Rick “Kat Daddy” Abbott of Kat Daddy Customs in Auburn, Indiana, seems to share a similar obsession with making holes in things as witness his take on a pro streeter called Buckshot on what once was an innocent 1996 Sportster now a full blown custom sporting holes everywhere you look. There are holes in the tank, there are holes in the frame, there are holes in the frame gussets, there are holes in the heat shields, there are holes in the pegs and foot controls, there are holes in the grips, and there are even kinda holes in the variegated gold leaf graphics. As a whole, Buckshot has been shot full of holes.

“This bike is technically a 1996 Harley Sportster with its VIN number still intact on the original frame neck. The rest of the frame is a total one-off build,” said Kat Daddy. “I built this bike for a young man who was about to be deployed to Afghanistan. It took about two months to build and I finished it the night before he was about to leave so he didn’t even get a chance to ride it. He did get to see it, though, and was blown away. Needless to say, I had to spend a few late nights to get in finished in time for him to see it.”

The raked and stretched rigid frame now cradles a wider, but not indecently so, 200mm rear tire while up front, a beefier 41mm Wide Glide front end replaces “the wimpy 39mm narrow ass” Sportster Fork. “We were going for an Old School bobber look, but with just a little more radical modern twist,” said Kat Daddy. “Some of the cool features include the curved backbone that goes over the top of the tank and the tubed holes that go through the down tube and backbone. I had a couple of people mention that it was cool how I added mirrors to the side of the tank. I had to laugh and mention that those weren’t mirrors, but holes that went through the tank. When they realized that, they said, ‘Woooo! How cool is that?’“

Basically everything on this bike was done by the Kat Daddy himself (except for the seat leather that was done by a friend who wishes to remain anonymous so I’ve decided to name him Sgt. Joe Friday for no good reason) including both fuel and the neat front-mount oil tanks along with the integration of a ’59 Caddy taillight in the rear fender. Unusual front fenders are a Kat Daddy signature and this longer–in-the-front dramatic sweeper doesn’t disappoint. Meanwhile, Sgt. Joe Friday got down to business and laced up the seat cover with a hand-carved Buckshot logo on it that Kat Daddy installed on one of the best rigid frame inventions ever, the shock=sprung saddle. Finally, making sure Kat Daddy Customs is your one-stop custom shopping center, Kat Daddy sprayed the House of Kolor burgundy metallic and black two-tone paint job. Oh, and he also did the hole-inspired variegated gold leaf graphics.

One of the best things that Kat Daddy likes about doing customs is the confidence his customers have in his work. “I can’t say enough how cool it is that most of my customers trust my vision and design and allow me to build on the fly sometimes. I’ll still call them and mention what I’m wanting to do and they will usually say, ‘I trust your judgment,’“ said Kat Daddy. If after reading this you feel the same way, be sure to check out his website www.katdaddycustoms.net for more info.