This conversion kit is by Bitterend Old School Choppers. The first option is to do a full conversion of your Sportster. Just conceal the swing arm and nobody will know the difference (from a distance). You don't have to go this route, but most bobber enthusiasts agree that a real bobber should be a rigid frame like the original ones that coined the phrase in the 1940's.īut if a softail is the bike for you there are other options that are just fine, and I will go over them in a moment (did you see those bikes above? They are all softails and they are sweet). True Sportster bobbers are hardtail motorcycles. If this describes you, then a bobber might be the perfect next-bike for you to build. It is for those who love a simple bike that doesn't cost an arm and two legs to build, and which functions well without the extra flashy seen on show-style custom motorcycles. It isn't for the biker that carries a passenger. Billet wheels with fancy designs are left for the flashy customs with spoke wheels being traditional bobber rolling stock. ![]() The springs used in the Springer-style front forks complete the look and feel of the bobber. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for BILLET MAG WHEEL HARLEY CHOPPER 16x3.00 SPIKE SOFTAIL DYNA SPORTSTER (ONE) at the best online. The rigid frame of a purist Sportster bobber makes the popular bicycle-style solo saddles with springs make good sense. True old-school bobbers don't go for the fancy airbrush jobs with naked ladies, eagles, 3-D flags, and other expensive embellishment. The fuel tank, when not left a single color, incorporates simple artwork such as basic, one-color flames. You will sometimes see sportster bobbers in other colors such as bright primary blue, red, white, or even military olive, but black is by far the most common paint for these simplistic bikes. Most frequently, the frame of a Sportster bobber is painted a nice basic black. If you want to follow the traditional old-school definition of a bobber, you'll want to place your drive train into a rigid frame, preferably one that is low to the ground and stretched a bit to give your finished build a low, long, lean look. The only criteria for a Sportster bobber are that it must have a Sportster drive train and as little extra stuff as possible. All those fancy embellished bolt heads and other shiny baubles are for other types of motorcycles, not the bobbers. Perhaps you have a Sportster in the garage just waiting for this project perhaps you picked up a basket case at a recent swap meet. But not always (I'll cover Sportster conversions below). Sportster bobbers are often, however, built as custom motorcycles using the Sportster drive train which is placed into a custom frame. Strip off all the extraneous parts, chrome that doesn't perform a true function, accessories that are not required to be legal, and change out the saddle to a solo spring saddle, adding red-wall or white-wall tires mounted on stock wheels and you have a basic bobber chopper. However, you can start with a brand new bike if you prefer. If you own a 1986-2003 Sportster this is a must have manual.Because Harley Davidson Sportster are popular motorcycles, most bobbers begin with a used stock Sportster. Front 21 x 2.15 - Rear 18 x 3.50 Round Spokes With What Else. I have a solid Fatboy style rim I think I am going to use for the back wheel. I know I am replacing the belt final drive with a chain so I have to find a rear sprocket. 21' x 2.15' Chopper Spool Wheel - Black 436. Now I need to figure out what to do for the rear end. ![]() Really need to get things cleaned up… I’ll get to it. ![]() You can see the old 19″ mag wheel in the background of the picture above. Probably will not end up running a front fender, but we’ll see. The 8″ over fork tubes, the fork boots, and the 21″ wheel give this front end a really good look (if you ask me). Little bit of anti-seize on the front axle, it slid right in and everything spaced out like it should. Replaced the front brake rotor but I still have to rebuild the front brake caliper. Makes the front end just a tad taller and give it narrower look. The 21″ spoke wheel looks really good on the front. I cleaned it up, put on a new rim strip, picked up a new tube, and a Shinko 270 series tire for it.Ĭory helped me mount the tire and tube. There wasn’t really anything wrong with the mag that was on there (other than it needs new bearings), but I had this spoke wheel (with good bearings) and just thought it would look better on there. The wheel is a Harley Davidson OEM 21″ spoke wheel I had from a box of stuff I got with the frame for the previous 88 Sportster project. The new 8 over fork tubes and 21″ spoke wheel look real nice on the front of this bike. The tube for the front tire showed up yesterday afternoon so Cory stopped by last night and we got the tire mounted and put the wheel on the front end.
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