THIS SPORTSTER BUILD WAS THE BIKE THAT TAUGHT DEAN EVERYTHING HE NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT HARLEY-DAVIDSON. STARTING AS A COPART WRITE-OFF, IT BECAME HIS HANDS-ON PROJECT, WHERE HE LEARNED THE INS AND OUTS OF HARLEY CUSTOMIZATION. FROM STRIPPING IT DOWN AND REBUILDING IT IN THE “JAPAN STYLE BOBBER” FASHION TO ADDING A FOOT CLUTCH AND JOCKEY SHIFTER, THIS BIKE BECAME THE FOUNDATION FOR HIS DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON MECHANICS, STYLE, AND CULTURE. IT WAS MORE THAN JUST A BUILD—IT WAS A FULL EDUCATION.

DEAN GOT HIS HANDS ON AN INDIAN SCOUT 60 5-SPEED AS INDIAN SALES WERE PICKING UP IN THE UK. LIKE A HARLEY, THE SCOUT WAS HIGHLY CUSTOMISABLE, WHICH MADE IT A GREAT PROJECT. HE INITIALLY FITTED IT WITH A BEACH BAR, THEN SWITCHED TO 14” APE HANGERS. THE REAL TEST CAME WHEN HE INSTALLED A T-SPORT CLUBSTYLE FAIRING, WHICH REQUIRED MOVING THE HEADLIGHT FORWARD BY AN INCH AND OTHER MECHANICAL WIZARDRY.

DEAN HAD ALWAYS DREAMT OF OWNING A CLASSIC CHOPPER, AND WHEN HE FOUND A 1986 HARLEY CHOPPER HARDTAIL WITH AN OLD 1100 XLH 4-SPEED EVO MOTOR AND TOWERING 20” APE HANGERS, HE KNEW HE’D FOUND SOMETHING SPECIAL. ORIGINALLY BUILT BY A SMALL CUSTOM SHOP IN EDINBURGH, THE BIKE HAD UNDERGONE A MAJOR OVERHAUL, TRANSFORMING IT INTO A SHOW-STOPPING MASTERPIECE. ITS VINTAGE SOUL REMAINED, BUT NEW CHROME AND CUSTOM WORK MADE IT AN ICONIC PIECE OF ART.