Our feature bike built by Tim Firstenberger of Little Comfort Customs in Sarasota, Florida, is my idea of a blue chip investment. Besides being blue, it’s based on a Harley-Davidson Sportster which is a damn good investment in the first place. Talking an older model like this 1993 XL and recalibrating its Evo goodness into a hot little bastard of a bobber is about as blue chip an investment as this blue collar guy (me) gets. I’m a big fan of Tim’s work that has been previously featured on Barnett’s Magazine Online like his Buell-powered hardtail or his striking black and white Sporty or his sophisticatedly clean rigid XL. All of these nicely rad customs have been built with a lot of thought, skill, and good taste, but most of all, they are rideable as well as showable. Matter of fact, I’d say rideable first as every one of his builds are meant to be sold and ridden and just happen to look exceptionally nice too.

   This fine example of affordable bobberdom continues Tim’s winning tradition not only by looking just as fine as can be, but it justifiably took first place in its class at the 2016 Daytona Boardwalk Show. Yup, it’s a winner even before it meets its new owner whoever that might be and will continue to be a winner for years to come after he or she first punches that starter button. From my motorcycle market overview, that’s what I consider a blue chip investment.

  In my lees than humble opinion, Tim’s Sporty is one of those “What’s not-to-like bikes? There’s nothing that’s a surprise when it comes to refurbishing and maybe upping the performance ante while you’re at it. That mill’s been around so long that a lot of mechanics could rebuild it in their sleep and still have an über-reliable power plant. Tim’s done just that with a surgically clean gloss black and raw aluminum finish that’s a delight to look at and a pleasure to hear. Okay, it’s a pleasure to hear if you like raw unfiltered sound which those straight-back pipes are only too glad to do. With the engine drawing its fuel mixture through a simple ol’ carb, this bike should be able to be ridden in a moments notice should Armageddon decide to rear its ugly head. It’s one of the ultimate get out of Armageddon town bikes as far as I’m concerned.

    Compared to some of his other builds,  Tim took this one a little further with some really nice custom wheels and that everybody-loves-a-springer front end to point out the more expensive bits. Tim’s smart choice of wheel and tire sizes immediately struck me not only for good looks, but for their roadworthiness. The front’s not too big or too small or too skinny and the back has a sensible tall sidewall to smooth things out a bit before passing on road vibes to the rigid rear. Personally, I’m not crazy about the rear sprocket brake-only, but I’m sure the Boardwalk Show’s judges did. Through in a springer and a nice looking rigid frame with good proportions and the hits just keep on coming.

   For bodywork, Tim didn’t re-invent anything, but picked what works like a blue chip Sportster tank nicely mounted with a bit of a passive/aggressive attitude and a tidy piece of fender internally mounted on three gorgeous fender stays. A classy cylindrical oil tank with rounded ends and an exposed, but super-sano battery box completes the job. Tim picked an unusual choice (to me anyway) of a bright blue frame against all the black body pieces and hard parts which took me a bit to appreciate at first, but has grown on me a lot. It’s striking, simple, and I would assume affordable and that’s a combo that’s right up my alley. I never would have picked that initially, but I like the look and I like Tim’s style.

  If you’re looking for your own blue chip investment, you might be wise to get in on the ground floor before everybody decides to get in on a good thing and get in touch with Tim Firstenberger on his Facebook page for more info on how to start your own blue chip portfolio.