88 cubic inches, 460 pounds, this thing screams.
Check out how 2Tired Hal built his Rocket88.
After 30 years working in Silicon Valley doing software development and support, Hal has started up a one-person fine art digital print business amidst the redwoods of Humboldt County, California. Check out the website at lucid-works.com . The pay is much less, no benefits, hours are longer. But, he's working for himself. Working all day at the computer in his home leaves little time for riding nowadays.
I've been riding now for over 40 years on an assortment of fifteen different bikes. Some Italian, Japanese, Spanish, German, and some American. In 1965, I became in awe of a Sportster stroker that came in to Chubbuck's HD in Pasadena. Never has a bike impressed me like this one did. A Sportster is primitive, simple, and powerful. There are much more sophisticated bikes, faster bikes, lighter bikes. But, there are none that hold the spell on me that this one does. That's the kind of thing that I wish for all bike owners.
Noted Ironhead restorer, Fred Fortune, said of the soul of the Sportster, "raw, visceral, metal-to-metal narrowness of a 1911 Colt automatic."
I originally bought the bike in early 1998 from the Warren's HD in Salinas, California. Paid MSRP and had the standard frustrating breakin ride home to Mountain View. Soon after the breakin was over, I paid the "Harley tax" which is freeflowing airfilter, exhaust, and one size up on the jets.
When we were building our house in Fieldbrook, I came up with a three year plan for the bike. Since I had been rev'ed up by the XL-List forming the first Internet racing team, I decided to start with the motor.
The next phase was the suspension and brakes. Those included PM four piston differential bore brakes on the front with Goodridge SS lines. The suspension is Race Tech emulators and springs upfront and Progressive 418's on the back.
The third phase was going to be sheetmetal and paint. Later, I decided to stay black and get rid of the stock taillight and go with the smooth lines of a VRod taillight.
The 88"conversion was completed on March 25, 2003.