So, I got this itch, right? Been riding Harleys for years, love the rumble, the feel. But then you see these guys at the track, launching their bikes down the strip. Looked like a whole different kind of fun. Got me thinking about building my own Harley drag machine. Nothing professional, just something raw for kicks.
Getting Started
First thing, needed a bike. Wasn’t about to chop up my daily rider. Found an old beat-up Sportster, think it was an ’03 or something. Cheap. Real cheap. Looked like it’d been left out in the rain for a decade. Perfect starting point, didn’t feel bad about tearing it apart.
Dragged it back to my garage. First step, just strip it down. Took off everything that wasn’t needed for going straight fast. Fenders, lights (mostly), big chunky seat, saddlebags obviously. Just got it down to the frame, engine, and wheels. Found a lot of rust, couple of seized bolts. Nothing too surprising for the price I paid.
The Messy Middle Part
Okay, the engine. That’s the heart of it. The stock 883 wasn’t going to cut it. Pulled the motor out, which was a greasy job. Decided to go for a bigger bore kit. Found one online, not top-of-the-line, but supposed to wake it up. Changing the jugs and pistons wasn’t too bad, just followed the manual mostly. Then cams, needed something lumpier for more top end. Swapped those in while I had it open.
- Pulled engine
- Stripped top end
- Installed bigger bore kit
- Swapped cams
- Cleaned up the heads a bit
Decided to stick with the carb for simplicity. Got a bigger Mikuni carb, figuring it would be easier to tune than messing with EFI maps. Bolted that on with a free-flowing air cleaner. Exhaust? Straight pipes. Loud, obnoxious, probably not making peak power, but definitely sounds the part.
For the chassis, had to get it lower. Shorter shocks in the back, dropped the forks in the front trees. Rake and trail? Didn’t really measure, just eyeballed it to look right. Then, the stretch. Knew I needed a longer wheelbase to keep the front end down. Didn’t want to cut the frame, so I found a bolt-on swingarm extension kit. Seemed sketchy, but bolted it on anyway. Put on a skinny front tire and a wider, stickier rear tire.
Putting it Together and First Fire
Assembly was… interesting. Things didn’t quite line up. The extended swingarm made the chain alignment a pain. Had to rig up some brackets for the footpegs, moved them further back. Wiring was simplified, just ignition and starter basically. Took ages. Lots of coffee and swearing.
Finally got it all buttoned up. Looked mean, if a bit rough. Rolled it out, checked the fluids, crossed my fingers, and hit the starter. After some churning and spitting, it roared to life. Shook the whole garage. Felt pretty good, gotta say.
Hitting the Strip (Sort Of)
Didn’t go to a proper track first time. Found a quiet industrial road. First few launches were tentative. Bike felt weird, long and low. Clutch needed adjusting, slipped a bit. Carb was way off, sputtering and coughing. Made a few passes, bike wanted to wheelie even with the extension. Definitely faster than stock, but unstable.
Spent the next few weekends tinkering. Adjusting the clutch, swapping jets in the carb, playing with tire pressure. Got it running cleaner, launching a bit harder. Still feels like it wants to kill me sometimes, but that’s part of the fun, right? It’s not a show bike, it’s rough, it’s loud, and it’s mostly home-built. Learned a lot, mostly about how much I still have to learn. But hearing that thing roar down the road? Yeah, worth the busted knuckles.
