Daily Slideshow: 883 Tracker From Mule Motorcycles is Rupert's Ride

Mule Motorcycle

Down in San Diego is the shop Mule Motorcycle that specializes in building almost exclusively performance trackers. It's not hyperbole at all to state that every single one of their creations is a masterclass in performance, proportion, and style. This one is a 1991 883 Sportster that Richard Pollack from Mule was determined to put some angst back into. Richard has some very strong opinions on what has been passing for a street tracker lately: "That term gets thrown at all sorts of builds that have absolutely no link to dirt track or high performance. It’s an overused style description which has diluted the true meaning." 

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I'm guessing the owner is Rupert

The bike, Rupert's Ride, is in Robert's opinion very close to what a true street tracker should be. "I’m no authority,’ he adds, ‘but having attended many flat track races, competed in hundreds and having studied the machinery since the early 70’s I’ve formed a vision of what one should look like." Robert likes to start working on Sportster street tracker from a place of ground floor level. So when the bikes get delivered to his shop he tears them down so that the only bits remaining are the main frame, swingarm and lower end of the engine. 

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Getting started

Richard explained the strategy behind the build. "I’ve done a few Sportsters using just a motor and sourcing aftermarket frames," Richard says. "The builds were complicated and a hassle to register. So I’ve started gravitating towards retaining the stock frame, increasing modifications for weight reduction and improved mass centralization." The folks at Mule bought a new Harley Screamin' Eagle top end and cams and sent the bottom end over to Darkhorse Crankworks in Wisconsin for some new rods, bearings, seals, and balancing. The back end of the frame was then cut off and the shocks were moved forward six inches. The swingarm was also lengthened. 

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Putting it all together

One of the most striking changes between a normal Sportster and Rupert's tracker is that the bike now has Paoli USD forks USD forks in custom triple clamps and is brought to legal speeds by beefy 6-pot calipers from an MV Agusta F4. The bike has a front master cylinder that was designed in-house and machined by the crew at Mule to fit a Yamaha clutch cover at one end with a fitting out the bottom and screw in the top for filling. The bike has a 2-2 stainless pipe that has been ceramic coated black and bent around the bottom end. The tank is made of aluminum, the bars are another one of Mule's design, and the instrumentation comes from Motogadget's Chronoclassic. 

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What it's all about

Richard isn't a fan at all of the bike's paint job as he feels the all black everything look has had its time. "I’m not a fan of murdered out, all black bikes," Richard says. "I think it’s been done to death in triplicate. But that’s what the customer requested." The two red stripes that you see going down the center of the bike are Richard's rebellion against the murkiness of the paint. 

"It’s user-friendly, lighter than stock, better brakes, better handling and much faster," Richard says. When asked what is the best thing about the bike, Richard exclaims, "Riding it fast! The sound is why everyone needs to build or own a Harley with cams and high dual pipes!"

>>Join the conversation about this modern classic 883 Tracker in the Harley-Davidson Forum.

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