Harley Sportster 883 Bobber Straight Outta Canada

North of the Border

Harley-Davidson is a distinctly iconic American company, but the brand has also enjoyed massive popularity in countries around the world. Case in point - this incredible Sportster build recently featured over at Bike EXIF, which was constructed Nick Acosta in Ontario, Canada.

Photos: Bike EXIF

Home Built

Acosta is no stranger to building custom bikes, but he doesn't do it in some fancy shop. In fact, he builds them right in his own garage, albeit to a higher quality than most homemade creations.

Photos: Bike EXIF

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Vintage Yet Modern

Thus far, his signature has also been simple, old school builds. Which is quite refreshing in this day and age of excess and futuristic electric bikes. The idea with this particular build was to create a modern chopper with vintage looks.

Photos: Bike EXIF

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Fully Built

That work began with the V-Twin powerplant, which was bored out to 1,200 cc and fitted with a Screamin' Eagle kit. The build also features Andrews cams, an Accel Supercoil and ignition module, a rebuilt carb with CV Performance and S&S Cycle parts, and a custom intake with a velocity stack

Photos: Bike EXIF

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Tricky Part

Acosta also wanted to go with an old school kickstart setup, but apparently, it wasn't very easy to do. “The kickstart conversion was a little bit tricky,” Acosta said. “I ended up ordering a kit from eBay that was supposed to be an easy installation—but it was probably the hardest part of the build. And of course, there were absolutely no instructions with the kit.”

Photos: Bike EXIF

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Bad Luck

After getting all the mechanicals sorted, a little bit of bad luck struck on the first test drive. The Sportster's transmission blew up, so Acosta replaced it with a five-speed unit from a 1996 Sportster and installed a Barnett heavy-duty clutch for good measure.

Photos: Bike EXIF

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Custom Touches

He then added a few more cool custom touches including a belt-to-chain conversion, custom exhaust, and a TC Bros hardtail kit that's been powder-coated black.

Photos: Bike EXIF

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No Bells or Whistles

Acosta went for a comfy ride with Progressive Suspension springs and 3” springs for the solo seat. And apparently, it worked. Kinda. “It’s a surprisingly comfortable ride…until a pothole comes my way,” Acosta joked. “But I love the feel of riding a hardtail, especially a fast one. Nothing but me, a frame, a big motor, and the road beneath. No bells and whistles at all.”

Photos: Bike EXIF

>>Join the conversation about this custom Sportster here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

Surprisingly Stock

Surprisingly, Acosta kept the stock wheels and handlebars for this build. But he did upgrade the brakes and risers, and he changed out the stock headlight with an Aris-style piece. The finishing touch is a Wassel gas tank with striking custom paint.

Photos: Bike EXIF

>>Join the conversation about this custom Sportster here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

Worth the Trouble

This build wasn't without its aches and pains, but it sure sounds like it was worth the trouble. “Riding the motorcycle now is completely different,” Acosta said, “and a lot more enjoyable. And the whole build process definitely has made me appreciate the workmanship that goes into chopper building.”

Photos: Bike EXIF

>>Join the conversation about this custom Sportster here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

For help with the service of your bike, check out the how-to section of HDForums.com.