Richard Pollock has a matter of envy; an order book is bursting at the seams. The ink has not yet dried on the story of his best efforts Hooligan flat tracker, and we’ve got another top Mule Motorcycles piece for you to drool over. This time it’s a streamlined Harley-Davidson Sportster street watcher.
Although Mule has worked with other styles before, trackers are his bread and butter. The venerable American builder has been racing and building them for a long time now and has a knack for creating machines that prioritize function but still end up looking incredibly stylish.
This Sportster has all the hallmarks of a quintessential car motorbike mule build, even if the process behind it is a bit unusual. In a rare move, Mule took on the project after the customer had already made some significant changes to the bike. He added: “This is also one of the rare projects that received difficult requests from customers, but in the end everything turned out well.”
Model 1993 Harley-Davidson Sportster The 1200 engine was mated to a chrome twin-shock frame from C&J Racing Frames a few years ago, with a C&J swingarm at the rear. The chassis is designed as an oil in the frame, with the main shaft acting as an oil reservoir. The bike’s owner also produced his own fork swingarms, handlebar risers, front axle, brake rotor and caliper brackets, and headlight brackets.
The new body was built for the ’90s Sportster by a fabricator in San Diego who typically specializes in aircraft panels. It’s all made from aluminum—from the front fender, through the fuel tank, flat road-Style tail and side panels. “This tank is modeled after the ‘turtle tank’ of the early Sportster,” Mule explains.
A Corbin seat cushion sits on top, with an LED taillight and license plate mount hidden under the tail. A specially made electronics tray hides under the seat, shaped to double as an inner mudguard for the rear wheel.
Mule turned the bodywork over to his regular artist, David Tovar at SBK Paint. David has coined a classic Harley-Davidson combo; orange and black, punctuated by subtle white pinstripes and a thick strip of polished aluminum across the top. The frame is powder-coated black, while the swingarm is treated with Cerakote chrome plating (both treated by Fast Blast and Coat).
It’s a limited paint color that suits the Sportster very well, giving the roadster a classic feel. However, as we’ve come to expect from Mule, a closer look reveals a host of attractive upgrades befitting a modern machine.
BST 19-inch carbon fiber wheels sit at both ends, alongside Öhlins suspension components. The front end wears the Swedish company’s ‘Blackline’ forks; Fully adjustable units with black bottoms and black low-friction coating on the posts. In contrast, the adjustable rear shock features Öhlins’ signature yellow springs and gold reservoirs.
Brembo calipers handle front and rear duties, clamping corrugated discs from EBC. The rear brake uses a Brembo master cylinder, while the accelerator control assembly is all Mule parts.
The right side of the Sportster features a muscular two-into-one exhaust system, ending in an enhanced Cone Engineering muffler. For the intake manifold, Mule installed a Mikuni HSR45 flat-slide carburetor, driven by a large K&N filter. A Mule ignition cover also adorns the engine, while a chain converter sends power to the rear wheel.
The clever combination of black and gloss paint makes the venerable Harley V-twin look brand new. There’s also some subtle bling, in the form of a machined pattern on the edges of the fins (another detail added by the owner). “It’s a busy decor that’s not really on my style to-do list, but it’s growing on me,” says Mule.
Complete with Dunlop bias tires, wide ProTaper handlebars, Koso tachos and discreet LED turn signals, Mule’s latest Sportster strikes the trifecta of classic looks, flat track and street-specific setup . It’s the very definition of a street tracker—and it’s lighter and stronger than before, making it a great treadmill.
motorbike mule | Instagram | Image by Bart Cepek
