You ask yourself why you didn't just buy a stocker off the dealer's showroom floor and why you put yourself through all this misery. It's not an unfamiliar scenario, although shops or individuals who do take your money and deliver less than competent work usually don't stay in business very long, which is a pain because that leaves no one to complain to or take out your frustration on … or alternatively, no one to poke with a big stick and get some money back.

Ade Latham was just one such seriously pissed-off punter when the bike that he'd had built by a 'professional', at great expense proved to be about as well built and reliable as an Albanian space shuttle. Yeah, it certainly looked the dachshund's danglers with its lean an' mean Cobra rigid frame, Performance Machine brakes and mega-expensive Rev-Tech billet aluminium wheels with matching discs and sprocket, but underneath all that glitter the bike was a bit of a turd, even if it was a golden turd. Being a ship's engineer in the Merchant Navy, Ade spends half his life on the blue n' briny and while he was at sea hitting things below decks with big hammers he'd entrusted said 'professional' with a large wedge and a second-hand 883 Sportster engine and left him to get on with it. Some time later with the bits bought and the bike built Ade was far from happy with the fact that the motorcycle was not the superb show-winning Harley chop that's been promised and paid for. Trouble was the 'professional' had done a runner and an unhappy Ade was left with an unhappy bike. Try and iron out the problems he did, but after spending some three years of never actually completing a journey of any length in both directions without summoning International Rescue to get him home Ade despaired of trying to sort the bike out himself in the limited time that he had between trips, and after hearing good reports from some of his friends about a small workshop in Southport that specialised in all things Harley, Ade left the bike in the hands of Big Twin Services.

First job was to strip the bike down to its component parts for examination. The Cobra frame with its attendant oil tank and billet aluminium fork yokes, the PM brakes, and Rev-Tech wheels and discs were all high quality parts in good condition, only needing a lick of paint and polish. But for some reason the original builder of the bike had seen fit to remove the mudguard mounts from the Harley fork legs – and then fasten the front mudguard back on with clamps, strange but true, and the fibre-glass rear mudguard had not only cracked everywhere it was possible to crack, the rear chain had been trying its best to saw it, (the mudguard), in half. And being one of the main probable causes of Ade's problems with the bike, the rat's nest of wiring was unceremoniously chucked in the skip. Biggest blow however was the engine as Ade had been led to believe that the 883 motor had been totally rebuilt and converted to 1200. Well, one of the assumptions was right, the Sportster engine was indeed 1200cc, but the only thing that had been rebuilt was Ade's bill for the work. On close inspection the slapping noises that accompanied the clouds of smoke when the engine was started from cold proved to be a piston-to-bore clearance akin to the knob-to-twat clearance of a Bangkok hooker on overtime. But with the cylinders bored properly and the heads modified by Matt's Engineering to accommodate the genuine Harley 1200 oversize pistons, (and the Wiseco 'slapper' pistons now on permanent display in the skip with the wiring), the engine was rebuilt by Dave at Big Twin Services with a new rod and crankpin set and a full compliment of new bushes, bearings, seals and gaskets throughout.

Never happy with the stock capacity Sportster petrol tank that had graced the top tube of the Cobra frame Ade decided that he wanted something a little bigger and chose a one-piece quick-bob tank with traditional Harley style centre dash and speedo from the big Zodiac book along with a new stock H-D front mudguard to fit on the second-hand, (and un-butchered), Sportster fork legs that BTS had scored second-hand. The big book of the gospel according to Zodiac was further delved into, (like crack cocaine and Pringles, once you start you can't stop), and provided a set of replica Harley chromed handlebar switches and a front brake master cylinder to replace the cheap and nasty objects that were fitted originally along with some genuine Arlen Ness mirrors cum indicators.

With engine rebuilt and the shopping done, Dave turned his attention to putting the bike together. The fibreglass rear mudguard was replaced with a steel front from a Harley Electra Glide, suitably modified to fit the confines of the frame and the run of the chain, and a stainless steel battery box was fabricated to fit in the gap below the Cobra oil tank where the battery had been dangling precariously sans box before. Ade decided on a traditional flame paint job that was carried out in house at BTS by Nige, and with the paint dry, the big Zodiac book slammed shut and a pile of stainless steel fasteners holding everything together Ade was ready for the bike's maiden voyage to the Bentham Custom Show, where he won top prize for the best chop - which was nice.

Buying a collection of parts is only half the tale, as Ade discovered first time around, putting a collection of shop-bought and custom-made parts together into a bike that's good looking enough to win trophies at custom shows and reliable enough to get you there and home again is something that takes skill, time, care and experience, as Ade is pleased to find out with his BTS rebuilt Sporty … the second time around.

Specifications

Owner:	Ade Latham
Make & Year:	1979 Harley-Davidson XL883 Sportster.
Engine:	Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster 4-speed converted to 1200cc. Rebore and headwork by Matt's Engineering, new intake and exhaust valves and springs. Full engine rebuild using genuine H-D stock 1200 pistons, new H-D rod and crankpin set and replacement of all bearings and bushes in engine and gearbox. H-D 1990s CV carb with Dynojet kit and original H-D oval airfilter. Engine rebuilt by Dave @ Big Twin Services.
Exhaust:	SuperTrapp 2-1 stainless steel exhaust system.
Frame:	Cobra Engineering rigid frame, headstock cups, oil tank and billet aluminium yokes.
Forks:	1994 Harley-Davidson Sportster fork legs, polished and fitted with progressive springs. Cobra Billet aluminium yokes, Zodiac diamond-cut grips and throttle assembly.
Front Wheel:	Rev Tech billet aluminium 3-spoke wheel,
Front Brake:	Rev Tech brake disc and PM 4-piston brake caliper with Earl's stainless steel brake line. Zodiac chrome H-D pattern master cylinder and clutch lever.
Rear Wheel:	Rev Tech Rev-Pro solid wheel, billet aluminium final drive sprocket and brake disc. Stainless steel spindle with Zodiac axle plates.
Rear Brake:	PM 4-piston brake caliper with Earl's stainless steel brake line and H-D master cylinder with Zodiac chrome cover.
Seat:	Seat base by BTS, covered by Outback.
Petrol Tank:	Zodiac one-piece quickbob petrol tank with centre consul, speedo and custom fuel caps.
Oil Tank:	Cobra
Paint:	Custom paintwork by Nige @ BTS, Frame powder-coated by Triple S.
Polishing & Chrome:	Chris @ Southport Metal Polishers.
Handlebars:	Pullback riser handlebars
Wiring:	Wiring by BTS. Zodiac chrome replica H-D handlebar switches and horn. Arlen Ness billet aluminium rear and integral mirror-mounted front turn signals supplied by Zodiac.
Lights:	Zodiac Bates replica headlight, twin Zodiac custom aftermarket rear lights.
Stuff:	Zodiac front mudguard and handlebars. Rear mudguard is 1970s H-D FL front mudguard reworked by BTS. Stainless steel battery box by Andy @ BT Engineering. Original sissy bar reworked by BTS.
Other details:	Bike totally rebuilt by Big Twin Services, 6a Kew Road, Birkdale, PR8 4HH, Southport, Lancs. Phone & Fax 01704 551599. Big Thanks To: Dave and Ants at Big Twin Services.