Old School - Sporty 04

The wild constructions of the 70’s and 80’s were certainly pretty cool to look at and, having inhaled or swallowed all the dubious substances around in those days, were great to fly, oops, I mean ride. With fork extensions from Grandma’s garden fence, sissy bars welded up from Uncle Henry’s bedstead and car tires lifted from Grandpa’s Ford Cortina the Chopper was almost complete. To cap it all the exhaust was dumped in the corner and replaced with a set of open pipes made up from a traffic signpost from down the road. That’s how the guys in their jeans vests rode around town scaring old ladies on the sidewalks. with their dirty hair and with a blood alcohol level that would make the cop’s breathalyzer readings show up as "Error.”

We here at Lottermann also remember those days, so we decided to build a bike with the same look of the "good old days."
We based this project on a 2004 Sportster®, where the powerplant is rubber mounted unlike on the older models. Unfortunately riding the Sporty® is like sitting on a high chair so we developed a method of modifying the frame on this model which lowers the ride height by some centimeters towards the Earth’s core. To match the new lowered look the bike also needs a little bit more rubber at the back. Because Grandpa’s old Ford Cortina’s rear tires are long gone and we prefer good rideability, we fitted a modern 200 Metzeler on a 5.5" rim mounted to our wide tire swing arm and, of course, it’s got TüV Approval. At the front end the typical Old School Style continues, where we’ve retained the 21" wheel. This sits in forks with a 13° raked fork tree and longer fork legs for that typical Chopper look. We had to leave the sissy bar off and because the owner wanted to be able to enjoy the ride with his girl, we had just the right seat made up for the pair of them. Our Stiletto Rear Fender, as with all other models, is made from metal so it’s robust and easily passes any safety inspection.

When the rider grabs his touring handlebars, opens the throttle and heads off into the sun, he makes much a much quicker getaway than with the old Sporty®.
A Mikuni HSR 42 carburettor provides plenty of fuel/air mix through the Hypercharger where it’s enhanced further. Something also had to be done on the exhaust side because no one likes the vacuum cleaner sound. Over the years we’ve used up all the old traffic signposts for exhaust pipes. So some time ago we developed with some foresight, the Zero Cool® exhaust system, of course it’s also available for the latest models. They allow you to blast through the countryside enjoying the great sound that’s totally legal and with no chance of being laughed at because your mobile phone ring tone is
louder than the exhaust. Of course the wiring is hidden inside the handlebars and the cables are replaced by braided steel ones, which doesn’t just improve the looks but also improves the braking application.

This was our first embodiment of Old School Style combined with modern technology. Naturally it’s not just confined to the Sporty®, but also other models, as you’ll soon be able to see with our other new projects, maybe even your own bike.
But you’ll have to haul your old jeans vest out of the cellar.