Shavonna by Jesse Rooke
Jesse Rooke showed up at the AMD show with Shavonna to compete in the Modified Harley-Davidson class. It's a modified 883 Sportster, single sided swingarm, Trask Performance turbo and pieces from Storz, Ohlins and more. I like the look and it's not so radical that another builder couldn't do much the same thing. Sometimes not knowing what to do keeps an owner from doing what he could, seeing a bike like this shows how all of the pieces look together. Interesting.
Link: AMD Championship
{ 24 comments }
Looks great, fine job, but a retro-Yamaha paint scheme?
kind of Roland Sands meets Mule Motorcycles
very nice
No one makes streets trackers as good as Richard Pollock..Check it out; http://mulemotorcycles.net/XS650-yamahas-1.html
Markkit, we’ve covered Mule Motorcycles here and
here plus mentioned him other places, too. Yes, Richard does fine work.
the sportster that harley should produce.
quick question. is the upper side of the chain resting on the joint where the swing arm connects to the frame? isn’t that bad?
@taxman, most likely has a nylon roller/tensioner like most motorcrossers…No way it is resting on the swingarm mount. Unless, when the suspension is compress with a rider’s weight, it lifts off of it.
good to know. many more pictures of the bike on rookes website. they all are without the turbo though.
there are also a number of other customs in the amd championship this year that seem to be more performance oriented than chopper/bobber style. many of them look like they are actually rideable. maybe not for a weekend trip. but lots of fun for a nice canyon ride or track day.
taxman, I also noticed the move toward rideable customs, lots to choose from, much less of the old stretched style. That’s a good move.
This bike has been around for a few years now……at least 18 months.
Rooke has some good ideas, but doesn’t do most of the work himself. He just contracts others to do it all for him. Whatever.
He doesn’t impress me.
@WT – design is also a skill.
That is a nice looking bike from a European perspective it needs a chain guard but apart from that it may even be the style that would persuade me to buy an American bike. It looks like quite a tight and neat design that would be a whole lot of fun in the real world.
Jesse is known for his spindly bicycle type motorcycles so it is nice to see him do something different.
I’ve never really got on with Sportster based trackers, they usually look just too big. This one has got the proportions spot on, whilst looking like it’ll kick your head in. Not sure about the paint, I’m sure I had some trainers (sneakers you over the pond
) that looked like that in the 80s! Other than that very nice work indeed.
As you say, shows what can be done with a Sportster.
check out http://www.toddscycle.com and tell me that even jesse’s designs aren’t that original. think maybe someone else is even doing design work????
Now that looks like a harley that I could think twice about owning.
Shavonna? I think I’ll rename my Bonneville “Madame Marjorie.” And my Harley flathead, she will be “Bertha.”
Check out my XL 600 Street Tracker
http://street-tracker.blogspot.com/
@thierry: man i absolutely love that bike. i was actually thinking of doing the same to mine. well its a 1980 xs400.. heh if you know how many hours ive spent looking at that your bike. the kneeslider should do an interview with you.
Thierry, your bike is awesome. Where did you put the battery? Oh wait, you have a kick start. My XR650 doesn’t have a kicker so I have a big battery to deal with. Did you lower the suspension?
-todd
Except for the beachball rear tire, I really like the proportions and overall look of Rooke’s bike. Too bad Sporty’s are way to small for me.
a bike is only to small for you if your knees get in the way and prevent you from turning. i would understand you if you said that you prefered a more relaxed riding position. my personal opinion is that a sportster is a BIG bike. at least size wise.
I’m 6’3″ and Sportsters are still a little big for me but that’s just preference. This one looks like the seat is up to around 34″ high so it’s probably too big for many people.
-todd
What a strange wastegate setup, it looks like it only releases exhaust from one of the runners, unless there’s another wastegate that I can’t see. A wastegate for only one cylinder seems like it would mess with the pulses going to the turbo quite a bit.