This Hot Rod Harley-Davidson Is Actually A Sportster

The Sportster is the longest-running Harley-Davidson model currently in production. This is also why it is one of the most customization-friendly cruisers out there. Chopper builds are aplenty when it comes to the iconic Evolution V-twin-equipped Sportster. And Aden Customs from Ohio, United States, has also embarked on transforming a Sportster 883 (the American OG cruiser) into a gorgeous and shiny custom chopper.

Chet Aden of Adens Customs has put in some serious work to transform his daily driver cruiser bike into a visually striking chopper, incorporating hand-crafted bodywork and even chassis mods. The engine receives a significant upgrade as well. This build may look simple, but believe us, once you’ve finished reading through this piece, you will appreciate Aden’s conviction and patience.

This Custom Chopper Is Completely Hand-Crafted

Modifications Run Skin-Deep, Including The Main Frame

Aden Customs goes all-out in modifying this Harley-Davidson cruiser. Its custom chassis was offered by Jesse Bassett from The Gasbox. It is an Evo Sportster frame that Chet has further tweaked, with modified gussets to help the chassis blend better in style and shape for this chopper build. He also included custom gussets to give it a clean look and hide the engine mounts.

Every body panel on this chopper has been hand-crafted by Chet, courtesy of his metal-shaping skills. The fuel tank, rear fender, and oil tank are made from 3003 aluminum in his house. These panels are further buffed and polished to reveal the stunning chrome effect. The industrial look complements the contrasting aqua-marine chassis color. This Sportster chopper features a custom seat pan upholstered by Anderson Custom Interiors. Adding aural drama to this build is a custom stainless steel exhaust system featuring a 2-to-1 tailpipe section designed by Chet. Here’s how Aden describes his build to our friends at Bikebound,

This bike is a lot of fun to ride. It’s fast with the Hammer Performance 1250 kit and it turns a lot of heads. Kids love it.

Based On A 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883

The stock 2006 H-D Sportster 883 is powered by an air-cooled 883 cc “Evolution” V-Twin mated to a five-speed gearbox. It produces 55 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 RPM, with most of the muscle being available as low as 2,000 RPM. While this engine is an evolution of an old-school mill, the 2006 MY came with subtle modern internal features, such as an electronic sequential port fuel injection system. Hardware is straightforward and barebones, featuring a mild steel tubular frame suspended by 39 mm telescopic forks up front and preload-adjustable dual shocks at the rear.

Specs

The Sportster 883 V-Twin Has Been Jacked-Up

With A Hammer Performance 1250 Kit

While not impressive in stock trim, the V-twin is outfitted with a Hammer Performance 1250 kit. It includes larger cylinder heads courtesy of an increased bore and comes with reverse dome conversion pistons compatible with the stock 883 heads. This kit enables the conversion to be performed without removing the engine from the frame. With the kit installed, this custom chopper experiences a significant performance boost. Notably, this is not a closed-ended upgrade, as Hammer Performance also offers a range of conversion kits for the 883, which can increase power to over 120 horsepower. So, Chet Aden can do wilder things with his already-wild Harley-Davidson chopper build.

Modified Engine Specs