While scrolling through Instagram and trying to find the next cool bike to repost I stumbled upon Taylor Nagel's page and his freshly built Sportster chopper. I noticed right away it was built around a Gasbox Sportster Rigid Full frame, our Frisco Sportster tank, 4-3/4" Manta Ray Fender, a 2" over Springer and a slew of other parts we carry here at Lowbrow.
With Taylor in Florida I figured I'd ask if he could get a friend to shoot the bike for us so we could feature it up hear on the ole'blog. And boy did he come through with the goods, along with a subtle brag to shoot it on the beach while we are over here buried in two feet of snow. But hey thats Ohio for ya! Anywho check out this sick build and big thanks to Taylor for being a diehard Lowbrow Customer.
Taylor's 1998 Harley-Davidson Sportster Chopper
THE NIGHT IT ALL CLICKED; I HAD TO BUILD A BIKE
One day my buddy, Jose Martinez and I were in the lunch room at work and he was telling me about how he rode his Sporty from California to Florida. I’m all for a cross country adventure so I thought it was rad as hell.
My Grandpa had passed away earlier in the year and he use to build and race bikes back in the 50s/60s with his brothers. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with MS in his early 40s so he couldn’t really move that well anymore. He loved telling me stories about his days of racing bikes and building cars and just wrenching in general.
That night I went home and was thinking about how cool it would be to build a bike in my grandpas memory. He would think that was the coolest shit ever. Years before he passed he told my grandma that he wanted me to have his dog tags from when he was in the Navy and I thought it would be sick to have one displayed on the bike somehow.
That night It all just clicked and I realized that I had to build a bike. After all, I practically grew up on a dirt bike and I missed having two wheels underneath me.
Here is an old photo of Taylor's Grandpa Larry and his Grandma Suzie on a Harley Hummer back when they were really young.
The next day I started scouring marketplace for a bike. My buddy Dan had a friend who had a '98 sportster 1200 for sale and I was all about buying one from someone that a friend trusted, rather than taking a chance on some crusty marketplace find.
Only thing was, it was up in Kentucky, and I was in Florida. Luckily, I had a tattoo convention I was gonna be selling signs at in Iowa in a few months. So, on the way back I made a pitstop in Louisville to check it out. It started right up and sounded good. Only had 20,000 miles on it and was in decent condition so I handed over the cash and we loaded it up in the van.
The somewhat modified Sportster in the van on the way back to Florida from Kentucky.
In those 3 months leading up to buying the bike, I started ordering parts, and doing all the research I could. Todd at Lowbrow's Saturday Sportster Video Series was crucial to figuring things out. I learned a lot by watching that over and over. WOOO!
Within a month of ordering my first part, I had a half assed roller put together. Right when my paycheck was deposited, it went straight to Lowbrow. Was that a smart thing to do financially? Yes it was…
As soon as I got the bike unloaded from the van, I took it for a couple rips, and then started tearing it apart. Just figuring out where things went, and how things worked. I had to figure out what I could use, and what I was going to sell.
Fortunately, the guy I bought it from had already made a few upgrades that I used on the build. I used the motor, exhaust, air cleaner, mid controls, and the tail light. After the first weekend, I had the bike down to the frame, and motor. I felt pretty accomplished after that but, I knew tearing it apart was gonna be the easy part.
The Gasbox Full Rigid Frame and Frisco 2.1 Gallon tank.
Once the motor was out of the frame, I focused on cleaning it up. I knew I wanted to rebuild the top end, not only to make sure everything was clean but, also to learn how to do it. Wrenching on this thing was just as exciting to me as riding it. I replaced all of the gaskets, and put in Wiseco pistons.
I had a helluva time getting the rings compressed because, I bought the wrong ring compressor, so I had to cut it all up, crimp the edges, and squeeze it together with a pair of pliers. I wasn’t going to wait for the correct one to get delivered, so I had to make it work. It was an absolute bitch getting them into the cylinder without damaging anything but, I made it work.
If you’re gonna be impatient, you gotta get creative. Even though this was one of the most nerve wracking parts of the build, it was probably my favorite part. Busting into the forbidden cave of steel and oil and realizing this is the heart of it all. It was awesome.
The initial roller together, still trying to figure things out.
After the motor was all back together and cleaned up, It was time to start putting things together. I figured I would just start and it was gonna go together like legos.. WRONG!! I had to stop and learn about every single step as I was doing it. I would spend entire weekends on a single problem. I don’t have a lathe so I cut wheel spacers with an angle grinder and used the belt sander to fine tune them. Put the wheel on. I took the wheel off, back and forth, until both sides were even.
Then I realized that the sprockets didn’t line up using the 18” wheel and chain conversion kit, so I had to search all over for a spacer that would fit. Once I got the spacer, it didn’t fit with the sprocket, so I had to find a place to machine the center hole. It was like every time I took one step forward, I had to take two steps back. It was so frustrating, but so rewarding at the same time. I just kept picturing the bike done and it kept me moving forward.
Ever closer to being a full on motorcycle.
Once I got the wheels, and the springer front end mounted, I started adding things to make the bike look how I wanted. I bought several different bars, and risers, and 2 different seats, before finding the right fit. I came across B&C Cycles on instagram, and instantly saw how precise, and clean his work was. I ended up going with his 2 up leather cobra seat, and was not disappointed.
The first couple sets of risers were too short, and the bars kept hitting the tank, so I settled on 6” tapered risers with the 8” Z bars, and I love how it looks. Once the bar and riser issue was settled I threw on the classic Kustom Tech master cylinder and clutch lever. Talk about clean and classic! With the bars, seat, and tank on, it was starting to look like a bike!
Now I was able to move it around, and it was starting to feel real! Next on the list was a little fab work. I’ve never welded in my life, and even though I wanted to do it myself I didn’t have the funds or the time to become a welder that weekend… so my buddy Jim and I loaded up the bike, and took it down to Sarasota, to our buddy Joel’s shop to get the fender, and sissy bar mounted. He had built his own bikes in the past, so his knowledge and talents were very much appreciated.
The roller before paint.
At that point, I felt like I was close to being done! But that was far from true. I felt pretty confident that everything I had done so far was right, but in the back of my mind i kept asking myself “is this thing even gonna start? I had plumbing, paint, and wiring left. I hooked up the oil lines, did a fast wiring job, and threw in a battery.
Just had to add oil, and gas, and see what happened! I was nervous as hell that it wouldn’t start, or just straight up catch on fire, and burn the fucking garage down. To my surprise, it fired up on the first try!! It was such a rad moment, realizing that taking my time, and paying attention had paid off. Shit, I felt like I had just invented fire.
I HADN'T BUILT A BIKE BEFORE THIS... BUT I PAINT SIGNS & MONSTER TRUCKS FOR A LIVING
I hadn’t built a bike before this but, I’m definitely no stranger when it comes to paint. I paint signs and monster trucks for a living, so I knew the paint had to be wild. I went back and forth on a few color schemes, but I most of all I wanted to see this bike with a pink flame job.
It was my first time painting a frame and tins, so it was a bit challenging to be honest. The frame was the hardest part. There are so many little nooks and crannies to get into. My buddy Jim McShea coached me through it, so it went fairly smooth, but there’s definitely a run or two in the clear. But like Jim said, “that’s just extra protection!”
"Hogwash"
Putting the bike back together with the new paint was monumental. Once the bike was back together, I had to learn how to solder and do the final wiring. I used a Gremlin Wiring Sportster kit and modified it to fit the Gasbox frame. The only thing I had left to do, was put my grandpas dog tag on the key ring and start it up.
I began tearing the sporty apart on April 15th and started it up in its final glory on December 8th. Just under 8 months worth of weekends and I had my first bike. The first ride was such a surreal moment. I hadn’t been on a bike in over 20 years, other than testing the Sporty, and now I was riding a bike that I built.
That level of accomplishment doesn’t come around very often in life, so when it does, you gonna soak it up for all it’s worth. At some point during the build, something popped into my head that my grandpa used to say when he thought something was bullshit. "HOG WASH!" My brother and I always use to laugh about it so I decided that’s what I was going to name the bike. It’s pink like a hog and I went through some bullshit to finish it.
B-side
There’s a lot of stuff I had to figure out on my own, but I had many questions answered and help from some good people. Big thanks to my friends Jim and Jose for giving me a lot of knowledge throughout the process. Quality Handmade Motorcycles for answering many questions I had and always responding quickly.
Joel and Diego for the welds, Harold with the body work, Maggie for shooting these crispy photos, Nina for lending a hand when I needed one, and Lowbrow for offering so many great products and for providing so much info whenever I was at a standstill. I already cant wait to get started on the next one.
Words by Taylor Nagle
Photos by Maggie Martinez
WHAT PARTS WERE USED TO BUILD THIS '98 SPORTSTER CHOPPER?
Dig this bike, and want to know just what parts were used to build it? You are at the right place! To see just what Taylor used to build his chopper, click here.
TAYLOR'S 1998 SPORTSTER CHOP BUILD SPECS
Let's go to the beach!
General
Owner: Taylor Nagel
Year/Make/Model: 1998 Harley-Davidson XL 1200 Sportster
Fabrication: The Gasbox / Joel Illch / Taylor Nagle
Build Time: 8 Months
1200 XL with a Cv Carb and a Prism Supply Co. Darlington Air Cleaner.
Engine
Year/Type/Size: 1998 / 1200 HD XL / Wiseco Pistons
Carburetor: CV Carb
Exhaust: Upsweeps
Air Cleaner: Prism Supply Co Darlington Air Cleaner
Gasbox Full Rigid Frame for 1986-2003 Harley-Davidson Sportsters
Frame
Year/Type: 2025 The Gasbox Full Rigid Frame for 1986-2003 Sportsters (Frisco TanK Mount version)
Rake / Stretch: 32 Degree neck / Frame has a 4" stretch and 2" drop
Mid USA 2 Over Hardbody Antique Style Springer
Front End
Type / Brand: Antique Style 2" over Springer Front End
Front wheel is a 21" Mid USA Harley Sportster wrapped in a Firestone 2.75-21 Tire
Rear wheel is a HardDrive 18" wrapped in a Firestone ANS 4.00-18 Tire.
Wheels
Front Wheel Size: Mid USA 21" Harley Sportster Front Wheel
Front Tire: Firestone 2.75-21 Ribbed
Rear Wheel Size: HardDrive 18 x 3.5 40 Spoke Rear Wheel
Rear Tire: Firestone ANS 4.00-18
Pink Flame Job
Finish / Paint
Paint by: Top Shelf Signs / Taylor Nagel
Polishing by: Taylor Nagel
Powdercoating: N/A
You can tell its a Kustom Tech because of the stamped K in the master cylinder!
Accessories
Front Fender: Nope (I got sprayed in the face just typing that)
Rear Fender: Lowbrow Customs 4-3/4" Manta Ray Smooth Fender
Gas Tank: Lowbrow Customs Frisco Mount Sportster Gas Tank - 2.1 Gallon Narrow - Bayonet Filler
Handlebars: Modified Cycle Standard 8" Z Bars
Grips: Vans/Cult Moto Grips by ODI
Mirror: Lowbrow Customs Spot Mirror
Hand Controls: Kustom Tech 1" Classic Clutch and Classic Master Cylinder levers.
Foot Controls: Prism Supply Sportster Mid Controls '91-2003 Sportsters
Headlight: Cycle Standard 4-1/2" Chrome Early Model Headlight
Tail Light: EMGO Bates style LED
Turn Signals: My Middle Finger
License Mount: Fabricated by Taylor Nagel
Seat: B&C Cycles @bnc_cycles
Grandpa's Dog Tags as a key chain.
Custom & Special Details or Accessories: I fabricated the caliper brackets from mild steel, polished them and cleared them with Rusto... Real fancy like. Also my grandpa's dog tags I made into a keychain. So a little piece of gramps goes with me where I go.
Taylor and his first build. A 1998 Harley-Davidson Sportster Chop called "Hogwash"
MORE PHOTOS OF "HOGWASH"
Classic Styling
Close up of the front brake assembly
Just a real clean Sportster with a lot of style and ready for miles.
B&C Cycles Seat with a custom tall sissy bar.
Fits right in.
Shiny new rocker boxes, orange and black spark plug wires, clear fuel line, Prism Supply co Petcock, and of course grandpa's dog tags.
Pretty cool way to mount the Lowbrow Customs Spot mirror.
A real nice flame job.
Another good look at that B&C Cycles Seat.
Thats all folks!
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