Sportster Side Battery Cover

This is my Gen II battery side cover with rounded contours to compliment the shape of the oil tank on the right side. This is a fiberglass piece made in black gelcoat. The surface from the mold is microscopically rough so I sand it with 2000 wet/dry and polish with 3M’s Finessette II so it looks like a factory part.

To install it remove the old battery cover (with skulls maybe) and the little triangular plate that hides electrics. Install my cover to the three mounts for the triangle cover. I provide three black flat head Allen screws that screw into that factory mounts. Over time these rubber mounts degrade. Hardware store and Harley rubber/metal mounts are too under sized to fit the frame holes snugly. Often I wrap the mounts with plastic electrical tape before I first install them-this helps a bit.

An Aerospace Engineer with Rolls-Royce UK...

...purchased my Sportster left side battery cover and commented thusly:

Absolutely fantastic and is fitted. Mine was a late model with plastic frame pushed into grommets. The three brass inserts in the frame are the same configuration. The only thing I had to do was shorten the long set screw by about ¼. It looks fantastic and the finish superb.

Richard Pollock of Mule motorcycles talks about Sportster race handling

Richard Pollock owns Mule Motorcycles. He has been building custom bikes and street trackers since 1975. He is the go-to guy in Southern California. He has an international reputation for building spectacular custom motorcycles. He is intimately involved with motorcycles as a motocross, flat track and road racer. His mechanical background includes cars, bicycles, motorcycles, airplanes and missiles. In a distant way he’s a competitor, but he builds jewels and my focus is on the big bang/low buck level for do-it-yourselfers. When Richard speaks, smart bikers listen.

In describing Sportster flat track handling I glossed over technical issues. Richard knows a whole bunch more than I do and has shared his knowledge with us. So read on and learn from the master.

Hooligan Pipe for 1985-2003 Sportsters

hooligan pipe 1 Hooligan 2-into-1 pipe system fits 1985-2013 Sportsters (please specify when you order. This is a race styled exhaust for the track and rural street, too BUT may I suggest you not use them in cities for the good of motorcycling.

This pipe will be fine for short Hooligan tracks of 1/8 to ¼ mile. They will perform even better on long ½ mile and mile tracks. Lightweight, it tucks in low alongside the frame to avoid damage in right hand corners or a high side.

The 2 ¼” x 12” megaphone has a deep throaty sound and excessive noise is trapped by a perforated core surrounded by permanent steel wool packing--no repacking needed.

It's brushed stainless steel. You don’t have to paint it and it is non-rusting.

Hooligan Street and Race Products

Fork brace

Newly designed brace is coming. It strengthens the front end and acts as a mount for front fender and fork guards. It’s aircraft alloy aluminum. Mounts without removing the wheel.

I found a new supplier for 19” conversion kits. Street trackers and Hooligan racers need a 19" rear wheel so dirt track tires can be used (dirt track tires are only made in 19”). The cheapest source of a 19" wheel for the rear is buying another front. Yes, gigantic tires can be mounted on narrow 2.15” wheels.

Dirt track styled bars are wider for leverage and position the arms more comfortably. Stock bars is really not such a good idea for racing. This 1” bar has a 4" rise, a 10" pullback and 34" width. They are dimpled to allow cables to pass under switch components. Price is reasonable too.

SuperTrapp is out of business and this Sportster is no longer available. Stainless steel exhausts look right on a street tracker. Performance gains and weight savings.

Hooligan 2-into-1 pipe system fits 1985-2013 Sportsters (please specify when you order. This is a race styled exhaust for the track and rural street, too BUT may I suggest you not use them in cities for the good of motorcycling. This pipe will be fine for short Hooligan tracks of 1/8 to ¼ mile. They will perform even better on long ½ mile and mile tracks. Lightweight, it tucks in low alongside the frame to avoid damage in right hand corners or a high side. The 2 ¼” x 12” megaphone has a deep throaty sound and excessive noise is trapped by a perforated core surrounded by permanent steel wool packing--no repacking needed. It's brushed stainless steel. You don’t have to paint it and it is non-rusting.

These are high quality American shocks that were designed specifically for AMA Sportster dirt track racing some years back. They are more robust than street shocks. Construction is double wall. The big beefy shaft is precision ground and hard chromed. Shocks use a fluid cell to produce fade free damping. Pre-load adjustments have five positions for your weight. And most importantly they are 15” tall.

Tank and tail graphics for XR (750, 883, 1000, 1200)

Fender is being redesigned and will be unavailable for a spell.

The stock rear fender protects the rear cylinder from wheel thrown debris, moisture, tar, etc. The OEM circuit breakers are also mounted to the stock fender. In most cases the rear fender get deep sixed. My mud guard fills both roles-debris protection and circuit breaker mounting.

Hidden Headlight Kit with 10x12 AMA Number Plate

Perfect for Street Trackers and Hooligan Sportsters This kit will add the flat track look to your street tracker. A 10" x 12" AMA plate hides mounting and your wiring that used to be behind your stock headlight.

John Hammock from Tulsa is a mission driven kinda guy

Florida Snow Cone

Halloween Hooligan

Mike Gettinger is a Hooligan Racer

Down Under Hooligan

Omar’s Dirt Track follower finally built a Hooligan tracker

XRX Hooligan built by Showa factory guy

Three hooligan musketeers sweep into Republic of Texas Biker Rally

The horrors of ethanol fuel

Don’t use it, ever. Always use premium non-ethanol. Ethanol is junk and causes all kinds of carb, engine, and fiberglass tank problems. Ethanol eats the resin from inside of fiberglass tanks. It dilutes resin into a solution which mixes with your tank’s gas. When the bike sits for any time longer than a month or two, the resin solidifies in your carb and valve components. Carbs are easy to clean but if it gets into the valve seals etc., engine disassembly is needed. Not cheap!

Until 2021 we kept changing coatings to get the best anti-ethanol sealer for our fiberglass tanks. Prior to that date, we used at least 5 different coatings. None of them worked long term despite claims from the chemical makers. The one exception was/is Caswell epoxy coatings. I dropped it because the application process was so lengthy. I now use an anti-ethanol resin with no warranty claims at all.

I get maybe three tanks a year for leaking and surface problems caused by pre-Caswell sealants. Even though they are long past the warranty period, I fix leaks for free but charge for shipping.

How to get ethanol free gas

Find a local source

If your town offers ethanol free premium fuel, use it even if you have one of my new tanks. Yes, it’s more expensive but it is better for your engine and tank.

If your local stations don’t offer ethanol-free gas by law, you have two options:

Go to a local airport with a couple of 5 gallon cans and buy their aviation fuel. Use straight or in a pinch mix 50/50 with the best grade of ethanol gas.
Make your own ethanol-free gas.

Remove ethanol from gas at home

Here’s simple fix that's cheaper, long term, than the cost of high octane premium-non-ethanol gas (where it’s available). The ratio is one gallon gas to one cup of water. See my DIY how-to.

Sportster Side Battery Cover

An Aerospace Engineer with Rolls-Royce UK...

Hooligan Street and Race Products

Fork brace