American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 231 October 2018 | Page 25
There’s also the option to increase the travel with
Stage 3 LT (Long Travel) kit. Hugo Moto worked
closely with Nitron Racing Systems’ U.S. Distributor,
Fast Bike Industries, to develop a 17.5” R1 shock
that offers “7” of bump-eating travel mated with a
Traxxion Dynamics 7” travel fork kit.”
Hugo Moto says it “really likes the 2004 and up
rubber mounted Sportsters” for conversions
because of the “4.5 gallon tank for extended range.
If you prefer fuel injection, go with 2007 or newer.
“If pure off-road performance is the goal, then the
1990 2003 solid mounts are a great platform. At
50 to 80 lbs lighter than the later bikes, the
difference is noticeable for the aggressive rider. Our
kits work great for taller riders our peg relocation
kit moves the foot pegs back and downward into a
very comfortable position, similar to that of a
modern adventure bike. All but the very tallest of
riders can get comfortable with a taller seat and
bar/riser combo.
“In general, seat heights range from 28” to 36” the
low end of the spectrum would be the Scrambler set-
up with 14.5” shocks and a 17”/19” wheel combo.
The tallest would be the HD2 Enduro with 17.4”
shocks and 18”/21” wheels and a seat with thick
foam.
“The special edition HD2
Enduro limited-edition kit is
based on this bike that won
the hill climb at the GS Giants
March Moto Madness event
earlier this year.”
“The special edition HD2 Enduro kit trims a solid-
mount Sporster down to about 460 lbs. The kit adds
premium race-level components including a Rekluse
autoclutch, SuperTrapp muffler, enduro seat, and
Pro Moto Billet aluminum footpegs. We also include
our own CNC-billet hubs paired with Excel rims and
expertly built by Woody’s Wheel Works in Denver,
CO. This limited-edition kit is based on the bike that
won the hill climb at the GS Giants March Moto
“streamlines the
conversion
process”
Madness event earlier this year.”
Hugo Moto started out in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
and is the brainchild of Nico Danan, the founder,
Jason Smith, the President, Christian Travertson of
V-Rex fame, who is co-founder and Director of R&D,
Chris Danan, another of the co-founders and an
advisor to the business, and Luca Bar, a design
consultant.
The company has relocated from Florida to
Tennessee “in part because of how good the riding
is there,” Nico Danan is quoted as saying, but the
two big commercial upsides have been the
manufacturing solution it has allowed them to
embrace and the proximity to Smokey Mountain
Harley-Davidson with whom Hugo Moto are trailing
a pilot dealer program.
Its manufacturing partner is a company called TGS
Precision Manufacturing and Fabrication at
Greenback, TN., a third-generation business started
in 2011 that can draw on 50+ years machining and
fabrication experience and a “tier-one manufacturer
for many big names in the boating industry. The
company has a 30,000 sq ft facility at Greenback for
all phases of CNC machining and a 70,000 sq ft
fabrication plant in Madisonville, TN.
Smokey Mountain founder and President Scott
Maddox said: “We’ve been converting Sportsters to
Scramblers for years, but have struggled to find a
cost-effective turn-key solution that leaves room for
us to make a respectable profit.
“Hugo Moto’s kit approach really streamlines the
conversion process. We used to have to go to
multiple sources to piece the parts together, but now
we have a one-stop shop. It makes it much easier
for us to scale our builds accordingly with demand.”
Nico Danan said “Scott and the Smokey Mountain
team have been pioneers in the Sportster Scrambler
conversion movement.
“Their feedback has been invaluable in the
development of our kits and we look forward to test
marketing our dealer program with them.”
Smokey Mountain has three full dealerships in
Maryville, TN., Pigeon Forge, TN. and Wildcat H-D at
London, Kentucky. The Kodak, TN., location is an
“alternative retail outlet” selling pre-owned
inventory, and they also have retail stores in
Gettlinburg and Tellico Plains TN., and Tallassee,
Alabama.
HUGO MOTO CORP
USA
www.hugomoto.com
www.AMDchampionship.com
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