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Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Becomes Sizzling Hot Scrambler

2015 might arguably be a year when we will get to see quite a lot of scramblers. Not sure whether this will turn into the same madness which had almost all the modders going café-racer in the past years, but we certainly have something going. Ducati is the second big manufacturer which added a scrambler machine to its line-up, after the modern classic Triumph and this only fuels the whole Scrambler mania.
Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler 13 photos
Photo: Ben Chan
Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe RacersHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe Racers - custom headlightHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe Racers: hand-made collectorsHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe RacersHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe RacersHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe Racers: custom exhaustHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe Racer: aluminium fenders, stainless steel bracketsHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe Racers: cowhide leather seatHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe RacersHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe RacersHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe Racers: a leather side caseHarley-Davidson Sportster 883 Scrambler by Benjie's Cafe Racers
We’ve showed you some of Benjie’s Café Racers’ bikes before, and it’s now time to introduce you to his latest creation, which is a… wait for it… scrambler. However, unlike most other builders, he decided to transform a beat-up Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 laying for some time in a corner of his shop. From a poor ’99 Sportster to the bike you can see in the photos below, the road was a captivating experience.

A 1200cc cylinder kit and GSX-R1000 forks

Oscillating between going bobber or scrambler, Benjie finally decided in favor of a bike which would go anywhere. Since the ergonomics of the Sportster were nowhere near the desired goal, Benjie knew he had to change a lot of the bike’s frame, so the front end was tossed and replaced with a higher-performance fork sourced from a late-90s Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Borrani rims have been used with the existing hubs, but a new axle had to be manufactured to accommodate the dual rotor brakes of the GSX. Once the front was lowered, the rear had to be raised for a neutral, scrambler-ish position, so new mounts for the twin shocks were fabricated. Shinko dual-sport tires now shoe the rims for all-round grip in almost any conditions.

The tank was built from scratch as the Sportster one was never going to fit. Benjie had its lower line arching above the cylinder heads, while the top provided a typical scrambler fluid shape which also allowed for a custom seat to blend in almost seamlessly. A Monza-style fuel cap and stainless steel rack were added, and a minimalist flame-inspired design is the only thing adorning the tank, which was left in polished aluminium finish.

Cowhide leather was used for the tuck and roll seat, and aluminium fenders have been also crafted in-house, just like the headlight casing which had to fit between the upper fork legs, as bikeexif reports. The engine received two important treatments.

First of all, it was brought up to 1,200cc with a cylinder kit, and was then sandblasted to get rid of the shiny finish. The matter metal is now matching the looks of the entire bike. A custom air filter cover and custom exhaust lines have also been fabricated for a perfect scrambler vibe. Other major changes for the MoCo bike include a chain drive conversion for authentic scrambler styling.

And because you’ll most likely want to have a snack and a sip while on the go, a leather case matching the seat is also present. I bet a month’s wage Harley could never pull one as neat as this if they ever made a scrambler…
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