2012 Harley-Davidson XL1200 Sportster

Developing Speed: 2012 Harley-Davidson XL1200 Sportster What is it that makes certain motorcycles look fast? In the case of this custom 2012 Harley-Davidson XL1200 Sportster, it’s the perfect blend of sleek bodywork, carbon fiber elements, and performance mods that make it look good as well as boost horsepower. At the same time, the venerable Sportster has a bit of a retro look, easily feeling at home alongside classic café racers. The Sportster is an unusual choice for a custom build platform, which is more often based on one of the Big Twins, but Saddlemen’s Heath Pinter enjoys doing things differently. For Pinter, customizing a smaller bike was half the fun. “It was neat to take a Sportster, which is an entry-level bike for a lot of people, and take it out of its wheelhouse,” Heath says. “It’s got Screaming Eagle components in the engine. For a Sportster, it is unbelievably fast.” The Sportster was purchased with the idea that it would serve a dual purpose, becoming both a custom for entry in the 1 Moto Show as well as a development bike for new Saddlemen parts. “It was a good opportunity to build something custom for that show, and it made sense to develop some custom products while I was building the bike,” Heath notes. One of the products that was developed during the course of the build is Saddlemen’s Narrow Glide front fender in carbon fiber (available 4th quarter 2025). 19-inch wheels continue to be popular, and this fender is designed to work perfectly with them. To make the fender, the Sportster was equipped with a 19-inch wheel, then put on the lift to be used as the motorcycle version of a mannequin. Heath got to work on the shape of the fender, ensuring the space between the tire and fender was uniform from the leading edge to the back of it. Once the shape was perfected, a mold was made so the fender could be reproduced in carbon fiber. Another Saddlemen piece on the Sportster that required careful measurement was the new S-RT Mini-Fairing. Accented with carbon fiber especially for this build, the Mini-Fairing is paired with Saddlemen's matching lowers, giving the Sportster a distinct club-style look. Compared to a traditional FXRP fairing, the reduced size of the Mini-Fairing adds to the sleek, fast look of the bike, too. Before the fairing could be added to the Sportster, though, it had to be designed to fit with the stock triple trees. Finally, it was designed to accommodate a standard 5 ¾-inch light bucket. Not surprisingly, the seat is a Saddlemen design, too. The Tuck ‘N Roll stitching of this Step-Up seat adds to the retro-racer style of the build. When it came to the wheels, braking components, fork lowers and forward controls, Heath turned to Performance Machine. He knew their parts would have a finish and quality that would match the Saddlemen components, and it was a fun chance to work with friends in the industry. Whether we’re building to win races or custom bike shows, Saddlemen innovation is what drives our brand. Explore the Saddlemen lineup to customize your own Sportster here: https://www.saddlemen.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=Sportster&description=true