Daily Slideshow: Harley SX1250 Sportster Made of Carbon
LC Fabrications' Jeremy Cupp decided he wanted to hand-build a Harley using Carbon-fiber. The Harley SX1250 is what became of it.
All the Right Proportions
This LC Fabrications custom built Sportster catches your eye at a glance. The dirt-bike look, the fenders, the tailpipes, and the overall bare-bones all-business aesthetic of the bike entitled the SX1250 all to give it an unmistakable personality. And then there is the incorporation of the sixth element.
Carbon
Most of the body panels on the SX1250 are made of Carbon fiber. The look of this dirt-oriented custom Sportster is inspired by the old Aermacchi Harley-Davidsons of the 1970s. Though the SX250s did not find much popularity at the time, the retro look is much more attractive today for its purity and simply for the unique space in Harley history which it occupies.
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The Beginning
The story of this build started when LC Fabrications' chief, Jeremy Cupp bought the bike from a friend of the shop who had recently passed away. Jeremy began putting together some ideas for the build. He knew he wanted an off-roading Sportster. However, the simple plan did not go quite as expected, leaving the project on hold for a lot longer than it was meant to be.
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On the Shelf
The guys at the shop found themselves occupied with one project after another, and the Harley sat to the side for about three long years. In the meantime, Jeremy began formulating ideas for the build. He wanted to rebuild the frame, replace the fenders, and most importantly, he wanted to create a project using the process of laying Carbon.
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Getting the Hands Dirty
Jeremy finally kicked off the project by digging into the frame. He got rid of the Sportster subframe, which he's not a big fan of at all. The shop built the frame from scratch and the new setup allowed for more possibilities with the suspension as well. A billet swingarm with rising-rate suspension linkage in the rear, a set of fork tubes from a 2001 YZ250, and a set of custom-made triple trees was equipped by the guys at LC.
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Fit
To say that Jeremy Cupp is good with his hands would be a bit of an understatement. Having spent most of his life working at a machine shop in Virginia, Cupp is no stranger to the intricacies of forming and fitting sheet metal and doing it to perfection. Craftsmanship is of the highest order in every part of this carbon-bodied dirt bike. The consistency of the panel gaps, the quality of material, and not to mention the incredible finish of the Carbon fiber itself, are all testaments to his skill level.
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Finish
The guys at LC Fabrications certainly got it just right with the styling of the SX1250 as well. The graphics compliment the proportion of the bike as well as the quality of the bodywork very well. The exposed carbon is cool to look at, which combined with the beautiful flat clear coated finish on the aluminum parts make it an awesome little dirt-roader.
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Function
The same kind of craftsmanship and attention to detail applies to the work that has gone into the performance aspect of this custom-built Sportster. He reached out to Led Sled for one of Pat's Evo Sportster kickstart kits. A hydraulic clutch actuator was built for the bike using the internals of a Buell 1125R. Buell flywheels, S&S 1250 cylinders, and Buell heads are also among the engine parts LC Fabrications used for this project.
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"Butt Jewelry"
The form over function character of the SX1250 is what makes it so attractive. That trait also makes it special to Jeremy Cupp. In the past, he has been known for building a lot of what he calls "butt jewelry". He describes the majority of his work as mechanical sculptures and showpieces. He's very happy with the contrasting design direction he took with the Sportster and the fact that it still ended up looking pretty darn cool, too.
>>Join the conversation about the LC Fabrication SX1250 right here at HDForums.com!
For maintenance and repair guides for your Harley, browse our technical How-to articles right here at HDForums.com!
