Harley Davidson Sportster: How to Convert Stock Sportster into Retro Bobber
The term bobber refers to bobbing, or cutting, the fenders down to their minimal size. The bobber style bike typically starts there and goes a lot further, cutting and unbolting every part until all you have left is a small solo seat, minimal lighting, low handlebars, and sawed off exhaust. Basically when your Sportster is just two wheels, a motor, a seat, and minimal places for the hands and feet, you've got a bobber.
This article applies to Harley Davidson Sportster models (1995-2015).
The Harley Sportster is the most versatile of all motorcycles in the H-D lineup. Sportsters lend themselves well to various styles of modifications whether corner carver, street tracker, chopper, cafe racer commuter, or bobber. Beginning in the 1930's, it was popular to increase a bike's performance by stripping all unnecessary components in the name of weight savings. Throughout the years, this old-school 'bobber' approach to motorcycle customization has remained popular. Additionally, bobbers have been known to be an economical way of customization, because they have always been more about function than fashion, so second-hand and home-made parts can be integrated throughout the bike. Read on for some suggestions to get you going with your Sportster bobber build.
Figure 1. Vintage bike stripped down for racing back in the day.
Materials Needed
Mechanic's tool set
Sawzall
Angle grinder
Welder (optional)
Fenders
The bobber name originated from bikes with a rear fender that was cut, or bobbed like some horse's and dog's tails. The rear fender can easily be cut down a lot, especially when running a solo seat. If you want to keep your original parts intact, short bobber style rear fenders are available from the aftermarket, but where is the fun in that. If you have the factory turn signal/tail light units you can cut away all of the fender you want, but I suggest not going any further than the highest point of the tire. If you cut too much fender away, you are literally risking you ass. The struts can be gotten rid off too, especially if there is no passenger seat, or tail light hanging back there.
Figure 2. Once you cut metal, you've taken your first step into a larger world.
The front fender can simply be removed from the fork legs to expose the front wheel and tire, but I don't suggest it. The fender mounts to the fork with a U-shaped piece of metal that connects the fork legs and helps prevent twisting. You should either cut the stock fender way back, keep the mount and lose the fender, or fit an aftermarket brace up front to tighten up the forks. In addition to fender removal or modification, the reflectors can be easily be peeled off of the fork legs and fender struts to clean up the front and rear ends.
Figure 3. This brace helps prevent fork flex when cornering and braking.
Belt Guards and Sprocket Cover
What makes a bobber so great is that all the extras are removed from the bike, making it lighter and exposing many of the internal workings of the motorcycle to be seen. This is especially true for the belt guards and sprocket cover. By removing a few bolts, the entire length of the drive belt and sprockets are exposed to clean up the look of the right side of the motorcycle.
Figure 4. Bobber with chain drive conversion and swingarm mounted fender.
While you are over there, the engine cover over the output sprocket can be taken off, drilled full of holes, or replaced with a minimal cover. If your foot pegs are anywhere near the sprocket, you want at least something there to keep your pants from being eaten. The cam cover can also be cut back, but remember there are some parts of it with oil behind them. The best part of these mods is that most are completely free and can easily reversed if the look does not suit your taste.
Figure 5. Cut down cam cover, and minimal aftermarket sprocket cover.
Handlebars
There is a multitude of handlebar options to alter the looks of your bike and change the riding position. Traditionally, bobbers will have a shorter, flatter set of bars such as a drag bar or straight "broomstick," superbike bars, or even a set of low flat track bars. A more modern approach that has popped up is to ditch the stock bars and install a set of sportbike clip-on bars that attach to the fork tubes. These give the motorcycle a low-slung racer look that tidies up the triple clamp area. The point of all of these options if to give you a more direct connection to the feel of the front end, the opposite of a set of ape hangers.
Figure 6. Clip-on handlebars on a bobber.
Suspension
Bobbers of yesteryear were traditionally hard tails with no rear suspension, but there is no need to suffer like that. If building a modern bobber, you have the option of retaining the rear shocks and lowering the fender, or mounting it to the swingarm for a lower look (like Figure 4 above). There are various lowering shocks on the market to slam the rear of your bike too, but your ride comfort will suffer even with a sprung seat. If going for a more old-school approach, installing a set of struts can allow for additional lowering of the rear of the bike, but it still won't look like a traditional hard tail. Many prefer to use struts, as they provide a cleaner look than shocks and eliminate of bottoming out the rear suspension and rubbing issues between the tire and fender.
Figure 7. You can run stock shocks and still look low in back with the right fender.
Depending on the look you are aiming for, the forks can either be left at their standard length or lowered using a fork lowering kit. One thing most bobber do use, though, are black rubber fork gaiters, which are a throwback to their dirt racing roots. For additional information on lowering your Sportster, see articles Suspension Modifications and How to Lower You Bike and The Ultimate Shocks Guide.
Figure 8. Old hard tail bobber with fork gators.
Exhaust Pipes
The exhaust pipe setup is an integral part of any bobber build, and there are numerous options available to improve both performance and the aesthetics of your bike. A minimalist approach is often taken with shortened shotgun-style exhausts and no mufflers. A look that is very much associated with the bobber style is pipes wrapped in header heat wrap, like many flat track bikes use. For additional exhaust system information, see article Exhaust Reviews and How to Replace Your Exhaust.
Figure 9. Even the stock exhaust can look good on a bobber when wrapped.
Details
Attention to the small details are what really separate the great looking bikes from the average looking bikes. Many opt to remove or relocated the turn signals and mirrors. Out back, most bobber use a side mounted license plate, bolted to the swingarm. Modern LED lighting allows many different tail light and turn signal options, some of which you'd barely see if they aren't lit. A popular modification is to relocate the speedometer down below the tank, or off the fork to one side below the handlebars. A sprung seat isn't needed if you kept the rear shocks, but many like the look. When in doubt, remember that the art of the bobber is "less is more."
Figure 10. Attention to small details will set your bike apart from the crowd.
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