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This Sportster terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona

This DP Customs Sportster now terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona
There’s more than one way to skin a cat; or, in moto terms, there’s more than one way to customize a Sportster. We’ve had all sorts of Harley-Davidsons grace these pages—from bobbers to cafe racers, scramblers and flat trackers.

Which has us wondering: is there still room for low-slung, hard-tailed and stretched-out (read: uncomfortable) Sportsters in the custom scene?

This DP Customs Sportster now terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona
For the Del Prado brothers, the answer’s a solid ‘yes.’ Despite having built several bikes with full suspension and sound ergonomics, their phone still rings off the hook for the hotrod style that originally put DP Customs on the map.

“We love doing full suspension bikes,” they tell us. “They’re just not requested as often by our customers, who usually already have a superbike of some kind—or a ‘comfort’ bike, a dirt bike, etcetera.”

This DP Customs Sportster now terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona
Customers realize they’re sacrificing a measure of comfort for style. “It usually goes hand-in-hand with them living in an area blessed with smooth roads. For example, the customer for this build lives in Carefree, Arizona—beautiful views and roads smoother than a baby’s ass.”

“He loved the look and stance of our previous hardtail bikes and wanted something similar. The key input we got was that he likes black, red, and white. Those also happen to be our logo colors, so that was a fun paint job for us to design!”

This DP Customs Sportster now terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona
The brothers started with a 2001-model Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200, and gave the motor a complete tear down. It’s been treated to a couple of go-fast bits: a Dynatek single fire ignition, and a beefy looking intake from Kuryakyn. The intake—and a couple of other bits—have all been coated in black Cerakote.

DP also rejetted the carb, and fabricated a new two-into-one exhaust. The Sportster’s been converted from belt to chain drive, with a hefty 51 tooth rear sprocket to make it quicker off the mark. And it’s now carrying a much lighter Lithium-ion battery from Ballistic.

This DP Customs Sportster now terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona
As per the client’s request, a rigid rear end was fabricated with a 4″ drop and a 6″ stretch, and DP also swapped out the wheels to get the stance just right. The bike’s now riding on a 19F/17R combo, designed by the Del Prados and machined by Thomason Performance.

“We got the idea for the twisted style spokes on the wheels from Honda’s MotoGP bike, and then added the lip for a stockier more blacked out look.” They’re sporting custom-made matching brake rotors too, with Brembo calipers.

This DP Customs Sportster now terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona
The fuel tank’s a Harley peanut unit, and the oil tank is from Chassis Design Co. The seat’s a Biltwell item—hand-covered in ‘real ‘gator’ by Unique Upholstery. A classic, duck-tailed fender finishes off the rear.

This DP Customs Sportster now terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona
The cockpit is extremely minimal, featuring nothing more than a set of flipped tracker bars, Biltwell grips and ISR controls. The ignition—and a small combination tacho-speedo—now sits to the left of the engine. The Sportster probably has a switch or two, but we have no idea where DP hid them.

Frequent collaborators Walkers Way were responsible for the paint; a mostly murdered-out affair, with splashes of white and red. And with that, ‘Eight Ball’ was ready to terrorize the peaceful streets of Carefree.

This DP Customs Sportster now terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona
“The bike looks super mean and clean in person and we couldn’t be happier with it,” the Del Prados tell us. “Sounds awesome too!”

Yes, but you actually had us at “Real ‘gator,” guys.

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This DP Customs Sportster now terrorizes the streets of Carefree, Arizona

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Shop Bike: DP Customs’ Hot-Rodded Ironhead Sportster

Shop Bike: A hot rodded, turbocharged Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs
The client roster at DP Customs is slammed. So there’s precious little time to admire a finished project before it goes to its new home. And the Del Prado brothers are sick of it.

“Justin and I were chatting about how we didn’t have a cool bike as a permanent fixture in our shop,” explains Jarrod. “Every time we finish a bike, we test ride it, certify it, do a photo shoot, and then it’s off to the customer.”

Shop Bike: A hot rodded, turbocharged Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs
“So we decided to rebuild one of Justin’s personal bikes, a 1979 1000cc Ironhead Sportster. We’d turn it into a bike that we’d enjoy looking at in the shop. And something wild for Justin to ride.”

Adding fuel to the fire was a turbo that Justin had picked up a few years ago. The brothers quickly decided on a direction and got going.

Shop Bike: A hot rodded, turbocharged Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs
“We wanted to build a hot rod of a bike—something low and long that looked the business.”

Justin started by fabricating a hardtail with a 6” stretch and 4” drop. As we’ve come to expect from the Arizona workshop, the framework is exquisite.

Shop Bike: A hot rodded, turbocharged Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs
Then it was time to put that turbo to good use. The motor was rebuilt, complete with forged pistons and new valves and springs. A draw-through setup was decided on for the turbo; the turbo mount, aluminum intake and exhaust system were all hand-made.

The carb’s a Mikuni—“jetted up to the moon.” DP have used fittings and braided lines from Earl’s throughout the oil system, and tapped into the cam cover for the oil return. The work was extensive, and way above our heads.

Shop Bike: A hot rodded, turbocharged Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs
“We are running conservative boost on pump gas,” explains Jarrod. “The tune turned out great, with nice overall drivability, and it RIPS under full throttle…the sounds are wicked!”

With the heart of the beast sorted, the Del Prados started fleshing out the rest of the bike. The 19” front wheel is their own design, machined by Thomason Performance. The steel 15×5 rear wheel is from a car, modified to work with a Harley hub.

Shop Bike: A hot rodded, turbocharged Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs
There’s a Brembo brake setup up front, while the rear is stopped by a custom made sprocket and rotor arrangement.

The uncompromising new setup called for minimal add-ons, and an extreme stance. Unique Upholstery in Scottsdale did the barely-there seat. Underneath is a Mooneyes oil tank, and a Ballistic Lithium-ion battery.

The clip-ons are Chainsikle units, capped with Biltwell Inc. grips.

Shop Bike: A hot rodded, turbocharged Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs
To finish it off, Brandon at Walkers Way Custom Paint has shot the tank with an outrageous metal flake scheme, with red and white for the frame—plus a few discreet green touches.

Now renamed ‘Alpaca,’ this Ironhead is devoid of fenders, rear suspension, turn signals or clocks. “But it does have a muffler—the turbo,” Jarrod jokes. “So we’ve got that going for us. It hauls ass in a straight line, and the brakes work.”

Shop Bike: A hot rodded, turbocharged Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs
“When Justin wants to ride a mean hot rod, he chooses Alpaca. When he wants suspension, fenders and enduro capability, he rides his KLR650. “And when he wants to pretend he’s a MotoGP star, he dreams about owning a Honda RC213V-S.”

More importantly, Justin and Jarrod finally have some eye candy around the shop. Any bets as to how long before a customer makes an offer on it?

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Shop Bike: A hot rodded, turbocharged Ironhead Sportster by DP Customs

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Feature: How To Buy A Motorcycle

Looking for a donor bike? Here's how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
Adapted from the new book The Build: How the Masters Design Custom Motorcycles by Robert Hoekman Jr., including interviews with some of the most notable builders in the USA.

IT STARTS WITH a donor bike. Doesn’t it?

It’s a nice term, “donor bike”—all full of promise and low on price. It’s what builders call the bike they start out with, the one that will become something else after a few weeks (or months) under the shop lights.

But despite the name, donor bikes aren’t often free. Their conditions and styles and shapes all have an impact on what rolls out after the thing finally has life breathed back into it. So, really:

It starts with a search.

Max Hazan on how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
“Common bikes usually come from Craigslist,” says Max Hazan (above). “It’s local, so you can see the bike in person, as opposed to most eBay auctions.”

John Ryland (below) seconds the motion, but ups the effort: “More often than not, we find our donor bikes on Craigslist,” he says, describing Classified Moto’s typical procedure.

“I have about a 300-mile radius that I search and will drive to find bikes. For hard-to-find bikes or bikes I need on a tight timeline, I’ll drive farther or I’ll have the bike shipped to me. I hate to buy things sight unseen, but sometimes that’s the only way.”

John Ryland on how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
Jared Johnson (Holiday Customs) is an even more extreme Craigslist user. “If I’m on a road trip, I’ll stop in random towns and check their local Craigslist,” he says. “I’ve come back to Portland before with a truckload of bikes from San Diego, San Francisco, northern California.”

Jarrod Del Prado of DP Customs, likewise, says that while he and his brother find most of their donors in their home state of Arizona, they’ve pulled some from Nevada and California.

Alan Stulberg on how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
Revival Cycles is the exception here. Alan Stulberg points out, “Most often, our clients bring them to us. They come from all over the world, really. We rarely actively search for them.”

The lengths you’ll have to go to depend, at least in part, on how flexible you are about the particular bike you’re willing to pull into the garage. Maybe you want to shine up a sibling of that long lost love of a motorcycle you beat to hell and back during your last two years of high school.

Maybe you really like the one the guy down the street has and you have a few ideas about how to make a better one. Whatever the case, the more specific your hopes and dreams, the more difficult it may be to make the first step. A broader range of options can mean getting started sooner.

Looking for a donor bike? Here's how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
Although Classified Moto now looks mostly for specific bikes like the Honda Nighthawk 750 and the XR650L—“fairly modern bikes with plenty of new parts available”—that wasn’t always the case.

“I used to look for pretty much the cheapest bike I could find,” Ryland says, “and I didn’t care if it was exceedingly ugly or uncool. For personal projects, my goal is often to turn an ugly duckling into something interesting. I didn’t really care if it was shaft-drive or raked-out or looked more cruiser than café.

“You might consider using a single or twin for your first project. Fewer carbs can be a good thing when you’re doing your own wrenching.”

On an aesthetic side note, Ryland says he also prefers big engines: “Motor-wise, I like the look of a big four-cylinder motor stuffed into a smallish frame. While a V-twin is often thought of as a muscle power plant, it looks surprisingly skinny from the front.”

Looking for a donor bike? Here's how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
Okay, so cheap is good. But then, it’s also relative, and past a certain point, the quality starts to affect the process. Ryland continues: “We rebuild all our motors, so we’ll still buy a bike that’s blowing some smoke or down on compression a bit.

“But for the garage builder—especially for a first project—I highly recommend getting something with no major engine work required. It’s a real drag to be able to realize your aesthetic vision only to be bummed when your friends complain that you’re smoke-screening them.”

So how cheap is “okay”? Will you know it when you see it? Our builders have some hard-earned opinions.

“We’re mostly concerned with the treatment and mileage on the bike,” says Jarrod Del Prado. “It’s less about finding a great deal and more about finding a well-cared-for machine with low mileage.”

Ryland adds some detail. “Check the charging system. Make sure the engine is sound. Make sure it shifts smoothly through the gears and doesn’t pop out of gear.”

Jared Johnson of Holiday Customs on how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
Jared Johnson isn’t so picky. “After buying random bikes through the years, I have figured out what bikes work better for the design that I have in mind. I buy bikes 400cc and up, single- or twin-cylinder. I’m not really into four-cylinder bikes.

“The engine does not have to be running or clean, just together. Rebuilding the engine takes care of all that. If the motor turns over and can roll, it’s usually okay with me. If the price seems high, I will do a compression check, check for spark, shake the wheels to check the wheel bearings. If that stuff doesn’t check out, I lowball their ass—ha ha! I usually don’t buy bikes over $1,000—so I’m usually buying bikes that have issues I take care of.”

That said, Jared does like to play favorites: “I’ve been known to buy and build XS650s and CB450s. I really like the look of the engine. Honda and Yamaha were trying to compete with the other beautiful engines at the time, like Triumph.”

A little web research uncovers some more great advice: Inspect the bike with your hands and eyes first, then your ears.

Looking for a donor bike? Here's how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
When you walk up to the bike for the first time, touch the crankcase with your bare hand. If it’s warm, walk away. A whole host of electrical and other problems can hide themselves in a bike that’s been running for a few minutes. A seller who warms up the engine before you arrive is a seller who shouldn’t be trusted.

What’s that he’s telling you? He just ran it to the corner to fill the tank? How nice of him! Walk away.

If the engine is cold, however, then dig in. Look for wear and damage to the sprocket, chain, forks, and any other moving parts you can put your hands on. Parts that need to be repaired or replaced make a donor bike cost a lot more than the asking price, even if you’re doing all the work yourself. This includes worn tires, fuel tanks with rust on the inside (this is fixable in a lot of cases, but a hassle every time), damaged wheels, and any number of other things.

Are there scratches on the crankcase? The ends of the handlebar? The foot pegs? The mirrors? Anyone who’s ever laid down a bike can tell you these are telltale signs that a bike has touched ground before. And a bike that’s been downed can have problems you can’t see from the outside.

If all is well, then you can ask for the key.

Looking for a donor bike? Here's how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
Beyond these signatures of good and bad, there are also some intangibles to consider. Namely, the person holding the key.

“The main thing that I do is evaluate the seller,” Hazan says. “I take a look at how he keeps his house, his shop, and even himself. Nine out of ten times, it’s a pretty solid indicator of how the bike was kept. There is no way to open the engine up on the spot, so if the seller’s place is a disaster, or they are a mess themselves, I usually walk away.

“I have bought dozens of bikes, and this has been pretty spot on. I have made a few bad purchases, though.”

DP Customs on how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.
Jarrod Del Prado (above right) agrees. “When we find a bike that looks good in an ad, but then we pull up to a crappy house with an owner who clearly doesn’t maintain anything he’s got, we just keep driving. We’ve got plenty of experience buying bikes and it’s become easy for us to recognize detail-oriented folks who care for their machines properly.”

And it’s not just how the person or shop looks that matters.

Del Prado continues: “You can usually tell an honest seller from a grifter. If you feel good about what they’re telling you and you want the bike, then go with it. Don’t let a hundred bucks stand in the way of a bike that you know fits the bill.

“On the flip side, do yourself a favor and avoid bikes whose owners come across as assholes in their ads. As a general rule, if the ad has the phrase ‘Don’t waste my time’ in it, the seller is an asshole. Avoid.”

Robert Hoekman Jr is the author of The Build and a contributing editor and columnist for Iron & Air magazine. He also wrote the captions for the 2015 and 2016 Bike EXIF calendars. Pick up a copy of The Build on the Octane Press website.

Header image by Damian McFadden.

Looking for a donor bike? Here's how to buy a motorcycle for your custom project.