Earlier this week, we waxed lyrical about the enduring appeal of the Harley-Davidson Evolution Sportster while profiling David Zemla’s brat style-inspired XLH 883. Now, a builder on the other side of the world has built a rigid Harley Sportster in a radically different style—further proving the Sporty’s incredible versatility.
This drag-style 2010 Sportster 1200 is the work of Mika Motorcycles, based in Depok, Indonesia. Shop founder Hery got his start by buying and selling secondhand Sportsters, and runs the enthusiast Instagram account Sportster Attack. His workshop is full of two things; used Sporties waiting to be customized, and exotic wheels that he loves to collect.
“I love hunting for rare rims,” Hery tells us. “It’s my challenge. I love to build Sportsters with a racing touch, using classic Henry Abe, Kimtab, Morris, RC Components, and American Racing wheels.”
The breathtaking snowflake wheels on this build are cast alloy items from Italy dating back to the 1970s. They’re the same design that MV Agusta used on the 350 Ipotesi—the first Italian production bike with alloy wheels and three disc brakes. Hery modified them to fit the Harley, using a custom center-lock axle for the front wheel.
An 18” M&H Racemaster slick wraps around the rear wheel, with a 19” Shinko E240 tire at the opposite end. But the wheels only tell part of the story. Aiming for a barebones drag bike aesthetic, Hery repackaged the Sportster’s engine into a bespoke rigid frame.
With just a single disc brake at the back and nothing to slow the front down, it really is stripped down to the bare essentials. A small Mooneyes Cole Foster headlight is mounted to the forks by way of a custom bracket, bolted to where the caliper used to be. The taillight sits just behind the rear axle, adjacent to a pair of custom brake brackets.
A generous fairing adorns the front end, hand-shaped out of aluminum and trimmed with a slim yellow windscreen. Hery fabricated the aluminum tail section too, and added a slim diamond-stitched seat. The entire arrangement is remarkably elegant, echoing the aesthetics of vintage race bikes.
A Mooneyes oil tank is tucked beneath the seat, with a custom battery tray mounted lower down on the left side. Small cutouts on either side of the fairing offer space for the brake pedal and gear shifter to move freely.
The engine hasn’t been neglected either. Hery rebuilt it with Wiseco pistons and a Daytona Twin Tec ignition. Other modifications include a Mikuni HSR42 carb, a chain conversion, and Mooneyes derby and cam covers.
The stubby slash-cut exhausts are original Mika Motorcycles parts, as are the relocated foot controls and their mounting plates.
Additional parts include custom-made bars that mount directly to the original riser holes, underneath the top yoke, and grips from Owl in Japan. Other than a speedo, and the throttle and clutch controls, the cockpit area is pretty sparse.
Hery called in Wer’s Paint to add a splash of red to the bike, opting for a gold finish on the wheels and clear-coated aluminum for the fairing and tail. The tank wears a pair of beat-up Harley-Davidson badges and a Mooneyes gas cap.
Not quite a café racer and not quite a drag racer, it’s hard to pigeonhole Mika Motorcycles’ rigid Harley Sportster. So perhaps it’s best to take advice from the slogan that’s emblazoned on the side of the fairing; “Stop thinking, start chopping.”
Mika Motorcycles Instagram | Images by Alfi Nuri
