The client roster at DP Customs is slammed. So there’s precious little time to admire a finished project before it goes to its new home. And the Del Prado brothers are sick of it.
“Justin and I were chatting about how we didn’t have a cool bike as a permanent fixture in our shop,” explains Jarrod. “Every time we finish a bike, we test ride it, certify it, do a photo shoot, and then it’s off to the customer.”
“So we decided to rebuild one of Justin’s personal bikes, a 1979 1000cc Ironhead Sportster. We’d turn it into a bike that we’d enjoy looking at in the shop. And something wild for Justin to ride.”
Adding fuel to the fire was a turbo that Justin had picked up a few years ago. The brothers quickly decided on a direction and got going.
“We wanted to build a hot rod of a bike—something low and long that looked the business.”
Justin started by fabricating a bobber hardtail with a 6” stretch and 4” drop. As we’ve come to expect from the Arizona workshop, the framework is exquisite.
Then it was time to put that turbo to good use. The motor was rebuilt, complete with forged pistons and new valves and springs. A draw-through setup was decided on for the turbo; the turbo mount, aluminum intake and exhaust system were all hand-made.
The carb’s a Mikuni—“jetted up to the moon.” DP have used fittings and braided lines from Earl’s throughout the oil system, and tapped into the cam cover for the oil return. The work was extensive, and way above our heads.
“We are running conservative boost on pump gas,” explains Jarrod. “The tune turned out great, with nice overall drivability, and it RIPS under full throttle…the sounds are wicked!”
With the heart of the beast sorted, the Del Prados started fleshing out the rest of the bike. The 19” front wheel is their own design, machined by Thomason Performance. The steel 15×5 rear wheel is from a car, modified to work with a Harley hub.
There’s a Brembo brake setup up front, while the rear is stopped by a custom made sprocket and rotor arrangement.
The uncompromising new setup called for minimal add-ons, and an extreme stance. Unique Upholstery in Scottsdale did the barely-there seat. Underneath is a Mooneyes oil tank, and a Ballistic Lithium-ion battery.
The clip-ons are Chainsikle units, capped with Biltwell Inc. grips.
To finish it off, Brandon at Walkers Way Custom Paint has shot the tank with an outrageous metal flake scheme, with red and white for the frame—plus a few discreet green touches.
Now renamed ‘Alpaca,’ this Ironhead is devoid of fenders, rear suspension, turn signals or clocks. “But it does have a muffler—the turbo,” Jarrod jokes. “So we’ve got that going for us. It hauls ass in a straight line, and the brakes work.”
“When Justin wants to ride a mean hot rod, he chooses Alpaca. When he wants suspension, fenders and enduro capability, he rides his KLR650. And when he wants to pretend he’s a MotoGP star, he dreams about owning a Honda RC213V-S.”
More importantly, Justin and Jarrod finally have some eye candy around the shop. Any bets as to how long before a customer makes an offer on it?
