Quick Ride
QUICK RIDE
ROUNDUP
CLASSIFIED 883 Fish & chips, Milwaukee style
EVER GET THE FEELING YOU'RE being stared at? Usually it’s not a good sensation—either you’re unbuttoned somewhere or you’re wearing something you should have eaten.
But when you ride Dan Wilson's Classified 883, you get used to being stared at. In fact, you're likely to be
offended in the rare instance when someone doesn ’i stare. That's because the bike is a present-day 883 Harley-Davidson Sportster that looks, at a casual glance, like a 1950s Vincent Black Shadow. “It's not supposed to be an exact copy of a Vincent,” Wilson says. “It’s just that the Vincent has those classic lines that I was after.”
So Wilson is offering kits to “classify” the Sportster. For $2800, Wilson supplies complete spoked-wheel assemblies, a fiberglass fuel tank, a 2-into-l exhaust pipe, a Vincentreplica seat, stainless-steel fenders, a flat handlebar and British-looking lights. The result is the machine you see here: It’s not a Harley and it’s not a Vincent.
And, in fact, riding the bike isn’t like riding a Harley or a Vincent. It’s still basically Milwaukee iron, but because of the revamped seating position and the no-rise handlebar, the machine feels quite different from a stock Sportster. It’s actually more comfortable. The seat is much more plush and the handlebar, although somewhat wide, gives the rider a slight forward cant. Very unHarleyish. And although Wilson doesn’t claim any horsepower gain from the classically styled exhaust system, his 883 is an exceptionally strong-running unit. The construction of the exhaust pipe, as well as everything in the kit, is very sturdy.
“I overbuilt everything,” Wilson says. “The fuel tank is four layers thick. If it falls against a Cadillac, I want it to leave a big dent in the car, not the bike.” Likewise, the seat base is half-inch plywood and the hubs are made by Performance Machine, a favorite maker among dirttrack racers.
All of which answers how, but not why. “Why not?” asks Wilson, who takes subtle pleasure in all of the weird looks that his bike generates. “If you like the idea and looks of a classic British Twin but can’t afford a Vincent, what else do you ride?”
Fair enough. Wilson builds the kits in batches of 25, after he has deposits. He calls his company the Classified Motorcycle Co. (P.O. Box 565, Carmel Valley, CA; 408/6590329). Some people might call the bike tacky, others might just think it’s weird. But if you’re looking for a British/American neoclassic motorcycle that’s a guaranteed attentiongetter, you won’t do better.
Ron Lawson
