Harley-Davidson Sportster Hop-Up & Customizing Guide Paperback – Illustrated, July 17, 2014

I wasn't sure what to expect from the book. I've only thumbed through the pages, not reading the chapters. This review should probably be considered invalid.

LOTS OF INFORMATION!

Since rebuilding a seriously wounded 1964 Harley-Davidson XLCH Chopper and several more Sportsters, Todd Zallaps knows a thing or two about this popular bike. He even has years of experience as an academic journal editor so he knows how to prepare an instruction manual like this.Now, I don't know if Allan Girdler is really into rebuilding bikes so much, but he definitely know more about them than anyone I know. If you are looking forward to a Sportster project, his book on the bike's history,  Harley Davidson Sportster , has fantastic images and info. If you had that and this new Harley-Davidson Sportster Hop-Up & Customizing Guide, you will be in great shape. Just set a good plan and follow Zallaps.

Its an OK book on Sportsters but not of much value to a builder on his first outing. The cafe build is borderline ugly and the chop is marginally better - the bikes on the cover are not the bikes being built - which I was kinda led to assume.There is no detail or no hints at how to mark your frame pre cut and point out where you should or shouldnt cut.No detail on the internal wiring at all - which is what Im currently stuck on - I wanted to know where to drill the holes and how to thread the wire through - he mentions that he is intertnally wiring one of the bikes but thats the last I read about it.Things like tyre width, tank placement, detailing your engine, how to rid your bars of the unsightly Harley controls, where to put your brake fluid reserve, how to keep cables tidy and out of view, what if you need to run turn singals - all things a novice chopper builder needs to know are absent.If you've never surfed the net then this book would be useful - otherwise I'd pass.

Great read. Really helped me with my old sportster

I was expecting more motor building buy instead its more about chopper and brat bike building if your into then its good for that it just weak on the engine building side, I like hot-rodded bikes so its not much good for me personally