Obviously, when he was hankering for his first customized Harley, Andrew was up for the task.

His idea was to design a vintage-style inexpensive bike, using “only what I could find on the cheap and/or fabricate,” he said. “I wanted it as narrow as could be, and nimble for hard city riding.”

Mission accomplished. “This bike was turned from a frame and boxes of parts into a completely finished motorcycle in four months,” Andrew said. The only thing outsourced was the leatherwork on the seat. He was going for a thin bike, and feels that he achieved his goal. “I like the fact that it’s a narrow lane splitter style chopper. Nothing on the bike is wider than the cut down window bars. If they fit between things then I am good to go.”

While Andrew’s pleased with most aspects of his 1980 XLCH Sportster, he’s up front about the issues he’s had. “Well it’s an Ironhead so it’s pretty much nothing but trouble. The bike’s name is Always Something for a reason,” he laughed. “Really though, I would have to say the most trouble has been in the transmission. I’ve chipped a couple teeth off of some gears a couple different times. It sees some hard riding so I bring it on myself, but the transmission should be good to go now. “

Because it was his first build, he learned a few lessons along the way. Initially, he tried to save time by buying a taillight bracket from a parts house. “It cracked, I’m guessing, due to the hard tail and the type of steel,” Andrew said. He scooped out the light while riding, and wedged it in to place to get home. “In the end, I just made my own.” Problem solved. One of his favorite aspects of the bike are the bars, which he chopped down, then added custom milled 41mm narrow glide trees he bought to achieve that “skinny look” he was aiming for.

When he was ready for paint, Andrew enlisted the help of a couple of friends. “One of my buddies, Tony Stephens from Springfield, sprayed the silver and flake on the tins. Another friend, Mike Downey, pinstriped the tank. He pinstripes under the name Slick Stripes out of St. Louis,” Andrew said.

Overall, Andrew is pleased with his bike, and he’s happy with the way it handles. “I can ride hands-free at any speed and it tracks straight. The cut down narrow bars take some getting used to, but I can hang with the fastest guy in the group in the twisties,” he said. He rides it daily, going to and from work, and does a lot of cruising. He’s put thousands of miles on it in the two years that he’s owned it.

Andrew does try to stay off the highways though. “It’s only a 4-speed, and with the gearing I have, it’s not setup for Interstate riding. Especially with the gas sucking S&S Super E carb it has on it. It’s pretty fast, but the fuel mileage is horrible at 70 mph.”

Despite the glitches, the bike’s a winner. Andrew’s taken home trophies in five of the six shows he’s entered it in. His favorite is probably the People’s Choice trophy that stands taller than the bike itself. “While the billet barge owners were pulling trucks around to load up their bikes, I had to call a truck to pick up my trophy so I could ride the bike home,” Andrew laughed. Now that he’s completed his first ground up custom, Andrew’s ready to take on his next project. “My new ’02 XL 1200 is being built into a mild swingarm custom right now. It will be hardtailed next winter,” Andrew said. He also plans to give his award-winning 1980 XLCH Sportster a complete makeover. As he says, it’s always something.