Harley-Davidson custom Sportster PROJECT
Clay Rathburn is the main man at Atom Bomb Custom Motorcycles, located in Virginia, USA. Rathburn's stock in trade has been cool custom Triumphs and BSAs. . . . until now.
This Harley-Davidson custom may break Rathburn's Brit bike tradition, but does it in an outstanding way! Created for friend and neighbour, John Campbell, Rathburn said much of the build was conducted via phone, as Campbell, who plays bass with metal band, Lamb of God, was touring.
Using a near-stock late model Sportster 1200 provided by Campbell, Rathburn started by removing the twin shock rear and welding in a rigid back end that included a 4-inch stretch to get that low-slung look.
Powdercoated in-house by Rathburn in a smooth gloss black, the frame was complemented with the same treatment on the stock Harley rims, which feature relaced spokes and polished hubs. The stock H-D rear caliper had to be modified to work in with the frame modifications, but you wouldn't know it looking at the bike.
Up front, 39mm narrow glide front forks have been shortened by two inches (5 cms), shaved and polished. In concert with the frame mods at the back, the sheet metal gusset was removed from the front and new engine mounts fabricated, while the front brake caliper comes from a newer model Sportster. The risers and mini ape bars are from Biltwell.
With plenty of 'black' on the frame, Rathburn decided the engine didn't need it, so the factory black powdercoating was stripped. In addition to the polished finish, a Boyle Custom Moto air cleaner and Mikuni carb give the 1200cc v-twin extra points of difference over a stock Sportster donk. Aside from some minor work on the top end and the addition of Dyna ignition, the engine is stock.
The pipes definitely ain't stock, and were another part of the build done in-house at Atom Bomb. Despite appearances to the contrary, Rathburn assures us those high mount exits aren't leg burners. The oil tank is scratch-built, while the early Sportster peanut tank was modified enough to pretty much qualify as a scratch build, too.
The rudimentary saddle was the work of Red Tail Leather in California (who have provided seats for past Atom Bomb builds), Lowbrow Customs supplied the levers, while grips and footpegs are courtesy of Biltwell.
With so many old school touches already, it made sense for Rathburn to continue the theme with the paint. Gold coachlines complement the black well, but it's the lacework that stands out. The golden amber glow on the laced panels gives the tanks and rear guard a real sense of depth. Credit to Fred Pinckard at Fulton Paint Works for the work he did on the paint.
The finished bike has shades of Atom Bomb's "Forty Miles to Vegas" custom '67 Triumph TR6C from 2010 (check out www.atombombcustoms.com to see what we mean), but the v-twin, mini ape hangers and chunkier rear tyre give this creation more impact and street presence - and performance. Rathburn can attest to the latter.
"As a Triumph guy, I will reluctantly admit this thing is a hoot to ride," Rathburn said. "It's got torque for days and since it doesn't weigh anything, it's pretty much faster than hell!"
Source: Bike Exif
Photography: Anthony Hall