There is no greater reward than creating something based from an idea in your head. When you see that idea through to completion...brilliant! Custom bike builders have their own interpretation of the ultimate motorcycle.
Johnny Goodson, owner of Insane Custom Motorcycles in Glendale, AZ, had a vision of what a Sportster should look like. "I always admired the capabilities of Harley's so-called 'starter bike,'" he recalled.
Johnny saw great potential in Sportsters but didn't like the combination of a short wheelbase and a high center of gravity. He was looking for something a little more aesthetically pleasing.
So while the wheels turned in Johnny's head, he put a pencil to paper and sketched a pissed-off, lowered, and stretched version of America's first sportbike.
He envisioned an aggressive motor with plenty of extra torque. But he wanted an extended swingarm to keep the otherwise lightweight frontend on the pavement during hard launches. A "clean, narrow bike with no frills," was the look he was shooting for, and if it didn't make the bike go faster or handle better, it was to be eliminated. Oh, and it had to be Johnny's favorite color, black on black. By any chance are you allergic to garlic, Johnny?
Johnny got the XL roller from a friend, minus the motor. "I immediately stripped the bike down to its frame, and just cut off anything that distracted me," he said. After he was done, just an engine cradle remained. Johnny didn't like how the Sporty's battery and oil tank just kind of hung off the sides, so he started with the seating position as a guide for molding and shaping the steel to form the new oil tank and battery box to flow into and under the seat. There were a lot of hidden welds, so pressure testing was a bit tricky.
Once Johnny was satisfied with the changes he made to the frame, he called on his buddy Miguel of Miguel's Psycle Paints in Mesa, AZ, to splash a little paint on it. A deep coat of gloss black was chosen after smoothing out every seam and weld on the frame. While Miguel worked his magic, Johnny was back in his shop concentrating on the rest of the bike. When it came time to choose a gas tank, Johnny's decision was a no-brainer. He went with an original Sporty tank but made one modification: He moved the fuel filler slightly forward to make the gas cap mount flush and pop up.
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