Daily Slideshow: The Stylish Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs
Everything this Ironhead has degraded over time has been replaced.
Look Right
Jacques Villeneuve is a lifelong auto racer born and raised in Canada. His father and uncle were both race car drivers, so he followed in their footsteps. He competed in races all over the world and placed in some remarkable ones in Europe and Japan. He seized acclaim in America also by winning the 1995 Indianapolis 500. Jacques was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998.
DP Custom Cycles is located in New River, Arizona. They haven’t been around for as long as some of the more famous custom motorcycle shops around the country, but they are certainly making headway. This latest creation is a bike they called: “Look Right” and this baby certainly does, since the bike’s style was borrowed from Jacques’ BAR Honda Formula 1 racing cars.
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Lucky Strike
If you will recall, in the early 2000s, many of the race cars carried the popular stripe known as the “Lucky Strike” branding. However, as we became a more global marketplace for racing, some countries carried a ban on advertising cigarettes. So, by 2004, this logo was altered to “Look Right” – hence the name.
>>Join the conversation about this classic Ironhead from DP Customs in the Harley-Davidson Forum.
1982 Harley 1000
One of several modifications performed by DP Custom Cycles was the creation of a modified frame, wrapped around a 1982 1000 Ironhead motor.
According to DP’s Justin Del Prado:
“The project began with a complete tear-down of the bike, and then we chemically stripped the frame. We ditched the swing-arm and welded on the Hardtail.”
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A Clean, Uncluttered Look
This action lowers the bike, and also increases it by 4” in length. Before the days of fuel injection, a Keihin CV carburetor is positioned on the intake side, and of course, the exhaust system is custom-built. The electrical system was hidden away wherever possible to give the machine a cleaner appearance.
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An Aggressive Riding Position
Over time, naturally, there was some wear and tear on the old parts. That was not going to be a problem for DP. The first things to go were the fuel and brake lines. Then all of the wires and switches were replaced new, including the keys. Most everything else is either new or re-conditioned.
DP decided to fabricate the oil tank and battery box. The seat is from Biltwell, so the seat mounts had to be fabricated as well for a good fit.
They added powder-coated wheels, 19” and 16”, respectively; but, probably the most artistic addition was the rear fender – it was described as “painstakingly-crafted”.
Mr. Del Prado finally stated:
“For an old classic Harley, this bike is fast and actually handles pretty good, especially with the Pirellis on there. It sounds really mean and the riding position is aggressive with our clip-on and the seat location.”
RIDE ON!
>>Join the conversation about this classic Ironhead from DP Customs in the Harley-Davidson Forum.
For help with your Harley maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.
