Massachusetts Gold

Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination and a hard to find alloy called guts …

- Doc

Gold. The most precious of metals. Gold is the colour of success, achievement and triumph. Gold is the colour of the winner; first place medals are always in gold. And this golden Sportster is a winner by any standard or metric.

Yes, it is yet another superb custom built by those Massachusetts Masters of Metal, Mark and Paul Shadley, several of whose bikes we have featured in these pages over the years.

My first view of the shots of this ride hit me like a punch in the guts. It created in me an instant desire to throw a leg over it. To thrash it through some tight, winding roads, taking full advantage of its power-to-weight ratio. And enjoy its upgraded suspension and generous ground clearance as I flick it from apex to apex!

Now that old biker boy from Avon, one Billy Shakespeare, put it well in Hamlet when he opined that, “the clothes maketh the man” and I’m going along with him on this. Think for a moment, what this bike would look like if it were finished in rattle can flat black? Cool? Yes, but absolutely not a showstopping custom as it does with this fantastic and highly detailed gold paint with its intricate patterns and designs.

This bike first came down the line in 1971, an XLCH, with an original capacity of 883cc and one of some 6825 produced that year. It wasn’t until 1972 that the bore was increased to 3.18 inches bumping the capacity to 1000cc, though somewhere along the line this one has been bored out.

And that’s not all folks, not by a long shot. While the flywheels and cases are stock H-D the Shadleys went to work on the top end, slotting in Wiseco pistons, chrome-moly valve seats and stainless steel valves, a new set of H-D P-grind cams, an S&S G carby behind a Drag Specialties free flowing air cleaner, and a Dyna ignition.