Daily Slideshow: Classic Sportster Becomes Flat Tracker Restomod

Granddad's Bike

While most of us feel the itch to upgrade our motorcycles every few years, Ben Boyd has kept his 1989 Harley-Davidson Sportster for 23 years. To be fair this is mainly because he inherited it from his late grandfather, Fred Boyd, in 1994. The 1989 Sportster 1200 started life producing 58 hp from its V-twin powerplant and a respectable 84 Nm of torque. Since Ben took ownership of it in 1994, however, just about every part has been changed. According to Ben, "Fred died when I was seven and I inherited this little Sporty. I'd been riding and racing MX since I was five, and used to sneak Granddad's bike out well before I had a license. Heck, I even rode it to my first date!"

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2. Evolution to Racer

Obviously, it took a lot of work to get an original 1989 Harley Sportster 1200 looking like this. Ben had been making gradual improvements to the Sportster over the years. But, when Super Hooligan flat track racing became popular, Ben decided to make the Sportster his dedicated race bike. The original engine was swapped out for a Buell X1 powerplant, running Andrews cams and S&S roller rockers. The engine has also been converted to run using Mikuni HSR45 carburetors rather than the original EFI arrangement. Other upgrades include a Twin Tec ignition and a Hammer Performance intake. A custom 'Max Race' can from Cone Engineering swings up high and over the engine to provide extra cornering clearance but, according to Ben, "it makes a futile attempt at providing back pressure".

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3. A Legacy

Fred Boyd, the original owner of this Sportster wasn't just any old motorcyclist - he was a pretty big name on the post-war racing scene in Vancouver, BC. Fred always had fairly strong ties with Harley-Davidson and his teammate, Trev Deeley, was the man who established Harley-Davidson in Canada. It would seem that a love of all things Harley, and racing, runs in the Boyd family, as Ben is also an avid racer and Harley-Davidson fan.

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4. Super Hooligan

Riders in the Super Hooligan race series need to get creative when modifying their bikes, as the rules dictate the bike's frame must remain stock from the rear shock mounts to the headstock. At the back, Ben installed a set of custom-built Öhlins shocks and up front, there's a set of Yamaha R6 forks which have been upgraded with Öhlins internals. A set of Mitas flat track tires provide all the grip needed and they sit on matching 19" wheels from an older Sportster.

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5. All the Small Things

The more you examine this bike the more interesting features you'll find. Ben says the tank is from "some god-awful chopper thing", but it has been tweaked to lie flat and transitions into the seat perfectly. The seat pad comes courtesy of Randi at the local upholsterer, Aro Upholstery. The rear of the frame has been looped up to match the tail section, which is from Airtech. The cockpit is supremely minimal, with the rider only seeing a set of flat track bars from Vortex, with a pair of purple Oury grips on the end.

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6. Lazer Zebra

There are a few standout features on this Sportster but the 'laser zebra' paint scheme is, arguably, the best. Speaking of the design and artist Ben said, "In bright sunlight, you can see the subtle rainbow flake in the rich black of the zebra pattern. Being an old-school sign writer by trade, AJ also hand-lettered the text and number plates that bare Granddad's number." Although the paint job is a real work of art, Ben insists there are "some scrapes and dings" on it as "it's a true race bike."

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