You’ll be able to usually inform when a {custom} bike has been constructed merely to gawk at, and when it’s been constructed to be ridden. This rowdy Harley Sportster flat tracker leaves little room for doubt. Impressed by the long-lasting Harley XR750, it hits all the fitting aesthetic notes, with a construct spec tailor-made to each day abuse.
It belongs to Romain Leclerc—a filmmaker based mostly close to Toulon on the French Riviera. As a teen, Romain rode BMX with a gaggle of buddies who referred to as themselves ‘Les Pirates.’ Years later, the fellows graduated from bicycles to bikes, using and customizing them with the identical irreverent vitality that marked their BMX days.
This Sportster is Romain’s second {custom} construct, not counting the bikes that he makes use of for racing and monitor days. His aim was to construct a each day runner with flat track type, after which he stumbled upon a reasonably distinctive donor bike—a 1997 Harley-Davidson XL1200S Sportster Sport, with a modified engine that includes two Buell entrance cylinder heads.
The setup included two carbs on the fitting and twin pipes on the left, identical to the XR750, which appealed to Romain. However the mission was unfinished, and the bike wasn’t operating. “There was a variety of work wanted to untangle a really messy engine construct that had been tried within the 2000s,” he tells us.
The Sportster’s engine went to Christophe Clergeat at Atelier C&C to complete the job correctly. A few of the earlier mods could possibly be carried over—however he nonetheless had his work minimize out from him. The rocker field covers wanted machining, the oil circuit needed to be reworked, and the bike wanted bespoke cams.
Christophe additionally put in a Dyna 2000i ignition and machined a pair of one-off consumption manifolds to mount the carbs. The Sportster was handled to new exhausts too, constructed utilizing SuperTrapp internals. “That’s simply a part of what he did,” says Romain, wryly.
In the meantime, Romain made a bunch of adjustments to the Sportster’s chassis and bodywork. 19-inch rims have been laced to the OEM Harley hubs and the belt drive was swapped for a series and sprockets. A Brembo brake up entrance improves stopping energy, whereas the unique H-D caliper nonetheless does obligation out again.
Suspension upgrades embrace a set of inverted Paioli forks from a Moto Guzzi, and 15-inch-long shocks, custom-built by YSS. “The bike is tuned extra for reliability than for max efficiency, as I exploit it for each day using,” says Romain. “It’s enjoyable to experience, filled with character, handles completely, and stops properly.”
The Sportster’s pick-and-mix bodywork took place by likelihood. Romain had sourced a fiberglass flat monitor tank and tail part, however the former had began disintegrating inside. So he popped an aftermarket Sportster tank on the bike whereas having the tail part painted in an appropriate orange hue.
“I ended up loving the mismatched look,” he says. “The bike is a Frankenstein’s monster anyway, and the disparate tank added to the character. So I painted visuals over the uncooked steel, handled the within, and gave it a end.”
The one different little bit of bodywork is the entrance quantity plate, which Romain made by hand. A small rectangular mild sits slightly below it, with an off-the-shelf taillight tucked below the tail part’s lip.
The cockpit wears Biltwell Inc. bars and grips, and push-button switches with inner wiring. A tiny Motogadget speedo, mounted in a housing with built-in warning lights, sits slightly below the bars.
Romain’s ‘XR1200’ may look rough-hewn from afar, but it surely’s onerous to disclaim the quantity of consideration spent on getting each element good. And the truth that it tears up asphalt on the each day makes it that a lot sweeter.
Syndicat Pirate | Photos by Romain Leclerc | Movie by Gustav Gentieu and Romain Leclerc
Trending Merchandise
