphragm was pinched and is now a bit deformed at one point along its edge. Does anyone know if the diaphragm alone can be replaced? I’m finding a lot of assemblies which include the metal slide mechanism as well but I’d prefer to not waste the body if possible.

[ryanrowlett]

Of course a c-clip shot straight into the fucking cases. Luckily I was able to fish it out with a bendable telescoping magnet. Here the new jugs are all setup and ready for heads. So far the process has been really enjoyable besides the c-clip incident.

[ryanrowlett]

I picked up a James gasket kit and am really impressed with the quality. Also grabbed a set of S&S headbolts to replace the stock ones which had rusted over the years. The S&S bolts don't fit as nicely in the countersunk area in the head and are shorter than the stock bolts so I decided to just go with OEM. The Harley ones turned out to be half and much ($40) and the plating looks better than the S&S ones. So if you're in the market maybe consider the dealer. Time to put it all back together.






This has been a really interesting project that I would totally recommend if you're considering even if its your first rebuild (it was mine). I'm still adjusting the carb and need to get the tank and exhaust back on, but am excited to start it for the first time. One aspect that was surprising was half or more of the entire project time was spent scraping old gasket material off the heads, bases and rocker surfaces then cleaning. Lotsa Brakeleen, solvents, scraping, wirebrush, degreaser, scraping, scrubbing, elbow grease... I don't mind long, monotonous tasks so this was actually not a negative for me personally but I could see this not being everyones favorite.