Power Trip: XTR Pepo tackles the Harley Sportster
There aren?t many builders with a strike rate like Pepo Rosell. Since the early days of his Radical Ducati shop, he?s been turning out several sleek, lightweight cafe racers every year.
Pepo is not a Harley specialist, though: his favored platforms are more compact and sporty. But his Dyna from a couple of years ago made waves, and led to the commission of this extremely rapid Sportster.
?The call came in from a foreign client,? Pepo tells us, ?after he saw my ?Gabrielle? Harley Dyna in Bike EXIF.? (Gabrielle made our 2016 Top Ten).
?This time, the idea was to make a Harley that?s more sporty, and more ?European.? With better brakes, less weight, more power and a ?normal? riding position.?
Although he?s French by birth, Pepo?s workshop is in Madrid. He sourced a clean Sportster locally?a 1992 five-speed XL883 model?and started work on the suspension. Rather than tweak the existing forks, Pepo has taken the nuclear option and installed a set of suspenders from a ?92 Suzuki GSX-R750, complete with its double-disc brake setup.
The fresh new rotors are from the Spanish specialist NG, and Pepo has installed a Discacciati radial master cylinder to keep the pressure on?in the best possible way. He?s also modified the hub to make everything fit with an 18-inch front wheel.
The rear brakes have been upgraded to match, with a mix of Brembo and NG parts. The lines are a steel-and-Kevlar braid mix supplied by Fren Tubo.
The reason for all these upgrades" Pepo has woken...
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