Sportster 1200 Custom
Year: 2006
Make: H-D
MSRP: $9,595
Mileage: 8,000
Rider: JORDAN
I was in the market for a new bike when I started with the company in 2006 but had limited funds. A friend of mine told me that there was a used Sportster at Lifestyle Cycles in Anaheim, California, for sale and that it only had 100 miles on it. I was strapped for cash but since Lifestyles finances, I decided to make it mine anyway. Buy now pay later is great for some things, right?
The Sporty in its stock f...
The Sporty in its stock form...
When I took it home I immediately wanted to take everything off of it and give it a blacked out look with a bobber edge with bits of chrome highlights. I started by slamming the suspension with Progressive shocks for the rear and lowered fork springs for the front. Next, it needed some new pipes in the worst way so I did a project with Martin Bros., bolting on the company's Trendkills, which are brutally loud, coupled with a new RK Series Air Cleaner Kit from K&N Performance to give it a little extra get-up-and-go. To achieve the stretched out feel, I installed a set of Roland Sands' Vintage apes with a stock Nightster riser setup. Attached to the riser/bar setup is Dakota Digital's MCL 3204 digital Sportster gauge, which features a speedo, tach, trip, and a ton of other cool functions. I knew the stock smushed tank had to go, so I ordered a Paughco Fat Bob style tank for Sportsters that needed a little tweaking but in the end fit just right. A bobbed fender was needed to match the new tank so Lick's Cycle got the call. Both tins were taken to Fineline Cycles in Baldwin Park, California to be covered in a matte black finish. To achieve more of the blacked-out look, I sent a variety of parts (lower fork legs, triple trees, air cleaner cover, and more) to Orange County Plating in Orange, California, to be powdercoated in a gloss black finish.
A night-and-day difference...
A night-and-day difference from the stocker!
I wanted the two-tone black/silver look for the stock spoke wheel up front, so I took the bike to Wheel Works in Garden Grove, California, and they powdercoated the hub and rim satin black and laced it with polished stainless Buchanan spokes. The rear wheel was a stock cast mess, and they had a stock 16x3 rear spoker laying around so they gave it the same treatment as the front and installed it on my bike, along with Custom Chrome rotors for the front and rear. I ditched the stock turn signals in the front and rear long ago, and I needed a new set so I headed over to Headwinds to install a set of 1 3/8-inch LED Rocket Turn Signals in a black finish with chrome tips to the rear.
It's a trip when I look at the Sporty in its stock form. All of the memories and projects I've done with the bike has been quite an experience. It's also been a blast to ride. I look forward to the road ahead!