72-hour Sportster Flat Track Build
Hoonigan transforms a street-legal Sportster into a fire-breathing racing machine.
The crew at Hoonigan, best known for sideways-style automotive mayhem, is back with a Harley-Davidson-themed video. This time, they’re trying to qualify for the X-Games.
While the X-Games may conjure visions of skateboards and BMX bikes getting big air, they also have a flat track racing class. Zac, Vin, and Ryan Kibbe want to qualify, but they don’t have much time. As a result, they have just 72 hours to transform a pretty cherry-looking yellow Sportster into a racing machine.
The rules are pretty simple. It’s a “run-what-you-brung” racing class, requiring a V-twin engine larger than 750ccs and no front brakes. The bike they’re using is a 1999 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200S. The 1200S had a ton of cool features, like reservoir rear shocks and a dual disc front fork.
However, all of that cool stuff will be stripped off to make this the bike to beat. After a ceremonial burnout, the bike is disassembled. Early on in the process, Zac hits us with a valuable lesson. “If you know you’re gonna be taking the tank off your motorcycle, run it empty…because draining it sucks!” Thanks for the advice, Zac!
Zac also advises being careful with plastic parts around the carburetor, which tend to get brittle over the years. While we may never go flat track racing, this video is full of good advice for DIYers like us.
With most of the external parts gone, the bike is placed on a motorcycle lift to tear into the drivetrain. With the bike almost completely stripped, the team is ready to install the new, race-spec parts.
Later on that first day, Steve and Cory from TrackerDie stop by with a ton of goodies to transform the bike. The first big change is a chain drive conversion kit. The front sprocket cover and rear brake pedal and master cylinder mount is replaced by a CNC piece.
Pointing to the stock cover, Cory says that “the second your bike falls over, it breaks.” While the stock part is fine for the street, it simply can’t take the abuse of flat track racing. The TrackerDie guys also brought over a smaller gas tank and a bigger rear wheel.They also dropped off a special tool that will help to remove the front sprocket and rotate the engine into the right position for top end removal.
With the chain drive setup and new wheel in place, the bike is already starting to look like a flat track machine. Cory and Steve help to tear apart the motor to prepare for an S&S kit optimized for flat track racing.While they’re waiting for parts, Steve cuts the cam cover to remove excess material.
That’s where we’re left at the end of day one of the build. Even with limited time on the clock, Zac is confident. With his best show of 2 AM bravado, Zac reminds us to “stay tuned for the next episode – we’re gonna get it done.” We’re definitely eager to find out if they do.
