Shaw Speed & Custom continues to amaze. A division of Shaw Harley Davidson, in East Sussex, these blokes from across the pond continue to turn out incredible looking performance bikes, with their Sportster builds leading the way. We have featured several of their bikes in the past and, with our own Sportster/tracker build in its early stages, we continue to be inspired by their creations. Although their creations are generally in response to a customer’s request, they decided on a spec build to showcase their talents and celebrate the 10th anniversary of their H-D dealership.
The initial brief was to create a modern version of a 1920s board tracker and they have obviously succeeded. The name, F1-XLR, is a compendium of F1 for the racing motivation, XL for the chassis, and R for racing. The donor bike was a Harley-Davidson Sportster XL1200N, a model with which they have had substantial success in the past.
To provide the high narrow profile of the board racer, as well as the appropriate stance, 21-inch wheels were fitted at both ends. A V-Rod front end, complete with the inverted forks, was shod with 13 inch rotors, 4 piston PM calipers, and braided steel lines.
A Rocker C fuel tank was fabricated and split, one side holding fuel and the other oil. The fuel and oil lines are braided and feature quick release couplings to facilitate servicing.
Removing the oil tank from beneath the seat made it possible to play around with the frame and seating area. The rear section of the frame was removed, the seat was strengthened and a stay was fashioned to give the illusion of a floating seat. The backbone was extended which accentuates the floating look.
Performance is a major component of any SSC build and this bike is no exception. Tuned on the dyno with upgraded cam and CNC ported Screaming Eagle heads, the cherry on top is the Covington rockers designed for the twin cam models. Re-engineered and fabricated, they transform the top of the Sportster motor. The belt drive was replaced with a chain for the period look and a custom exhaust was fabricated.
Unnecessary items, such as the battery cover, were dispensed with, lending a rawness to the build. The front cowling, which has become a SSC signature, is home to the air filter, breathing system, oil cooler, electronics and ECU. This allows the bike to be free of all visible wiring.
The paint was carefully sourced and the smokey chrome and candy orange is the same as is the same as used on the Maclaren MP4-27 F1 racecar.
Other details include LED brake and turn signal lights incorporated into the seat. The PM controls, including the handlebar, levers, master cylinder, switchgear, and calipers, are all anodized. For both show and go, SSC has clearly hit another one out of the park.
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