With this build I wanted a drag racing/hot rod style. So it was obvious to ask Håkan Johansson at MOON Sweden for help with parts because, let’s face it, what’s more associated with drag racing and hot rods than MOONEYES? Another person that I got a lot of help from is “Otto” from Biltwell Inc USA. The saddle, handlebar, risers, the gas cap, CV carb top and the footpegs came from Biltwell. Everything from Biltwell was extremely high quality and with a lot of style.

   The whole bike is built around the legendary spun aluminium tank from MOONEYES. I started the project with an original 2003 Harley-Davidson Sportster frame, but instead of following everyone else and making it a rigid, I wanted to keep the twin shocks to have the Old School look. The whole front frame was cut away, the back frame I shorted two-inches and the middle frame was made so the MOONEYES oil tank fit in. A new front frame got built from under the front motor mount to the lowered back frame, everything to get a more fluid and straight line. The frame is three-inches-up with a 39-degree rake and the fork is 10-inches-over with five-degrees in the triple trees.

  Instead of a lot of MOONEYEs-inspired builds that are all the famous MOONEYES-yellow, I wanted the same brushed aluminium effect as the oil tank so that started the hunt for aluminium parts.

  The gas tank is a stretched Sportster aluminium tank from Easyriders Japan, the back fender is a Tsunami from Lowbrow Customs. The front fairing is from Hippy Killer Garage that needed a lot of grinding because of the bad quality of the casting. Everything got wet-sanded to get the brushed aluminium look of the MOONEYES oil tank.

  The idea of the paint I got from the back of the box that some of the MOONEYES parts come in. To give it a racier look and put some MOON-yellow on, I decided to make two yellow stripes all the way through the bike that makes a frame for the Mooneyes logos in the middle. The rest is brushed aluminium with clear coat.  The frame, swing arm, fork and all the parts that aren’t brushed iron ore yellow were powder coated in satin black. I don’t think there is a piece on the bike that is chromed!

   The wheels are original old 16-inch and 19-inch Sportster mag wheels from the ‘80s. The wheel centers were painted in satin black and the edges were ground down to get that brushed aluminium look along with an aluminium sprocket in the back. The brake and clutch leavers are from a 2006 Sportster with all electrical switches removed and replaced with LC Fabrications Switch Housing Delete for both the brake and clutch levers. I think it’s a cleaner look. The front brake master cylinder cap is from MOONEYES and the front caliper is from a 2006 Sportster grabbing a DNA rotor. To make the front brake fit the fork I had to re-weld the brackets.

  The engine is a 2003 Sportster bottom end with Hammer Performance 1250cc cylinders and high-compression pistons. The heads are 2006 Sportster XB which is basically the high-performance, better breathing Buell heads and the cams are Hammer Performance.  The engine exhales burnt combustion through a 2-into-1 Screamin’ Eagle exhaust. The clutch is EMF auto clutch with Kevlar plates. This makes the shifting really fast! You only get off the throttle extremely little and shift. You don’t need to use the clutch lever, you just shift then full throttle again and again right through the five-speed Sportster gear box. It makes about little over 100hp at the back tire. Soon I will try it on a drag strip in a bracket racing class.  Keep your fingers crossed. 😉

Ride hard Ride safe

Peter Ström

Sweden