Kinetic Art: A handbuilt board tracker with a Harley Sportster engine
Tourists flock to Indonesia for its beaches, volcanoes, and temples. But our interest in the Southeast Asian archipelagic state is more mechanical…
Read more »Harley-Davidson Sportster
The Harley-Davidson Sportster was introduced in 1957 to compete against the best-selling British bikes that were invading the United States market. The 2021 Sportster S is the third major design in the series, and belatedly drags the Sporty into the 21st century.
The Harley-Davidson Sportster’s original 40 hp Ironhead V-twin engine gave a top speed of approximately 100 mph and stayed in production until 1985, when it was replaced with the 1986 Evolution motor.
There is a vast market for spare Sportster parts and accessories, and many owners transform their bikes into something else—whether a chopper, cafe racer, or scrambler.
In our extensive coverage of Sportster customs, you’ll find bikes that are tuned up (and dressed up) by the world’s top custom Harley builders. Dig in, and get inspiration right here for customizing your own Harley-Davidson Sportster.
Brutester: An animalistic Harley Sportster 883 scrambler from Japan
It’s no secret that we’re suckers for a good dual-Sporty around here. The premise of turning a V-twin cruiser into a dirt-flinging…
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Sportster Attack: A rigid Evo Sporty from Indonesia
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…
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Sportsters Forever: David Zemla’s custom Harley XLH 883
Harley-Davidson has discontinued the Evolution Sportster, but it’s going to be a very long time before the venerable V-twin fades into the…
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Giddy up: Colt Wrangler’s prizewinning Harley Sportster
With a name like Colt Wrangler, it’s safe to assume that the man is from Texas and probably a bit of a…
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Greatest Hits: Rough Crafts’ Best Harley-Davidson Customs
Bringing a truly unique style to the scene is not an easy task, and it’s even more impressive if you can make…
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Lakeside Racer: A Sportster inspired by the Riva Aquarama
If you’re a classic watercraft aficionado, this custom Harley-Davidson Sportster should feel familiar to you. That’s because it’s modeled after one of…
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How to build a Harley Sportster flat tracker, the Mule way
If you’ve ever fantasized about building a Harley-Davidson Sportster flat tracker, there’s a good chance that you’ve pinned a couple of Richard…
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Sportsters Forever: A custom Harley Evo Sporty from Australia
On November 18, 2022, Harley-Davidson rolled the last air-cooled Sportster ever to be built off their assembly line in York, Pennsylvania. The…
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Evo ain’t dead: A Harley Sportster chopper from China
It’s barely been a month since Harley-Davidson announced they were ending the Evolution-powered Sportster line, but great custom examples continue to roll…
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Speed Read, December 4, 2022
It’s all about café racers this week, with a Harley Sportster from Thailand, a Triumph Thruxton from Hong Kong and a BMW…
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Speed Read, November 27, 2022
We continue in our quest to bring you the most diverse Speed Read selections we can. This week includes a Honda Monkey…
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