Daily Slideshow: Streets and Mountains

Tin Shack Restoration

In the quiet lakeside town of Shelburne, in Vermont, there's an aircraft hanger full to the brim with Land Rovers and some custom motorcycles. This is Colby Morris' home, and this writer can't say he's not the tiniest bit jealous. Morris owns Tin Shack Restoration, a company which specializes in restoring vintage Land Rovers. Between Land Rover restorations Morris also builds custom motorcycles, and this is his latest creation. It's something which looks set to dominate the mountain roads of Vermont.  

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Sportster XL1200

Morris took a Harley-Davidson Sportster XL1200 and turned it into a one-off street tracker. You wouldn't know it by looking at the finished product, but Morris isn't used to building Harley street trackers. Morris had originally set his mind to building a bobber from a Triumph. But, according to him, he "kept running into basket cases: Early 70s Triumph, literally apart and in boxes, which owners thought were worth five to ten thousand dollars. Very frustrating." Thankfully, he saw this 1998 Sportster XL1200 in his local Ducati dealership for "really short money", and took a chance. The chance paid off, with just 8,400 miles on the clock, this Sportster was fresh and ready to go. 

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More Power Please

Morris didn't just want this to look like a flat track racer, he wanted it to go like one too. A Mikuni HSR 42 carb was his first upgrade. It alone added 12 hp to the Sportster's output. Next, he ensured there'd be no problems with the spark and installed a Dyna 2000 ignition module, Sumax ThunderVolt plug wires and a Dyna Twin Fire coil. Morris fabricated the intricate exhaust himself and finished it with a ceramic coating. 

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Front End

As tricked out as the engine is, the front end is on another level entirely. Richard 'Mule' Pollock not only supplied Morris with guidance for the build, but also with parts, including the GSX-R 750 forks used for this bike. Morris used a 'gull-winged' top triple, built by Tri-Angle Metal Fab, to attach the forks to the Sportster. Mule also supplied the handlebars, which are polished stainless steel and have an unmistakable street tracker bend. Beneath an LCD display sits the custom headlight and mounting system, which were a joint production between Mule and Joker Machine. 

>>Join the conversation about this Harley street tracker right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

Street Tracker Style

Performance is important, but when it comes to street trackers, let's be honest, we're suckers for the style. There are a few key design features Morris used to achieve the street tracker look. Starting with the front and rear 19 inch wheels, which were fitted with Maxxis DTR-1 dirt track tires, and widened by Kosman Specialties. Morris moved the rear shock mounts forward three inches for symmetry. And for the rear shocks, he went for custom Race Tech Suspension's G3s. Behind the Storz aluminum tank, and in front of the First Klass Glass tail unit, is the Saddlemen seat which looks like its been lifted straight off a factory bike. Finally, a new subframe was used to support the tail unit, and the look was complete. Now, this street tracker's style matches its road-going performance. 

>>Join the conversation about this Harley street tracker right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

For help with service and maintenance of your bike, check out the how to section of HDForums.com