Misunderstood and infrequently neglected, Harley’s Ironhead Sportster has all the time been one of many Motor Firm’s underdog engines. Whereas there’s some reality in its fame, there’s so much to love in regards to the previous Ironhead if it’s the golden age of choppers that journeys your set off. The iron lump has cooling fins in spades, quintessential Shovel-esque rocker bins and the identical leaky, implement-grade character as its Massive Twin stablemates. And it helps that Ironheads, at the very least for now, haven’t been hit fairly as laborious by the chopper tax, making them one of many final trustworthy entry factors into classic Harley-Davidson possession.
That outsider standing is exactly what drew Aaron Perera in. He wasn’t looking for the best Harley to reside with, and breaking the financial institution on a Shovel wasn’t within the playing cards, particularly since Aaron hails from the UK. The attraction got here from the problem—the chance to counter perceptions of the Ironhead Sporty’s reliability—and craft the right low-slung ’60s chopper of his desires.
Aaron’s mechanical instincts had been formed lengthy earlier than Harleys entered the image. Rising up, weekends had been spent on the driveway together with his late father, fettling previous Volkswagens and studying the fundamentals. Bikes had been all the time a part of his life, too, beginning with grime bikes, then mopeds and 125s. Later, with a younger household and restricted funds, practicality steered him towards a Kawasaki VN800. It scratched the using itch, but it surely didn’t linger within the creativeness.
That itch returned not lengthy after the cruiser was bought. An Evo chopper venture got here and went when it didn’t fairly hit the mark. “It simply didn’t have the character I used to be on the lookout for,” Aaron admits. So he bought the Evo, purchased a welder, and commenced on the lookout for one thing older, rawer and extra demanding.
The appropriate bike surfaced at Heron Cycles in Stowmarket, a small specialist workshop roughly an hour from Aaron’s dwelling. Jay at Heron had a 1972 XLH on the market—largely inventory, working effectively sufficient and sporting all of the quirks that make Ironheads divisive. Proper-side shift, left-side brake and respiratory via a knock-off Tremendous E carb. At first, Aaron hesitated, however when he discovered one other purchaser was circling, hesitation gave approach to intuition. The deal was performed, and the Sportster was his.
For almost a yr, Aaron rode the XLH as he discovered it, utilizing that point to grasp the bike by itself phrases. Slowly and inevitably, the urge to chop into it grew too sturdy to disregard. However somewhat than hacking up a clear unique, Aaron took a extra thought of method—setting the inventory body apart and sourcing a tough donor chassis from Eire that could possibly be reshaped with out remorse. That body would finally discover its manner again to Heron Cycles, the place Jay would assist translate Aaron’s imaginative and prescient into metal.
And that imaginative and prescient was clear from the outset: quick, compact and low. Nothing extreme. Only a tight, sixties-inflected Sportster chopper that seemed prefer it knew precisely what it was.
Armed with Aaron’s reference images, Jay fabricated a hardtail from scratch, incorporating a refined two-inch stretch. The remainder of the construct got here collectively via cautious selections and artistic budgeting. A chrome, OE-style 20-inch springer fork instantly units the tone of the construct, speckled with simply sufficient corrosion to indicate it’s been across the block. It’s topped with a pair of aluminum risers and Keep Wild’s Monterey handlebars.
The peanut tank is a well-known Sportster motif, but it surely’s the realm behind the rear cylinder the place this bike actually exhibits its maturity. Aaron mocked up the oil tank in cardboard earlier than Jay fabricated the ultimate piece. Completely filling out the rear triangle, Aaron prevented some of the frequent pitfalls within the hardtail Sporty recreation.
The customized sissy bar can also be Jay’s handywork, supporting a Lowbrow Stingray fender and a tuck-and-roll Cobra seat from Bangkok’s YA.SEAT.CUSTOM. Aaron then sourced a 21-inch spool wheel for the entrance and an 18-inch to match out again—each shod in basic Avon rubber. This consideration to element led not solely to a balanced silhouette, but additionally locked within the ’60s chopper taste Aaron lusted after.
Mechanically, the V-twin stays refreshingly simple to perform Aaron’s purpose of a superbly dependable previous Ironhead. It’s largely inventory, with the addition of hotter P cams and a Mikuni 38 mm carb feeding via a velocity stack. Ignition is dealt with by a Dyna S, whereas Paughco shotgun pipes ship a uncooked, unsilenced soundtrack that fits the bike’s old-school character.
Aaron dealt with the paint himself, laying down rattle-can gloss black in a backyard shed. It’s a nod to the talents he discovered years earlier working alongside his dad, and it fits the bike’s ethos completely. The end isn’t treasured, but it surely’s trustworthy—and simple to reside with on the street.
That mindset was examined on a European journey with associates, when the Sportster’s generator failed in Amsterdam. With no native contacts and a dwindling battery, Aaron turned to social media. Inside minutes, Joris from In-N-Out Classics responded, inviting him to the workshop simply twenty minutes away. A Cycle Electrical generator was put in on the spot, and fee was politely refused. All Joris requested was that the unique unit be despatched again as soon as Aaron returned dwelling.
Again within the UK, {the electrical} system was absolutely upgraded with a Gremlin Wiring equipment, digital ignition and a Cycle Electrical generator of his personal. The transformation was quick. Beginning grew to become easy, reliability improved dramatically and the Ironhead settled into its position as a real long-distance machine. Since then, it’s lined severe floor—via Holland, Belgium, France and Scotland’s NC500—with each mile including hard-earned patina right here and there.
Aaron talks in regards to the bike with the form of affection that solely comes from shared miles and solved issues. He loves the oil leaks, the rattles and the way in which the engine appears like an previous stitching machine at idle. Plans are already in place for a visit to Sweden, and he’s assured the Sportster will rise to the event.
There’s occasional speak of shifting on to a Shovelhead, however Aaron isn’t satisfied it could supply something this bike doesn’t already ship. “I’d solely construct the identical bike with a Shovel motor,” he says. “So what’s the purpose?”
Taking a look at this Ironhead, it’s laborious to argue. Some bikes don’t want upgrading or changing. They simply should be understood—and left alone as soon as they get it proper.
Photos by, and with our eternal gratitude to, Del Hickey
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