American Iron Magazine December 2017

Meanwhile at the back, Johnny employed a 60-spoke
16" Drag Specialties wheel—also powdercoated black—and
cut, shaped, and welded tabs to the frame for the Sportster
brake caliper.
To cover the rear Avon tire, Johnny
started with a Fat Katz, Inc. blank
originally meant to cover an 18" wheel.
Johnny performed extensive surgery,
cutting 1-1/2" out of the middle and
welding the halves back together to
narrow the fender. A series of miter
cuts were then made around the edges,
allowing the radius to be closed up to
better suit the 16" wheel. Fender struts
were built using 3/8" solid steel rod,
then they were welded to the fender for
a clean look.
Next, the Sportster engine was
installed in the frame rails so mockup could continue.
Between the rear fender and the back of the Sportster
transmission Johnny built a battery tray complete with
hold-down strap. Just above the battery, a Smoothie oil
tank from Led Sled Customs found a home. A custom
Sportster gas tank from Drag Specialties was mounted to
the backbone after Johnny made
threaded bungs and welded them to
the frame.
“At that point, I could check how
far the fork turned before the tubes
hit the tank, and then I made up
stops and welded those to the neck,”
Johnny explains.
Bolted to the top triple tree are
a set of 3" billet risers from Drag
Specialties, and these secure a set of
14" mini-apes from the same company.
Between the risers is a 2" Drag
Specialties speedometer that was
mounted by Jack Rehfuss of Penn Jersey Cycles in a piece
of exhaust tube held in place by the neck bolt.
54 / American Iron / Issue #358 AIMag.com