Greg Hageman’s XL1200C Sportster
Greg Hageman’s is famous for his many different builds of the Yamaha Virago however he decided to take it upon himself and try a custom Harley for the first time. Greg has owned his Sportster since 1999 and had the build in the back of his mind ever since riding it. First things first Greg secured a donor bike. The initial idea was to get a lighter donor as weight was a major concern, after some searching Greg settled for a XL1200C from 2006.
Although a rubber mount is slightly heavier he decided that it was far smoother and more comfortable in the long run. The suspension has been swapped out up front with a pair of Progressive Suspension fork springs, including adjustable preload caps from Burly Brand. The rear have been changed up for some 390mm Hagon Nitro shocks to improve the feel of the bike.
Lighter custom fenders, seat and subframe have helped cut of some weight from the build. Two different tanks have been adapted to be interchangeable on the build. Biltwell Thruster grips have been attached to a set of high scrambler bars and to help the sporty theme, with serrated foot-pegs being bought down a notch. The stock turn signals and tail light have been replaced in favour of Motogadget bar-end LED units and LEDs in the frames rear hoop. The speedo has been over to the left to make some more space in the cockpit.
A whole array of changes has been made, the first is the bike was swapped from belt to chain. The stock hubs have been treated with some stainless-steel spokes and a set of Sun rims from Buchanans (19F,17R). A period correct air filter and custom Vances and Hines exhaust system have been fitted as well as a headlight grill and skid plate to finish off. With all the modifications, the bikes weight has been dropped from 565lb to about 485lb.
The colour scheme Greg chose was close the stock ‘Birch white’ of the Harley, going “for that 70s vibe.” Continental TKC80s have been thrown on to show of the sporty theme and give the best performance. Greg has had years of experience in Harley’s and really went back to basics with this build. The finished sportster is excellent and we hope to see some more custom Harley’s from Greg in the future.
