Welcome to my Harley Davidson web page. Here you will find pictures
and information about my purple 2002 Harley Davidson Sportster along
with info about the modifications I have done to it. It started out as a teal 883 Hugger but has
since been convert to 1200 cc's along with a sheet metal swap from an '01 Sportster Custom.
As time allows I will also be adding some links to other Harley related sites. Below is
the latest picture of the bike. This winter I will be adding articles to this page about
the changes I have made to it. Click on any of the pics to see a larger version.
First off let me tell you how I came to own this bike.
I have been riding metric bikes for almost 20 years and never had an interest in buying
a Harley. I'm mainly a big fan of Honda XL/XR650 series bikes. Since H-D didn't
make a dual purpose bike they did not have anything I wanted. Then in the spring of 2002 I saw
an ad for a job opening at The House of Harley-Davidson
and Buell
in Anchorage, Alaska, so I applied for the job. At the time I had been unemployed for
about 7 months and I thought working on Harleys would be great as the Honda dealer wasn't
hiring at the moment. Well, by some fluke they gave me a
call and asked me to come in for an interview. One week later I had a job as a mechanic
apprentice (I have since moved to Virginia and now work at a Harley dealership in the Hampton
Roads area). I have been working on bikes ever since I learned how to ride them and I also
build drag racing engines along with restoring old cars as a hobby. Needless to say I have
a good mechanical background but none of it involved working on Harleys. So they
hired me as an apprentice and started putting me thru training so I can repair the bikes.
One of the biggest benifits from this job was getting to test ride the bikes after I repaired
them. After getting a feel for how each one handled I liked the Sportster the
most. Not a great highway cruiser but very nimble in the corners which is what I like. So
when I had a chance to buy one I jumped on it. While my heart is still with dual purpose
bikes I have been real happy with my Sportster, plus I can do some things with it I can't
with the dual purpose types. Okay, enough of the b.s. Let's get on to what you came here
to see, my Sporter stuff.
There are a couple of differences on a Hugger that seperates it from a regular
883 Sportster. The front and rear suspensions have been lowered 2 inches and the
handlebars are a set of Buckhorns.
My 2002 H-D Sportster 883 Hugger
This picture was taken 1 week after I bought it. I had just returned from
a 30 mile ride down
some dirt roads to check out a few possible fishing holes. Click on the pic to see
a larger version. You can see the first set
of mods that I have done: Supertrapp 2-to-1 exhaust system, H-D Scream'n Eagle air
filter, and a set of H-D mini ape hanger handlebars. Click
HERE to see the chart from a dyno run on the bike. This was done while it was still
an 883. I have yet to find a place near my new home that has a dyno to see how much it
puts out now.
After the above picture was taken I installed different turn signal lenses and a
turn signal/brake
light converter. Click HERE to see some pics of the new
turn signals. I have also added a set of highway pegs
to let me stretch my legs out and an old Corbin seat.
Here are a couple of other pictures of the bike before I did the 1200
conversion. Since these were taken I have replaced the Supertrapp with the stock pipes
and SEII slip-on mufflers along with an HD touring seat in place of the old Corbin seat
(besides the sheet metal swap).
This
site has a lot of useful info on improvements that can be done to Sportsters and
a Sportster mailing list if you want to talk to other people that share a passion
for Sportsters. So far it's the best one I've come across
pertaining Harley Davidson Sportsters.
Please check back as this page is under construction.
