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Mule Harley-Davidson XR1000 Street Tracker
Photography and Story by Jim Gianatsis • Model Sara Balint
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Richard Pollock is one of the most successful custom motorcycles builders in America, specializing in a unique custom style described as “Street Tracker”. It copies the traditional hard core AMA Dirt Track racers used in completion on ¼ , ½ mile and 1-mile dirt tracks across the United States since the 1960s, then adding on only the very basics in lights, turn signals, a front brake and an engine silencer to make the racing motorcycle street legal.
Richard began racing and building his own dirt track bikes going back 40 years. He is also an avid ocean surfer and settled with his wife in Southern California where he still pursues both these passions when he can find the time. His full-time job is that of a fabricator and master machinist for Northrup Grumman where he helps build American military drones. But most week nights and weekends Richard can be found at home in his small one-car garage building custom ordered Street Trackers under his company name Mule Motorcycles.
His custom Street Trackers are purposeful, fast and fun to ride with their comfortable sit-up riding position like a Super Moto, but usually with much more horsepower in the form of a big American V-Twin engine under the gas tank. Richard first came on the scene some 20 years ago when he won his class at the prestigious LA Calendar Motorcycle Show, then the premier custom bike show in America, and I photographed his winning bike for inclusion in the renown Iron & Lace Custom Motorcycle PinUp Calendar. People liked what he was doing, he began receiving accolades for other new bikes he was building, and soon and customer orders for Mule Street Tracker bikes began pouring in.
Exposed carburetors with K&N Air Filters follow the XR Dirt Track racer style.
Richard Pollock has been specializing in building
Street Trackers for over 20 years.
Comfortable riding handlebars.
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Beautiful Powder Coated Mule Dual Exhaust System
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Digital Speedometer works on GPS
Single caliber rear brake and powder coated rims
on wire spoked wheels.
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Richard Pollock's street legal version of Harley-Davidson's legendary XR750 Dirt Track Racer.
Special fabrication include the rear swingarm, headlight and taillight, the riders's racing seat with tail piece cowling
Calendar Kitten Sara finds this Mule Harley-Davidson XR1000 Street Tracker highly stimulating, and we do too!
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The beautiful fiberglass gas tank and rear seat assembly are painted to look like a production Harley-Davidson.
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Because Richard was running a small operation from his home garage, and his bikes were fun, functional, easy to ride and affordable to buy, Richard would be one of the few custom motorcycle builders in America to survive the Great Economic Recession of 2008 which took its toll off the many of the big name custom V-twin bike builders like Arlen Ness, Jesse James and Orange County Customs. Today, with his full-time job, Richard only has time to build 1-2 bike per month, and recently had customer back orders for 34 bikes!
The Mule Harley-Davidson XR1000 featured here began life as a 1983 production street bike version of the XR750 Dirt track race bike that Harley built exclusively for AMA dirt track racing. The engine was also enlarged in its bore and stroke and sold as an XR1200 street bike. The XR is a 1-piece unit construction engine like the Harley Sportster combining the motor and transmission in one engine case. Richard likes the XR’s 1000cc displacement because it has a nice balance of power and torque, engine response and overall weight.
Other than the XR1000 engine and bare tube frame, nothing is kept from the original stock donor bike. The ugly stock black coffin shaped gas tank is replaced with an XR750 race style gas tank and seat assembly. Modern suspension goes on each end, together with racing brakes and wire spoked aluminum wheels. A digital speedometer mounts to the upper triple clamp and uses GPS location to measure speed and distance, resolving the difficulty and clutter of have to attach a speedometer drive and cable to the front wheel hub. The crowning touch is the Mule Custom Exhaust Megaphone Pies with a Titanium Grey aerospace ceramic coating.
Specifications: 1983 Mule Harley-Davidson XR1000
Donor Bike: Built from Stock, less than 1000 miles.
Special fabrication Aluminum XR750 style fuel tank
First Klass Fiberglass XR750 Seat Base with Saddleman seat pad
Stock style paint by SBK Paint, San Diego, CA
Mule Stainless Steel Flat Track handlebars
A&A Racing adjustable offset billet triple clamps
2008 Triumph Thruxton 41mm Front Forks with RaceTech Valving
2007 Triumph Scrambler Headlight and brackets
1975 Yamaha front wheel hub w/ oversize wheel bearings, Stock H-D rear hub
Sun Aluminum Wheel Rims 19x2.75 Front, 19c3.50 rear power coated Black Chrome
Goldentyre Dirt Track Tires
Ducati 916 Front Brembo brake rotor with Jay-Brake Caliper
Stock rear Rotor with Jay-Brake caliper
Baja Designs and Ducati switches, Barnett throttle
Brembo master cylinder, Crown Performance brake lines
Mule Custom Exhaust Exhaust Megaphones
Racetech adjustable rear shocks
Lightweight Cromoly side stand, fork stops, and removable rear seat loop
Shorai Lithium Battery (saves 11 lbs)
Engine covers Black Wrinkle powder coated
Price: USD $28,500
www.FastDates.com/IronLaceGarage.HTM
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