With a head this big, hats are out of the question because even if I can actually stretch them around my skull, it only makes my head look even bigger and that’s not a look I’m going for. If I was going to attempt to wear a doo-rag, I’d probably have to head to Bed & Bath to find something to fit. But, finally, a couple of bros, Sean and Zane Culleton of W.T. Customs and Fabrication in Flowery Branch, Georgia, and their BFF paint buddy, Chris Garrison of CG Customs in nearby Buford,  made a bandana that not only fits me, but I’d dare say looks damn good on me too. And, you’re looking at it right here.

  Yes sir, this radically-reworked 1988 Sporty named Bandana has had any memories of its York birth expunged from its ECU or whatever the real-part H-D equivalent is after the Culleton lads spent some serious time introducing the innocent XL1200 to their cutting tools, metal shaping proficiency, and welding skills. Take a look, there’s a hell of a lot going on here than what a first glance might tell you. That XL main frame got raked out to 38-degrees with a one-inch neck stretch before the ass end aft of the engine cradle was deported to the nearest trash receptacle and replaced with a multi-piece drop-seat (22-inches off the deck) rigid section stretched another six-inches. Not only that, there was now room to replace the stock super-model-skinny130mm rear tire with a more manly 200mm rubber hoop. Kinda like going in for a regular-old haircut and coming out with Vidal Sasson’s version of a military cut featuring longer and more shamelessly-stylish hair that looked and worked much better than the usual military trim.

 

  Some things didn’t need a ton done like the ’88 Sportster forks that do about what you’d expect of something old enough to now qualify for reduced insurance rates like a kid hitting 25. Come to think of it, you could probably bolt these refurbished bits on a brand new Sporty and people wouldn’t have a clue they were built when the first George Bush took office. Just like the presidency, the more things change, the more they don’t seems to be the modus operandi of successful heritage-infused companies and who I am to say I know better?

 

   Where I like the Culletons’ jumping off point are little things like the battery box/ sprocket cover or which brother is missing the wheel off his skateboard now that they needed a tensioner for the long chain drive or the beautifully tidy bracket for the rear fender. Maybe I should have mentioned the one-off fuel tank or the comfy-looking bars or the Vambrosio-approved very large headlight or the oil tank that only fits this bike or the . . . As you can see the more you look, there’s a lot of “or the . . .” everywhere you look at this light, fast, and silly funny Sporty that’ll draw a crowd quicker than Kanye West coming up with a compliment for himself.   

 

  The second part of this whole trip involves the guy I haven’t mentioned other than the second paragraph and that would be Mr. Chris Garrison, painter extraordinaire at CG Customs and Pabst pal of Sean and Zane. Needless to say, he did a great job making the Culletons’ work into a rideable metallic bandana. It’s a black and white paintjob I gotta admit I didn’t get at first, but quickly got to appreciate without having to get all-themey on myself. It just looks totally different and readily identifiable at the same time while not fighting for attention with all of the Culleton lads’ work. Once more they’ve done a nice collaboration of skills ending in a unique creation and I expect we’ll be seeing more and more in the months and years to come. Oh, one last thing I should mention is that if you’re near this bike when it’s running, don’t stand near the mouth of that mouthy 2-into-1 exhaust as there’s a little thingie on the collector with a wire running from it that might be part of one of those fire-spewing devices. I noticed they used Pabst Blue Ribbon cartons for metal templates and anybody that has done that much metal work had to consume a lot of adult beverages.  A flaming exhaust on a custom Harley fueled by Pabst is not for the innocent. Don’t say you weren’t warned as firing up the bike just might involve you in more ways than one.