Bring a 2005 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200R and a man with a taste for Cafe Racers – the result? A mean and sharp looking motorcycle that’s sportier than before. And oh! The real oomph lies in the fact that 34-year-old fabricator Bryce Schmidt fitted it with a turbo. Schmidt happens to have a thing for Cafe Racer designs and there aren’t many Harleys with that design character. Hence, he decided to go for it while enhancing the sporty appeal of the Sportster.
The first thing to do was to strip the Harley of its original bodywork, leaving only the engine cradle behind. The tubular subframe was built, the tail section was hand shaped and aluminium side covers were made to cover the seat pan. The swingarm was extended and rear monoshock was replaced with one from a Ninja.
The rear wheel was also taken from a Kawasaki Ninja, for which Schmidt machined the hub, spacers, and axle. Instead of the original belt drive, the Harley Sportster is now chain driven.
Fitting custom built Harley with a turbo was all Schmidt’s original idea, for which all the supporting parts had to be machined. He opted for a T15 turbo and Mikuni 45mm HSR carburetor coupled with his own custom header designed, pie-cut from 304 stainless.
The front forks have Progressive Suspensions adjustable cartridge inserts with dual front brakes and stainless lines to aid in handling and braking. The original orange paint was replaced by an all-black scheme.
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The overall appeal of Schmidt’s custom build is quite a blend of a Cafe Racer and a Tracker, and is by far one of the coolest looking Sportsters we’ve seen so far.
Source: Bikebound
