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Everything you need to know before building a Sportster Chopper using a hardtail kit

Why hardtail your Sportster

Hardtailing your Harley-Davidson Sportster is a great way to build an affordable chopper with thousands of aftermarket parts available for endless customization. It’s also a great option if you want to put the emphasis on riding over wrenching. Using a kit makes hardtailing simple. Additionally, by hardtailing your Sporty’s frame instead of buying a full custom frame, you keep your donor bike’s VIN and dodge pesky custom vehicle inspections.

Chopping a Sportster has never been easier

Hardtailing your Harley-Davidson Sportster is a great way to build an affordable chopper with thousands of aftermarket parts available for endless customization. It’s also a great option if you want to put the emphasis on riding over wrenching. Using the Throttle Addiction Deluxe kit is the best way to turn your Sportster into a chopper. In this video Seth answers some frequently asked questions about the kit. We also hear some reviews from customers who built bikes using the Throttle Addiction Deluxe Sportster Hardtail kit.

What is the best donor motorcycle for a Sportster Chopper build?

Find a Sportster from 1982-2003. Few hardtails and zero kits are made for Sportsters earlier than that. Same goes for 2004 and newer. Starting in 2004 Harley changed up the Sportster frame and rubber mounted the engine. Sure you could hardtail it, but there isn't an all-in-one kit. Conveniently, ‘82-’03 hits the sweet spot for both donor bike price and kit availability.

How to Buy a donor motorcycle for your chopper build

You can keep the overall build price down by selling stuff off your donor bike. Any extras like windshields and saddlebags can be sold. Stock tins can also get you a few hundred bucks back. You’ll get more if they’ve got stock paint, badges, and are dent and rust free. For more on donor bikes, Zach put together an in depth video on the subject.

Consider which engine you want. Our recommended date range covers the last few years of the Ironhead motor through the first years of the Evolution Sportster engine. Reliability and performance will be best the closer to 2003 you get. Choosing an Evolution motor will get you more reliability than an Ironhead, but some prefer the Ironhead look. If you go Ironhead, just keep it newer than 1982. Displacement matters. You can save money by getting an 883. But if you know you’ll want more power down the road it will be cheaper to buy a 1200 off the bat then buying a big bore kit later on.

Should I buy the Deluxe Sportster Hardtail Kit or can I just buy the Hardtail without the kit?

Be honest with yourself about your fabrication skills. Do you know your way around a fab shop? Consider a raw hardtail. Buying the pieces of a kit separately allows for a greater deal of customization and can save money. Never touched a welder but ready to ride a hardtail chop? Or just want to save time? Get the kit and get on the highway pronto.

Installing the Sportster hardtail kit 1982-2003 is as simple as it gets. Here's how you do it in 5 steps:

1. Disassemble a Sportster. 

2. Cut the frame where the instructions tell you to cut it (or take it to any machine shop and have them do it). 

3. Have that machine shop or a buddy weld three tubes together.

4. Spray paint the frame black and put it back together with an extended belt since you stretched the frame 2 inches. 

5. Put everything else back on and take a ride on your chopper.

Obviously you can let your imagination run wild and change a million different things along the way, but that’s really all it boils down to. Zach and Seth made one in 12 hours to show you how it’s done:

Hardtailing a Sportster in 12 Hours

We installed a Throttle Addiction Deluxe Sportster Hardtail Kit in 12 hours! We want to show how simple chopping a Sportster really can be.

Take a look at the instructions for our Sportster Hardtail kit to get an idea of how simple hardtailing the frame is

SPORTSTER 1982-2003 HARDTAIL KIT INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS - VIDEO AND PRINTABLE PDF

SPORTSTER 1982-2003 HARDTAIL KIT INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS - VIDEO AND PRINTABLE PDF

Installing the kit is as simple as it gets. Here's how you do it in 5 steps...

Check it out!

Here’s what all went into our finished hardtailed Sportster chopper