Hide 883 Sportster

Hide 883 Sportster

Over forty years ago, there was a television commercial that asked, “Have you ever wondered how the snow plow driver gets to work?” The answer was in a VW Beetle. In the same vein, I’ve often wondered what machines custom motorcycle designers choose. Well, this is the bike that Wakako Togashi, designer at Hide Motorcycle, rides to work every day. It’s based on a 2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883R, and Wakako describes it as “very comfortable riding”. The concept is “Old racer and dirt tracker”, and Wakako has fitted a custom fuel tank, rear fender and leather seat. He’s also liberally sprinkled his Sportster with parts from the HideMo catalog, including new bars, an air cleaner cover and a tail lamp and license plate kit. Little details abound, including new turn signals, coils and even a new key cylinder, while the tires are the requisite classic-look Firestones. Exhaust duties are taken care of by a beefy 2-into-2 SuperTrapp muffler, and the whole shebang has been lowered for better handling. It’s a sharp lookin’ machine, but equally importantly for a commuter bike, it’s as reliable as a stock Harley. It might not get Wakako to work in the snow, but it’ll certainly stop the traffic.