I found a few old photos recently and here’s a couple of shots of my first Harley build, started in 1991 and completed in 1992.
It has a 1980 1000cc Iron Head Sportster motor bought as an unknown quantity.
It turned our to be in pretty good shape.
The frame is from a 1962 sportster which has already been modified to be a rigid rear end. This was donated by the Will family who kindly did so much of the fabrication and build work for me at their truck workshop HQ and patiently put up with my learning! The original 1962 motor from the frame was by then in Jon Will’s radical lime green chop. Some may remember that lime green chop bike from being at numerous custom shows and magazines or even being part of the stage set for some of the dates on the 1991 'Where The Rubber Hits the Road'' tour with Aussie John Smith.
The front end was a bargain £25 complete, the rear wheel off an FXR, the oil tank had been on a Triumph chop, the seat, tank, engine mounts, heaps of brackets and rear fender were all fabricated, by hand to fit, thanks to Jon and Andy. The pipes were minimally baffled and it had an S&S Super B carb and an Accel coil.
Looking back now, I remember it being 'old' bike, but the motor was only 11 years old despite the frame being 29 years old. My present bike is nearly 26 years old in comparison!
The sale of this bike enabled us to start and run the 'Bibles for Bikers' project which eventually saw several thousand bibles and 'users guides' distributed via adverts in Back Street Heroes custom bike magazine.
