Building a custom ironhead chopper on a budget

Building a custom chopper is one of the tasks I have always enjoyed as a biker. I have built two and I am now on my third one. I have always been a fan of Harley Davidson Iron-head sportster`s and if you want to build a chopper on a budget you won’t find a better source. There is no real market for these bike`s and no matter how much you spend to make it spiffy you can`t get your money back; however, it can be an inexpensive way to build a chopper if you have little funds available.

I started with a 1981 XLCH and a rolling chase from a chopper I built in the early part of 2002. I had a 1972 XLH that blew a tranny on me in 2004 and it wound up sitting in a shed until now. Iron head sporty`s are well known for blowing a transmission and in the process they also blow the cases. I was headed down the highway doing about 80 MPH when the transmission blew; thank God the bike didn`t lock up. I had a chopper built from a 1981 iron head and I loved the bike but it was just too small. I decided to take the old rolling chassis from the 72 and build something new.

The 1972 motor was mounted in a 1977 super glide frame with a weld-on rigid rear end. I built an “L” shaped rear motor mount out of 1/2”steel so I could mount the sportster motor in a “big twin” frame. The original bike had a Kawasaki rear wheel and brake system that frankly was a death trap but it worked for the time being. I always knew that someday I would rebuild this bike and I never wanted to sell the parts. I still have the old 1972 motor in a box and I do plan to rebuild her someday.

The 81 model I had, as I said before, was just too small but I loved the suicide shifter I had on it. The motor was always strong and had plenty of power so I decided to put these two bikes together and see what I came up with.

The first major issue I had was the motor not wanting to fit in the frame as easily as the 72 motor did. The motor was essentially installed but the rear end of the motor needed to go to the left about 1/2”. I tried a crow bar, jack straps, and anything else I could think of to move the motor and it would not budge. Finally, I noticed that the primary chain tension screw was in the way. On a 72 iron head the tensioner is inside of the primary case. It is an adjustable shoe plate and is actually a pain in the tail to adjust. On the 81 model the tensioner is adjusted from outside the cases with a screw that is on the bottom edge of the primary case (on the outside near the fluid drain plug).

I ended up having to cut a slight channel into the frame with a dremel tool and install a shorter screw that, when tightened, disappears inside the casing. The motor literally jumped into place and fit better in the frame than the 72 motor did. The motor mounts are slightly further back on the 81 which pushed the motor more forward in the frame.

My next task was to get rid of the Kawasaki junk and put a Harley Davidson rear wheel and brake system on the chopper. I was able to find a used GMA brake from a softail and rigged it up and it worked great. The wiring was a disaster at first. I was able to find a dozen or so easy chopper wiring diagrams online and finally figured the rats nest out. The 72 had a points system and the 81 had an electronic ignition. The bike will have an air ride police seat rather than a spring seat as I am too old to ride a rigid. The project is about 80% complete as I write and I will do a final article when she is on the road. See you in the wind, Scott.