Daily Slideshow: Noise Cycles' Street Flat Track Racer

Ever wonder what a factory Harley-Davidson tracker would look like?

By Robert Bacon - July 5, 2018
Noise Cycles' Street Flat Track Racer
Noise Cycles' Street Flat Track Racer
Noise Cycles' Street Flat Track Racer
Noise Cycles' Street Flat Track Racer
Noise Cycles' Street Flat Track Racer

Noise Cycle

What if Harley-Davidson decided to challenge Indian's FTR 1200 and make a factory tracker of their own - ever wonder what that would look like? Well, it seems like Scott Jones from Noise Cycles certainly has and his custom build gives us a good indication of what it could be like. This build is based on Harley's Street Rod, although, to the naked eye, there's not much to indicate this. 

Bitten by the Dirt Bike Bug

Scott is one of the best bike builders in the USA and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the chopper scene. Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted that this is, in fact, a dirt bike and not a chopper, so why has Scott designed it? Well, over the past year, Scott has been getting more and more involved in the dirt bike scene. This is actually the second dirt bike he's made, and he feels it's a big improvement on the first, saying: "this year, I built one using the Street Rod - which has a 27-degree neck instead of 31 degrees... This one feels so much better and easier to ride. Still 500 pounds, but more nimble."

>>Join the conversation about Noise Cycles Street Flat Track Racer right here in HDForums.

A Throwback

For those who have been riding a little longer, the high, dual exhausts which have been placed on the left-hand side of the bike might conjure up some memories. Of course, I'm referring to the Harley-Davidson XR1000 from the early '80s. Flipping the exhausts to the left didn't come without its share of headaches, however. To achieve it, Scott had to flip the cylinder heads. According to Scott, "It wasn't too difficult, but I did it twice! The main thing is to make sure the timing chains stay in the right spot. And the hardest part was counter-boring the heads for the new locating pin."

>>Join the conversation about Noise Cycles Street Flat Track Racer right here in HDForums.

A Not-So-Stock Tank

You may have noticed the tank on this custom build isn't the standard Street Rod tank. Scott felt the original tank was too flat and wide, so he gave it a trim. "Initially, I wanted the bike to still resemble the stock look. Well, I failed. So I cut the sides off the tank to make it ten inches narrower," he remarked. Scott also took about an inch off the back of the tank so it flows nicely into the tail unit from Saddlemen. The original fuel pump has been kept, so Scott left a bubble on the left side of the tank to accommodate it. 

>>Join the conversation about Noise Cycles Street Flat Track Racer right here in HDForums.

Ready to Race

Scott Rod has ensured this build handles well and goes like it looks: fast. He hooked up Vortex bars to Durelle Racing adjustable triples, and they look great. At the end of the bars is a Motion Pro throttle and a clutch lever from ProTaper. Helping get all the power down with as much traction as possible are Shocks from Gears racing. And helping to bring everything to a halt is a rear brake master and lever from a Honda CRF450. This writer certainly hopes Harley-Davidson pays attention to this masterpiece from Noise Cycle and makes a factory tracker of their own. 

>>Join the conversation about Noise Cycles Street Flat Track Racer right here in HDForums.

For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.

NEXT
BACK
NEXT
BACK
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.