The mighty Harley-Davidson Sportster turns a whopping 60 this year. Since 1957 it’s been modified in every imaginable way?long before the ‘custom scene’ as we know it even existed.
It’s a tough little bugger too, and easy enough to tear apart. Which is probably why Brooklyn-based Tim Harney picked it as his new do-it-all.

And we really do mean do-it-all; Tim built this Sporty from the ground up for the prestigious Brooklyn Invitational, but it’s also his bread-and-milk-getter, and weekend flat track racer. So although it’s loaded with his hallmark raw hand-shaped parts, it’s also got enough patina to keep it honest.
?I started with a beat up 1989 883 Sportster,? Tim tells us, ?then totally tore her down.? The rebuild included a big bore, high compression 1200cc kit, a new cam, and an S&S Super E carb with a velocity stack.
Tim also poured countless hours into the frame. ?I pulled a lot of the factory welds apart,? he says, ?and re-did the frame with some nice TIG welds. I also changed the rake in the neck by two degrees so she could turn faster.?
Then it was time to tackle the bodywork. Up top is a one-piece, hand-shaped tank and tail unit, with an LED tail light built into the end. Tim also fabricated a new oil tank, plumbing it with black anodized Earl’s AN fittings.

The fork shrouds and number board-styled headlight shroud are his handiwork too. Lower down, the hand-made belly pan hides a Shorai Lithium-ion ba...