The Pigster aka Dirty Sportster
Another hard-charging Sportster build from the Harley craftsmen at Shaw Speed & Custom, the premier builders of Harley in the UK. SS&C is a division of Shaw Harley Davidson, a multiple award winning dealership located in Brighton, in the south of England, that has been building award winning bikes since 2009. Their builds have been featured in over 50 motorcycle magazines worldwide in the last 2 years alone. In fact, BikeBound recently featured another of their Sportster builds, the “1200 Cross,” a tribute to Steve McQueen.
Tribute to Steve McQueen
The customer here was a also big fan of the ‘King of Cool, as well as the 70s and Gulf racing, all of which were the major influences in this build. The blue and orange is the livery of Gulf Racing, whose GT-40s ended the domination of Ferrari at Lemans. Their Porsche 917 was the featured chariot of McQueen in the 1970 movie, LeMans. Further, the scrambler style recalls McQueen’s famous fence jump in The Great Escape.
“Pigster” Build Story
Starting with a stock 1200 Sportster, they swapped out the drive belt for chain drive, in addition to knobby tires front and rear, for more of an off-road look. They chopped and kicked up the rear fender, incorporating the tail/brake light. Removal of the front fender, addition of a headlight stone guard, tracker handlebars, and rubber gaiters covering the front fork seals, as well as a custom skid plate, further accentuate the scrambler feel.
SS&C added a custom fabricated tank and seat, then modified the side panels for the oil and battery covers. The chrome and polished aluminum that adorned the engine in its original trim were jettisoned in favor of black powder coating, adding contrast to the Gulf racing colors. They extended the tribute with the number 20, the number of McQueen’s 917 in LeMans. The engine now breathes through a velocity stack. The beautiful one off handmade exhaust system completes the look.
Rideable Customs
SS&C’s motto is “Rideable Customs,” that is, fit for the bikes original purpose, riding. In the words of SS&C,:
“The bike has a look that is fun, colourful, and keen to eat up the tarmac.”
It would be an understatement to say we agree. We would dearly love to spend some time in this saddle and have no doubt the King would approve of this tribute.
