American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 231 October 2018 | Page 24

Sportster Scrambler Conversions -
Three Steps to Off-Road Harley Heaven
The versatility of the venerable Sportster - now in its 61st year of
continuous production - never fails to still impress even after all this
time. Indeed, with the changing tastes in riding being championed by a
lot of younger riders the platform is in the vanguard of giving Harley a
model that can speak the language of the “New Genners.”
he versatility of the venerable
Sportster - now in its 61st year of
continuous production - never fails to
still impress even after all this time.
Indeed, with the changing tastes in riding
being championed by younger riders, the
platform is in the vanguard of giving Harley
a model that can speak the language of the
“New Genners.”
There are millions of Sportsters on the road, and
Harley has done such a good job in renewing the
appeal and positioning of the Sportster in the past
decade that there is no sign of platform fatigue
setting in yet - indeed the five model 2018 line-up
has sold well at a time when Harley’s Big Twins have
suffered at the hands of a softening market.
A few months ago we featured a Sportster 883 that
Biltwell co-founder Bill Bryant and co-riders Mike
Deutsch, Erik Westergaard and Chris Moeller
conquered the NORRA (National Off-Road Racing
Association) Mexican 1000 all-terrain race with, in
Ensenada, Mexico. Run for the first time in 1967 and
featuring some of the harshest terrain on earth, it is
not exactly a V-Twin cruiser-friendly undertaking,
but the versatile Sportster ate everything the
gruelling 1,300 miles could throw at it. Thanks in
large part to the way the Biltwell boys had prepped
the machine with bespoke refinements that
included, among other initiatives, Hugo Moto’s
‘Dude’ skid plate and peg relocation kit.
With the Scrambler Boom and ADV market moving
from fringe to motorcycle riding mainstream, Hugo
Moto, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has taken
the Sportster as its start-point for a scrambler build,
meeting the challenge of curating all of the right
parts head-on and making the conversion process
widely available with a range of high-performance
T
bolt-on kits.
However, the Hugo Moto kits are not simply
cosmetics and catalog parts, they are the ‘real deal’.
“It’s easy to make a Sporty look cool with a few
cosmetic accessories and a pair of knobbies, but
gaining real off-road performance is another
matter,” said Hugo Moto President Jason Smith.
“Our kits may be bolt-on, but they give riders what
they need to get tangible performance increases -
easily and affordably.”
At the heart of the program is a 3-Stage Scrambler
kit series, “The Three Stages of Off-Road
Enlightenment” as Smith terms it, for pre-owned
883 or 1200cc Sportsters.
Stage 1 gives the Sportster the “correct ergonomics
to tackle the dirt and a much needed high pipe.” A
peg relocation kit (with stainless Enduro foot pegs
placed in a proper dual-sport position via a cleverly
designed peg relocation kit plate) and ‘Dude’ skid
plate will “drastically change both the capability and
the look of the Sportster, with the option to do a
chain conversion and add premium suspension and
off-road wheels later.”
Stage 2 adds a suspension upgrade, which is
“critical to tackling serious off-road situations while
“get tangible
performance increases -
easily and affordably”
providing a ton more comfort and control on the
road.” Wheel travel is extended to 5” with a pair of
FOX 14.5” IFP-R shocks, while the front end Traxxion
Dynamics fork kit provides “5.5” of smooth travel.”
Stage 3 is what Hugo Moto describes as “The Whole
Enchilada” - the “full Scrambling treatment”,
adding the chain drive conversion, which will allow
the rider to “tackle any off-road condition from mud
to sand” as well as a set of spoked wheels in several
size options.
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AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - OCTOBER 2018
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