Custom 1966 Harley-Davidson XLCH Ironsport’66 Looks the Part in Japan
Hide Motorcycle’s Ironsport’66 is a bad-to-the-bone custom 1966 Harley-Davidson XLCH.
Unless you’re familiar with Hide Motorcycles, you probably don’t associate Japan with custom Harley-Davidsons. That is, at least not at first. However, one glimpse at the company’s custom 1966 Harley-Davidson XLCH Sportster removes all doubt.
The Ironsport’66 is an original 2018 Hide build, from its one-off tank and exhaust system to its bespoke rear fender. Minimalism is the custom motorcycle’s appeal, from its one-off tracker-style handlebars to its omission of a front fender.
At the center of Hide’s 1966 Harley-Davidson XLCH is a 900cc Ironhead V-Twin, a classic recipe for an old-school Sportster. Of course, the Ironhead twin has a difficult time pulling any attention from the Ironsport’66’s blue-and-bare metal livery.
Custom Where it Counts
The custom tank bears an HDM logo and a spread-winged eagle. What’s more, the custom Sportster’s custom upswept exhaust pipes have a beautiful color-shifting heat treatment to them, donning blues, purples, and golds before returning to a polished stainless aesthetic. Understandably, the bike was Noise Cycles’s Pick at the 2018 Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show.
Ironsport ’66: Not Alone
The Kawasaki City-based motorcycle builder has been rolling out custom bikes for the better part of 20 years. As such, the builder dabbles in more than 1966 Harley-Davidson XLCHs. The brand custom builds “high-end” Hide bikes with garish names like “Galaxy” and “Innocent.”
However, the builder doesn’t stop at Harleys; the brand has a “Boxer” build, named for the Boxer engine in the BMW R nineT donor bike. Beyond the Beemer, Hide also builds rigid bobbers, flat track racers, and handsome Harley-Davidson V-Twin-powered café racers.
Of course, if you want the 1966 Harley-Davidson XLCH Ironsport’66 or one of the Japanese builder’s other award-winning creations, you’ll have to ship it from Kanagawa.
Photos: Hide Motorcycles