Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 Getting started on my "new" Sportster.

First off, I wanted to change the high bars. I was very careful beforehand, by covering the tank with a blanket, I didn't want anything dropping on the tank that might damage it. I was careful to keep the bars from rotating backwards and hitting the tank when I loosened the handlebar clamps.

These raise the bars, without adding higher risers.

I found these very cool handlebar clamp spacers on EBay. They mount under the bars, then the upper clamp is attached. They raise the bars up two inches. I had chosen a very flat handlebar. I was concerned that the hand controls might have a conflict with the tank. I had ordered the chrome set, but the company made a mistake and sent me these black items. When I contacted them about the mistake, and they sent the chrome units that I wanted. They also let me keep the wrong items, even though I offered to send them back.

The bags are unobtrusive, they aren't that big,
but they will be handy.

As it turned out, the bar mounted front turn signals just barely clear the top of the tank. Usually when you change bars you're going to a taller bar and the worry is that the cables won't be long enough. I sort of had the opposite problem; the cables had to be re-routed to let the excess length curve smoothly.

I didn't need to use the spacers but I can adjust the height later if it's need. My alternative would to have to be something that I'd done in the past. I placed a spacer, actually a pile of fender washers, under the bottom of the handlebar riser. That was good for a half inch extra height.

I plan to replace the rear fender with a shorter bobbed model and to replace the tail lamp with a smaller unit. When I replace the fender I'll also remove the sissy bar.

I particularly like this shot.

I think that replacing the "mini apes" with the lower bars, gives the bike a sportier look. It also avoids some of the usual stereotypical Sportster styling cues. That is what I am aiming for, restyling the bike in a non traditional, manner.

The front view is very clean.

At first I thought that I might change the front turn signals. But I actually like their position. Other HD models mounted them to the bottom triple clamp. Having them up on the bras keeps the triple clamps really clean looking. The signals are also wider and higher, making them more visible to other drivers.

I think that the bike looks pretty good just as it is.

A very business like look.

The bike came with these saddle bag supports. There aren't many places to carry stuff on a bike. You either have tie things to a rack, or a sissy bar. The alternative is to wear a back pack. Young guys might be comfortable with that, but I';m not. I tried it once and hated it! 

A set of bags really makes the bike more usable. I didn't want to hang a set of big hard bags on the bike, I usually had a set of smaller leather bags on my bike.

For years I had found leather bags at the local Army surplus store. They weren't specially designed by bikes, they were designed to be used on horses, but it was easy enough to adapt them.

I found this set of well constructed vinyl bags for sale at a site called NICECNC.  They have rigid side walls and the top overlaps the sides which keeps rain out. They fit pretty well. I chose  the brown set because I thought that it looked better than black with the pearl white color of the bike.

The lower bars give the bike a much different feel. They force me into a forward crouch, which makes fighting the wind blast much easier than the mini apes. It also makes it easier for my back to absorb the bumps; since my back is bent forward, the shock isn't sent straight down my spine. Instead my back compresses like a hinge, which absorbs much of the force. Harley Sportsters have never been known for a smooth ride, the Low model has to deal with shorter rear shocks, but I don't find the ride to be too bad.

I have some other ideas for modifications that I'll be sharing in future posts. I'm just getting started!