Alistair Renvoize from Penrith, England built the Sportster street tracker I should have built but I did mine on the cheap. Al said...
"Ever since my youth I had dreamt of one day buying an XR750. They are too expensive so I started exploring the possibility of converting a Sportster into a replica. That is when I stumbled across Phil's site on the internet. The products and ethos felt right. I ordered the tank, seat unit, 19" front to rear wheel conversion kit, etc."
I found a donor bike, 89 4-speed model with 14,000 on the clock. This is when the fun started. It was great stripping everything off to the bare bones and selling the parts on e-bay whilst I awaited the boxes from the U.S.
I was impressed with the quality of the parts and couldn't wait to get started. I fitted the 15" progressive shocks and then slowly and gradually built it back up. Phil's parts fitted very well, I couldn't quite get the tank to kiss up to the tail unit, but if I adapt the tank brackets by adding to the fore and aft movement with extensions then things will line up, this winters job maybe. I actually don't mind the slight gap, a lot neater than most XR750s!
Word was getting around what I was building, as I normally do 1940s military bikes, and I was getting visits whilst it was half built.
To get the no fuss look I deposed of all the switch gear off the bars, so no indicators or lights. Don't know about the US but here we can ride on a daylight MOT as long as the brake light works. The ISR controls looked meaty and no nonsense. My biggest problem was lining up the Ultima front wheel with the brake caliper/disc after fitting the Vulcan Works mid-glide trees. This involved a bit of metal skimming to achieve a perfect line up. Phil's front to rear conversion worked well with the Ultima spoked wheel.
I have now got a few miles under my belt with it. It's a real pleasure to ride and the aesthetics look, well, just right! The SXR bodywork is beautifully proportioned.
It has drawn a lot of attention and not just from other bikers but gawping car drivers as well. I think if this next summer I can get to a few shows then we might see a few more XR replicas in the U.K."
