Modified Harley-Davidson Sportster Seventy-Two Wants to Be a Vintage Chopper

As you might expect, ZEN specializes in a wide array of things to do with two-wheelers. The Australian firm acts as a dealership, wearables outlet, and workshop all at once, eager to serve the local bike-loving community down in New South Wales. Regular maintenance and quick fixes take up most of the time these Aussies spend in the shop, yet they’ll always leave a bit on the side for a good old custom project.

Of course, this is precisely what we’re here to look at today, so buckle up and prepare yourselves for some blingy, old-school chopper vibes. The bike shown above these paragraphs is a homage to both vintage Harley choppers and the recently discontinued line of air-cooled Sportsters. Indeed, the departure of air cooling from the Sportster range marks the end of an era for The Motor Company, and it deserves a proper farewell.

Although ZEN’s client deemed the classic appearance to be a must-have, he wasn’t willing to sacrifice modern-day reliability and performance. Naturally, chrome had to be plentiful, as well, and the whole build criteria pointed to a 2015 Harley-Davidson Sportster Seventy-Two as an ideal starting point. If you’re familiar with this model, then it should be pretty clear why that was the case.

Tons of chrome, a peanut-style fuel tank, and chopper looks are all available straight from the factory, so picking a Seventy-Two for this sort of project is a bit of a no-brainer. Its 73-cubic-inch (1,203cc) Evolution V-twin offers up to 71 pound-feet (91 Nm) of low-end torque for you to play with – more than enough for the ZEN squad and their customer. As soon as the donor arrived at the shop in Sydney, it was game on.

While they were taking the Sportster apart, the guys decided that springer forks were the way to go for the front suspension. They got these from Lowbrow Customs over in the U.S. and secured them in place via bespoke triple clamps, but reinforcements were needed for the more complex part of the job. To be exact, the ABS module had to be retained and somehow adapted to the springer setup – a task outsourced to Edi Buffon of Machine 1867.

He really went to town in order to make this work in an organic manner, and his efforts certainly paid off. With the modified forks delivered back to ZEN’s headquarters, the Seventy-Two saw its front-end running gear finished off with a few upgrades to the braking hardware. Performance Machine supplied a chrome-plated caliper, which bites a new stainless-steel rotor from Russell.

At the back, the transformation was relatively straightforward by comparison. The Sportster got treated to a Mustang leather saddle and an aftermarket sissy bar, courtesy of Lowbrow Customs once again. Interestingly enough, all the original bodywork is still present, but it’s been cloaked in a groovy colorway better suited for the retro chopper theme.

Even though the base hue may appear to be black from afar, a closer examination will reveal that it’s actually a very dark shade of purple. On the other hand, the flame graphics were done in gold leaf and outlined with light purple pinstripes. A gold flake effect can be seen lower down on the spark plug wires, while brass plating is laid atop accessories like the filler cap, handlebar risers, and grips.

The chromed handlebar itself is a bespoke unit fabricated from scratch, featuring underslung mirrors and minimalistic switches besides the aforementioned brass grips. Braided brake and clutch lines run down from the control levers, and you will spot tiny Kellermann turn signals and a classic-looking headlamp attached to the forks.

Last but not least, the final part of ZEN’s makeover involved some tasty modifications in the powertrain sector. Gone is the Harley’s standard belt drive, making room for a premium chain mechanism complete with a chromed rear sprocket. The V-twin engine inhales through an aftermarket air intake from S&S Cycle, but equal consideration was given to the exhaust side of the equation.

There you’ll come across fresh Shortshots pipework sourced from Vance & Hines – a perfect match for the upgraded S&S intake. Copious amounts of chrome plating can be seen on the various powertrain components, too, giving this restyled Seventy-Two all the antique flair it could ever ask for. Keen eyes may have spotted another cool little detail we haven’t mentioned yet; the stock instrumentation was relocated near the front cylinder’s rocker cover on the left-hand side.