About this build.
The F1-XLR was named because of its Formula One racing motivation. The XL refers to the XL Chassis the bike is built on, a new 2012 XL1200N Nightster, and the R stands for “Racing”.
The F1-XLR was built in the East Sussex based Speed Shop as a project that the Dealership had taken on themselves. One, which would test the skills of the team and to celebrate 10 years of being a Harley-Davidson Dealership in the UK.
The brief that the team gave themselves was to create a modern version of the 1920 Board Racers. The donor bike chosen for the build was a Nightster XL1200N. Shaw Speed & Custom had been very successful with this model in the past; builds include the XLST3, XL21 and Faux Patina.
The bike was stripped down and different tanks, wheels and front ends were mocked up. Eventually the parts used include a VROD complete front fork set, Rocker C gas tank which was fabricated and split. The gas tank has been separated holding fuel in one side and oil in the other. The oil lines were braided and built with quick release couplings to aide servicing.
Removing the oil tank from the situation made it possible to play around with the frame and seating area. The seat stay was made after removing the rear section of the frame, the seat was strengthened and given the illusion of floating. The backbone was extended and this extenuates the seats floating look further.
The paint was carefully sourced and is the same used on the Maclaren MP4-27 Formula One racing car. The smokey chrome and candy orange follows Maclaren’s paint pallet.
Like many of the Speed Shop builds, the rainbow stripes have been added to the downtube of the frame. This little touch has been used since the shop won the World Championships in Sturgis in 2010 for the modified Harley-Davidson class. The inspiration for this is the rainbow jersey that is worn by cyclists for winning a World title.
Engineering was always at the forefront of this build; unnecessary items such as battery covers were left exposed, giving rawness to the build. The front cowling that has become a signature Speed Shop look can also be seen on the Bell & Ross Nascafe Racer, Rocker C and Mission Impossible.
The cowling is home to the air filter, breathing system, oil cooler, electrics and ECU. This allows the bike to be free from all visible wiring.
The engine has been tuned on the rolling road and has been boosted by the Harley-Davidson cam upgrade and CNC Ported Screamin Eagle Heads. The cherry on top was the Covington rockers made for twin cam models, but were re-engineered and machined to transform the top of the Sportster motor.
Other details included the LED Stop tail and indicator lights, all housed in the seat. PM Controls are all anodized, including the handlebars, master cylinder, switchgear and calipers. The bikes stopping power has been enhanced by the 13-inch rotors on the front wheel.
The bike was completed, and shown at only two events before it was sold, another great success for the Speed Shop.
