Photo: Kodlin
Harley-Davidson has a great deal of models it now makes and sells, but few of them can trace their roots as far back in time as the Sportster. First used in 1957 for the XL, the designation now stands for one of the most extreme Harleys on the market, a short and stubby two-wheeler that packs a mighty punch.
In its current form the Sportster family dates back to 2021, meaning that at least for now there are not all that many of them in customized form on the roads. This makes any new custom Sportster instantly recognizable.
Even in factory form, the bike looks short and stubby because this was the only way the company could take to make the ride look as impressive as it feels and behaves. The distinctive look is owed to just a few elements, and the most obvious of them are small wheels wrapped in fat tires, the uncanny shortness of the bodywork, especially of the rear fender, and the position and angle of the exhaust.
Just a quick look at the thing will have you thinking there can't be much anyone can do to make the Sportster look a lot more aggressive than it already does, and for the most part you'd be right. Yet others, like the guys from over at German-born garage Kodlin, would disagree. And the result of their disagreement lies before us right now.
The bike you're looking at was put together as a sort of moving display of custom parts designed for the Sportster S by the said shop. It was first shown at the 2022 Born Free Show and, as you've probably guessed, made quite a splash.
The first thing one notices is that many of the original parts are still there: the wheels are stock, the exhaust likewise (although powder-coated, just like the brakes and wheels), and of course the same goes for the engine.
Then you're struck by the freshness of the paint job, a combination of green and black that's only there to highlight this Harley is a light show on wheels.
I said earlier Kodlin used this bike as a mobile billboard for the Sportster-related products it devised. And by that I mostly mean the various lights that went on the ride.
The turn signals are of the bolt-on variety, and they offer white running and amber turn functions. At the front, the white running lights have been fitted to back the original headlight, while the rear of the ride now uses a 3-in-1 light bar instead of the original hardware.
We are not told what happened to the Sportster after it was shown at Born Free, or how expensive the project was. This doesn't rob it of its appeal though, and makes it the most aggressively styled Sportster we've come across in a long time.
Even in factory form, the bike looks short and stubby because this was the only way the company could take to make the ride look as impressive as it feels and behaves. The distinctive look is owed to just a few elements, and the most obvious of them are small wheels wrapped in fat tires, the uncanny shortness of the bodywork, especially of the rear fender, and the position and angle of the exhaust.
Just a quick look at the thing will have you thinking there can't be much anyone can do to make the Sportster look a lot more aggressive than it already does, and for the most part you'd be right. Yet others, like the guys from over at German-born garage Kodlin, would disagree. And the result of their disagreement lies before us right now.
The bike you're looking at was put together as a sort of moving display of custom parts designed for the Sportster S by the said shop. It was first shown at the 2022 Born Free Show and, as you've probably guessed, made quite a splash.
The first thing one notices is that many of the original parts are still there: the wheels are stock, the exhaust likewise (although powder-coated, just like the brakes and wheels), and of course the same goes for the engine.
Then you're struck by the freshness of the paint job, a combination of green and black that's only there to highlight this Harley is a light show on wheels.
I said earlier Kodlin used this bike as a mobile billboard for the Sportster-related products it devised. And by that I mostly mean the various lights that went on the ride.
The turn signals are of the bolt-on variety, and they offer white running and amber turn functions. At the front, the white running lights have been fitted to back the original headlight, while the rear of the ride now uses a 3-in-1 light bar instead of the original hardware.
We are not told what happened to the Sportster after it was shown at Born Free, or how expensive the project was. This doesn't rob it of its appeal though, and makes it the most aggressively styled Sportster we've come across in a long time.
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