Bolt on body kit for Sportsters
At American Iron Garage we applaud the do-it-yourselfer— the guy tucked away in his garage or basement or shed modifying his bike with his own two hands. There’s nothing like doing some mods to your bike to personalize it. And the fact that you did it yourself somewhat guarantees nobody else’s bike will be just like yours.
However, there’s a lot to be said for well designed, prefitted kits, too. They offer fewer headaches, easier installation, less time off the bike, and sometimes cost less than trying to fabricate something from scratch.
Enter this Harley-Davidson Café Custom Tail section for 2010 and later XL883N, XL1200CX, XL1200N, XL1200V and XL1200X Sportster models. Everything comes in the box to convert your plain-Jane, all-too common- looking Sporty into a solo seat-equipped customized café bike.
The kit is available unpainted or prepainted in a variety of factory Harley finishes. The first one to go on the market was the Vivid Black version, so that’s what we requested from The Motor Company. See the sidebar for a complete list of the available custom colors.
Harley likens the look of this bump-tail to Sportster-based racing and performance bikes of the ’60s and ’70s, such as the iconic 1977-78 Harley-Davidson XLCR Café Racer model. Personally, I don’t think it looks exactly like the XLCR (a favorite bike of mine), but it absolutely presents the highly popular modern café theme.
This kit quickly converts your Sporty to a single seater, so you can dump the rear passenger footpegs for a cleaner look. Just add some lower handlebars and mid- or rear-set foot controls, and you’ll immediately have a more aggressive riding posture.
This tail section is completely bolt-on; no cutting, welding, or frame modifications. Just a few hand tools were all that was needed, so put the torches away. Also, the installation is reversible, so you can easily convert your bike back to the stock look if you desire. Overall, the installation was a snap and didn’t take long at all.
A side benefit of installing this kit is the one-year limited warranty on accessory parts offered by Harley-Davidson.
TECH TIP: Remove the rear fender by jacking up the bike’s chassis and removing a shock bolt from both rear shocks to let the swingarm hang down. You’ll gain added clearance and won’t have to remove the rear wheel.
STEP 1
Remove the stock Bobber seat. Simply pull up on the front of the seat to release. No tools required for this step.
STEP 2
Pull off both vacuum hoses located beneath the plate at the base of the tank.
STEP 3
Remove four bolts from the base of the gas tank using a 1/2″ socket. You’ll need to lift a rubber cover to remove two of these bolts.
STEP 4
Remove the stock Bobber seat. Simply pull up on the front of the seat to release. No tools required for this step.
STEP 5
Pull off both vacuum hoses located beneath the plate at the base of the tank.
STEP 6
Remove four bolts from the base of the gas tank using a 1/2″ socket. You’ll need to lift a rubber cover to remove two of these bolts.
STEP 7
Remove the stock Bobber seat. Simply pull up on the front of the seat to release. No tools required for this step.
STEP 8
Pull off both vacuum hoses located beneath the plate at the base of the tank.
STEP 9
Remove four bolts from the base of the gas tank using a 1/2″ socket. You’ll need to lift a rubber cover to remove two of these bolts.
STEP 10
Remove the stock Bobber seat. Simply pull up on the front of the seat to release. No tools required for this step.
STEP 11
Pull off both vacuum hoses located beneath the plate at the base of the tank.
STEP 12
Remove four bolts from the base of the gas tank using a 1/2″ socket. You’ll need to lift a rubber cover to remove two of these bolts.
STEP 13
Remove the stock Bobber seat. Simply pull up on the front of the seat to release. No tools required for this step.
STEP 14
Pull off both vacuum hoses located beneath the plate at the base of the tank.
STEP 15
Remove four bolts from the base of the gas tank using a 1/2″ socket. You’ll need to lift a rubber cover to remove two of these bolts.
STEP 16
Remove the stock Bobber seat. Simply pull up on the front of the seat to release. No tools required for this step.
STEP 17
Pull off both vacuum hoses located beneath the plate at the base of the tank.
STEP 18
Pull off both vacuum hoses located beneath the plate at the base of the tank.
MORE CHOICES: A quick check of the 2018 Harley-Davidson P&A catalog shows that more factory color options have been added. See your local dealer for pricing.
Fits 2010-later XL883N, XL1200CX, XL1200N, XL1200V & XL1200X models
- 59500644 Unpainted
- 59500560BYM Black Denim
- 59500560EFW Bonneville Salt Denim
- 59500560EEP Chameleon Flake (HCC)
- 59500689EGB Electric Blue/Silver Fortune
- 59500560EFC Industrial Gray Denim
- 59500689EGL Industrial Gray Denim/Black Denim
- 59500560EEL Legend Blue Denim
- 59500560EEO Shattered Flake (HCC)
- 59500560EFD Sumatra Brown
- 59500560EFH Twisted Cherry
- 59500560DH Vivid Black
- 59500560EFF Wicked Red
Separate purchase of License Plate Bracket Kit P/N 67900360 for Canada models or P/N 67900359 for HDI models is required.
CONTINUE THE LOOK: To complete the stripped down café racer look and feel, Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories offers some additional parts for Sportsters. Low slung clip-on handlebars, tidy bar end mirrors, and rear-set foot controls are also available individually. Since not every Sportster owner has a fully-equipped garage, or the time and expertise required to scratch-build a custom motorcycle, Harley-Davidson Café Custom accessories have been designed to provide factory-quality fit and function with no cutting, welding or fab work required for installation.
Low, narrow gloss black clip-on handlebars P/N 55800647 39mm fork, P/N 55800668 49mm fork, P/N 55800646 55mm fork; $249.95).
Round bar end mirrors (96 and later Sportsters) P/N 56000133 Right Hand upright position, P/N 56000134 Left Hand upright position; $99.95
The new rear set foot controls P/N 50700040 Gloss Black, $699.95
Harley seems to have discontinued this. Any Idea where some might be. Harley-Davidson Café Custom Tail section