JTH's HD 883 Dual Sport'ster conversion

[ardbeglily]

Just awesome, I wish I had a tenth of your genius. I like Sportsters but I would absolutely buy one of these. The sound is amazing.

[JimmyTheHog]

Originally Posted by Ginger Beard

...Ever find a solution for a larger tank?

Not yet, but i did contact IMS for making a custom large plastic tank for it that could be mass produced. They want $10k to play !!! After the prototype, it would probably be a low cost tank, but thats a bit too much. Im going to try them again and see if they can lower that or work out a creative solution.

Fat bobs ? I actually like the "concept" of a dual tank approach, each having its own petcock, and keeping the weight low. Maybe a custom aluminum set of tanks is a possibility.

Anyway - yes, its on the list to get done this 2012. Im thinking 5.5 gallons. That should give a 200 mile + range.

[JimmyTheHog]

Originally Posted by johnwesley

Looking good Jim. The 1250 will be nice, more than my 1200s and it's a hoot.
At some point we need to go for a spin and check out bike ;)

Thanks John - good idea ! It would be a sight to get all our dual sport HD's together in a photo.

[JimmyTheHog]

The new skid plate is complete, except for some mounting brackets (soon to be here). When the 1250 kit is done, it will get installed. Pictures to follow.

..

[RebelYell]

I wish HD would build something like this,then again it would probably be something like 15 grand and I still wouldnt be able to afford one.I have an 883 and its a good solid and stable bike.When i get more coin Id love to upgrade it to a 1250 big bore,forward controls and then better lightning.Then again I dont wanna drop thousands in it when i can just go buy a bigger hog.Nice build I wish i had the talent to do what your doing;)

[JimmyTheHog]

A little better video than the last ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRfvV..._-tqwQPQ16_lSg

[Ginger Beard]

Originally Posted by JimmyTheHog

Not yet, but i did contact IMS for making a custom large plastic tank for it that could be mass produced. They want $10k to play !!! After the prototype, it would probably be a low cost tank, but thats a bit too much. Im going to try them again and see if they can lower that or work out a creative solution.

Fat bobs ? I actually like the "concept" of a dual tank approach, each having its own petcock, and keeping the weight low. Maybe a custom aluminum set of tanks is a possibility.

Anyway - yes, its on the list to get done this 2012. Im thinking 5.5 gallons. That should give a 200 mile + range.

$10k is a steep price to pay for something that would yield limited sales. I was thinking about widening a 3.3 peanut to add another gallon of capacity. A plastic version would be a done deal for me. keep us posted if you find a solution.

What mpg were you getting with the 883 ?

[JimmyTheHog]

Originally Posted by Ginger Beard

What mpg were you getting with the 883 ?

So far, about 43 to 50mpg depending on how hard I ride it. Agreed - $10k is a show stopper. If it were ~$1k, then i would consider doing it. I'll keep working on it....

[Ginger Beard]

Originally Posted by JimmyTheHog

So far, about 43 to 50mpg depending on how hard I ride it. Agreed - $10k is a show stopper. If it were ~$1k, then i would consider doing it. I'll keep working on it....

If that is in mixed (on/off road) riding that is pretty good. Being able to knock out 150 miles before reaching for reserve would be plenty for most situations.

Any plans on also making some parts that will work on a stock Sporty (ie: pegs in the factory mid location, factory swing arm length but with the more forward bias shock mounts,ect) ?

Looking forward to the pics of the mounted skid plate. Let me know when have ironed out pricing for that.

[ben2go]

If HD built a bike of this quality, and could sell it around $6,000 to $7,000,I think it would be a hit.Problem is cost of materials and labor in the US.

[woodnbow]

Really nice work Jimmy... I've been looking for a Ulysses this winter but I've also got an XL1200S sitting out in the garage just waithing for inspiration!. Jonesing pretty hard now Jim, hook a brother up K?

[johnwesley]

the 1200s is what I used and it worked out nice.

jimmy when does that skid plate go up for sale

[JimmyTheHog]

Originally Posted by johnwesley

the 1200s is what I used and it worked out nice.

jimmy when does that skid plate go up for sale

Im waiting on the cam pinion gear needed for the new cams. When that comes in in a few days, then I'll get the bike back and can try the skid plate prototype. If it fits ok, then I can offer it soon after that.

As mentioned in another quote, domestic costs are a bit steep. At least in my area. Im trying to get the cost down and still have it made local. If I can sell 10x of them (lot buy), then I should be able to sell it for a decent price. I'll let you know when I get there...

[JimmyTheHog]

Originally Posted by ben2go

If HD built a bike of this quality, and could sell it around $6,000 to $7,000,I think it would be a hit.Problem is cost of materials and labor in the US.

Im sure HD could mass produce it at a pretty low cost in volume. Its really not that complicated a design and they have the resources to do it. Just a stratigic decision on their part and I think thats where the hang up is or would be. Would HD ever go this route and do a dual sport ? If they did it right (like mine , or others on this thread) and with the increasing Dual Sport interest in America, they might be able to make a business case for it and do it. Maybe test the waters with an initial limited edition offering, then see how it goes. ??? I, for one, would be very interested in a real domestic produced large displacement dual sport. May not be the ultimate DS (could be with some work?), but the cool factor can not be denied IMO.

Anyway, I got tired of waiting. Ive wanted to do this to a sporty for 10 years. Now Im glad it turned out as it did - no regrets. I'll offer the parts for sale this year when Im sure they work, are safe, and can get the costs down a bit (hopefully down alot, but Im staying local for now).

[xrscooterman]

I remembered the other day, that I had seen a magazine article that talked about a large plastic tank manufactured for HD Sportsters. So, I went into my achieve of some old articles I have saved over the years and found the following:

The Winter of 1998 issue of "Hot XL" featured a two page article on a 4.2 gallon Acerbis fuel tank.
(Imagine a print magazine devoted to Sportsters) - Hot XL Magazine was related to American Iron Magazine.
At any rate:
The Acerbis tank, Part Number 11159813, was said to fit 1986 through 1994 Sportsters.
It looks like there were a few fitting problems, mostly associated with the petcock location and coil interference, but it looks like these were resolved in the article.
It appears the tank used standard HD gas caps.
Weight was indicated to be around 6 pounds.
In the article, the tank appeared to be manufactured in White plastic, but the article indicated it could be painted.
Cost in 1998, was given as $339.95

I don't think Acerbis still lists this tank as available, but who knows, maybe if enough demand could be generated, perhaps they could make a small production run if they still have the tooling.