According to the builder, The Garage at Ray Price in Raleigh, North Carolina, “This bike was taken in on trade in very rough shape. The gauges were mounted upside down, the tank was held on with leather straps and we saw a gem just dying to be rescued.” And, rescue it they did with a surprising plan that makes a hell of a lot of sense the way the tides are turning in the less expensive end of the bike world. One of the hottest items today are scramblers witness the extremely successful Ducati and Triumph scramblers for those who would like you to think they ride off road, yet rarely, if ever do that. Like anything Harley, it’s all about the looks and The Garage at Ray Price doesn’t disappoint.
Built from a 2001 Sportster XL1200C, the slightly raked custom model that would seem to be the last choice for an off roader/scrambler/street tracker might have an ace up its sleeve because of just that. More rake means slower steering and, usually, more straight line stability. All good things for a custom, but maybe not for a pukka dirt bike or is it? If you were trying to wrangle this build, that TGRP calls, wait for it, The Scrambler, on a fast dirt road it just might be a bit easier to maintain control of the bike at speed that still weighs way too much for a dirt bike in my opinion, but that’s just one nut’s opinion. If used just on tarmac, this bike should be a dream to bop around on and look cool like you were getting ready for the Baja 1000 or another attempt at jumping Caesar’s fountains in Vegas.
Luckily, it’s pretty hard to kill the Harley-Davidson Evo-style engine in the Sportster and all this one needed was a bit of freshening up and a little liveliness added along with some visual spunk. TGRP left the black and chrome base of the engine alone as it’s pretty decent looking as is, but did add a high-flow Screamin’ Eagle air cleaner and a high and mighty SuperTrapp 2:2 race-style exhaust that flows along the bike like no stocker ever did. Like Superman, it’s up, up and away! Like any SuperTrapp exhaust, you can add or subtract bolt-on discs to adjust you sound level to exactly what you want. One smart (and way cool) change TGRP made was getting rid of the final drive belt and switching to gold old chain and sprockets. Now, changing the final drive ratio to whatever your heart desires is simple and easy compared to a belt and pulleys. And, like I said, it looks tough and tough equates to cool on a Harley.
The rolling stock was in for some serious changes to make it more adaptable to off-road use while enhancing the already nice street aspect too. TGRP trimmed off some excess fat by replacing the heavy chromed 1200C steel rims with wide-flange OEM aluminum rims from a 1968 Sporty XLCH of all things. Yes, they had aluminum rims on those old Ironheads, ironic isn’t it? That one change shed a lot of rotating and un-sprung weight lending a hand in acceleration, braking and handling. TGRP didn’t take the ’68 XL’s drum brakes along with the rims, though, instead ‘em up to the 1200C’s hubs. This allowed them to fit some lovely floating discs and keep the calipers at both ends. The 19-inch front and 18-inch rear tires have a pretty aggressive block tread worthy of anything calling itself a scrambler or a street tracker (depending on how you view this bike).
The stock 1200C forks still hang off the front end although it’s lost a fender along the way and gained a steering damper. The back end saw a radical change from the OEM Harley shocks to a set of Progressive Suspension’s 412 Series coil-over shocks in a much taller 14.25-inch version for extra travel needed off-road and the right look too. It does look ready to be ridden around a dirt oval with the emphasis on looks ─ again, you know it and I know it, this baby’s built for street stuff over dirt stuff any day. One good casual foray off-road would probably be enough for any potential owner anyway. Nothing against the bike, but it’s still gotta be a bit of a beast in the dirt unless it’s pretty hard packed. Hey, that sounds just like any “scrambler” I’ve ever known of.
It was an unfortunately lucky thing that the Custom’s gas tank was also destroyed when they got it as it gave TGRP a perfect excuse to dig up a traditional Sportster tank that really fits the bill much better than the Custom’s would’ve. Less laid back cruiser and more Sporty aggressive. The only other bit of bodywork is the street tracker-style seat/tail section from a company famous for its Sportster dirt bike parts, Storz Performance Inc. in Ventura, California. If anything on this bike says XR750, this little piece of bodywork does. After being topped off with an attractive pleated with red stitching seat with what appears to be real world padding for a change instead of the expected 3/8-inch-thick neoprene pad that does nothing but completely disappear when you sit on it. Someone’s actually going to be able to ride this bike in style and comfort.
A set of cross-braced dirt bike bars sit comfortably high and the reach from the seat to both the bars and mid-mounts looks perfectly acceptable from both a looks and riding standpoint. H-m-m, maybe there’s something to this scrambler thing after all. Using BMX-style bear trap pedals really adds a bit of dirt zing to the mix. The separate speedo and tach adds just a bit of instrumental interest and sit perfectly mounted in clear view behind the crossbar of the MX handlebar. By the way, did you notice the twin bar end mirrors? I didn’t think so as they really sink into the build more than stand out like mouse ears.
One thing unexpected on a not overly elaborate or expensive build like this is the Evel Knievel-inspired paintjob by none other than Jody Perewitz once known as the daughter of Dave Perewitz, but now known as the woman who, when she’s not running dad’s business or traveling over the Bonneville Salt Flats at over 200mph, is a talented custom painter on her own and it shows here. Her take on Evel is instantly recognizable in the red, white and blue metal flake paintjob even if it’s completely different in every way from what he had back in the day. Jody kept the Evel feeling, but without ever stealing a line. As usual, nice job Ms. Perewitz.
Lots of good ideas going on here with this build. It’s a great example of how you could customize your own Sporty in a street tracker-style theme for not too much moolah or find an abused puppy like The Garage at Ray Price did and create your own. Either way, it’s a nice way to get into a custom ride you’d be extremely proud of yet can still use it as an everyday rider if you felt like it. With all the interest in hipster and retro bikes, would this scrambler be a successful model for Harley to incorporate into their lineup? They could also sell it in a Dark Series for those less inclined to show their Evel side publicly. The only problem I see is that if this model was a sales success, Harley-Davidson would have a bit of a hard time sourcing all those 1968 Ironhead Sportster aluminum rims. Hey, when you’ve got a good recipe, you don’t change the ingredients.
For more info on The Garage at Ray Price, visit https://www.thegarageatrayprice.com/.