Dick Chavez of Rule Hard Cycles built this Sportster street tracker to race at Mama Tried’s 2016 Flat Out Friday, an indoor flat track race that uses soda syrup for traction! There are an array of classes, including the pull-start, 12″ wheel Boonie Class — where the Riders On The Norm crew, hailing from our hometown in North Carolina, competed on their custom mini!
Dick built the bike for the Hooligan class, which is 1986+ stock-framed twins, then had the brilliant idea to make the bike street-legal.
Rule Hard Cycles is our favorite kind of shop: a two-car garage. Says Dick of building bikes:
“Once it’s done and you’ve triumphed over all these tiny little puzzles to make this pile of parts a machine again you truly feel so proud. It’s like a drug honestly.”
And of this bike in particular:
“I built this bike for a flat track race in Milwaukee and then converted it to run on the street. It was a labor of love and I put a lot of custom tidbits into it and a lot of thought on engineering.”
Below, we interview Dick for the full story on the build.
Sportster Street Tracker: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My name is Dick Chavez and I’ve been fascinated with motorcycles since I got my first dirt bike when I was a kid. I can never seem to leave any bike alone, and as years went on I continued building and learning. I love all different types of bikes from choppers to scramblers to cafes. I just love to transform things into your vision with your ideas and your own hands. Once it’s done and you’ve triumphed over all these tiny little puzzles to make this pile of parts a machine again you truly feel so proud. It’s like a drug honestly. My shop is called Rule Hard and it’s a two car garage behind my house. It’s limited on space but I make it work. I’ve built quite a few Sportsters out of it and a couple Hondas. We are always working on something fun.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?
2000 Harley Davidson Sportster.
• Why was this bike built?
I built the bike to be raced at Mama Tried Flat out Friday (2016) indoor flat track race in the hooligan class.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
I wanted to build something different than the typical bolt-on scramblers that are growing in popularity. My friend is an automotive designer and together we came up with the design.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
The engine is a 1200 with 883 heads, Andrews n4 cams, it has a custom intake that is double the volume of the stock intake, custom built exhaust, and digital ignition. Front and rear wheels are custom-built. It has an ‘03 YZ front end retro-fitted and lowered. Super glide fuel tank. Custom-built handlebars, custom-built tail section. The aluminum struts were custom-built specifically for the flat track race since it was on polished concrete with coke syrup.
• How would you classify this bike?
Somewhere between a supermoto and a street fighter.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
The front wheel is a one off quad bearing spool hub built by my friend at DS One Off, hoop is a 32 spoke NOS rear hoop from a Honda Africa twin, and spokes are custom stainless. The front wheel weighs 4 lbs without a tire.
Also the exhaust. You see a lot of exhaust with ground clearance issues or they are too short for good performance. This exhaust is equal length, has plenty of ground clearance, and its sounds wicked.
Follow the Builder & Photographer
- Follow Rule Hard Cycles: Facebook | Instagram | Web | Youtube
- Follow Photographer Lindsey Chavez: Instagram
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