“Jenga” Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster Street Tracker

Brown-and-Cream Dream Machine from Mika Motorcycles…

Next year, the Harley-Davidson Sportster will celebrate its 70th anniversary in production. Over that time, it’s proven itself as one of the most versatile twins ever built. It’s been road-raced, flat-tracked, and campaigned off-road in various disciplines, from the 1986 Baja 1000 to today’s Mint 400. The Sportster also remains one of the world’s most popular platform for customization, serving as a donor for choppers, bobbers, scramblers, street trackers, and more.

This 2001 XL883 comes from Hery of Mika Motorcycles. Hery worked at a well-known custom workshop in Jakarta for 13 years before starting his own workshop in 2018. Though the Sportster isn’t the only model he modifies, one look at his portfolio shows a real affinity for the model.

This build was commissioned by a customer, Taye Masyhur, who races vintage Minis and has a deep love of classic cars, vintage Vespas, and custom motorcycles.

“Drawing inspiration from flat track design, the bike is built to be as slim as possible, with weight reduced by using aluminum for the bodywork to keep it lightweight.”

The mods were comprehensive. The bike now rolls on a pair of gorgeous Italian high-shoulder aluminum rims wrapped in Shinko rubber. The rear subframe was cut and raised for a shorter, more compact look, and the XR750-style fuel tank and tail section were hand-built from aluminum. The snap-trim saddle comes from Relax Seat Modification.

The 883 heads were ported and polished, and the engine was outfitted with EMD cam and sprocket covers, TwinTech single-fire ignition, Tom air filter, custom aluminum oil tank, and an absolutely gorgeous set of flowing, low-mount pipes.

This hard-mount Sporty is also running a chain conversion, key switch relocation, and a very sleek and minimal cockpit. Many of the custom parts that aren’t one-offs come from the workshop’s parts wing, Mika Cycle Part.

Nicknamed “Jenga” after the owner’s garage, this is one of the sweetest Sportster street trackers we’ve ever seen, a root beer-and-cream dream machine that’s lighter, faster, and better-performing than the original.

“The bike is highly responsive, and its handling is exceptionally light.”

Thank you to Hery for sharing this build with us — we look forward to showcasing more Mika Motorcycles in the future. Below is our full interview with Hery about the build, including more photos courtesy of Denis Wara.

883 Street Tracker: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

I am Hery, the owner and builder at Mika Motorcycle. Mika Motorcycle was established in 2018. Before opening my own workshop, I worked at a well-known motorcycle shop in Jakarta for about 13 years. In early 2018, I opened my own workshop and named it “Mika Motorcycle” — “Mika” being the name of my daughter.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?

Harley-Davidson 883, year 2001.

• Why was this bike built?

This motorcycle was ordered by a customer — who is a racer — to add to his garage collection.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

Drawing inspiration from flat track design, the bike is built to be as slim as possible, with weight reduced by using aluminum for the bodywork to keep it lightweight.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

The rear of the frame was cut and raised to create a shorter, more compact look. It features an aluminum oil tank, EMD Killer-series cam and pulley covers, a Tom air filter (from Japan), high-shoulder wheels (from Italy), and Shinko dual-purpose tires.

The fuel tank and tail section are handmade from aluminum, styled after the XR750. Seat from Relax Seat Modification. Other supporting components were sourced from my own shop, Mika Cycle Part.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

The name of this motorcycle is “Jenga.”

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

This motorcycle uses a TwinTech single-fire ignition system, and the engine has undergone porting and polishing. The bike is highly responsive, and its handling is exceptionally light.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

Every motorcycle I build has its own unique story; I am especially proud of this particular build because the customer was extremely satisfied with the work I delivered.