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It takes a certain knack to  build a retro bobber and make it look…not retro at all, look made back in the day, as we so often say. David Ohrt has been looking at Harleys, stock and custom for decades, has bought many basket cases, built them and sold quite a few to collectors like John Parham.  He knows by nature the right components to use, the best “period” goodies, and where to find them. He came across a basket case 51 Pan and decided that instead of searching for all the right stock components, he would work with what he had at hand. That included some cool Superior brand upswept pipes, original parts.

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Also on his shelf were Flanders bars and risers, another correct period accessory. The stock rear fender is bobbed right above where the hinge used to be, the tail light is a cool original Sparto. The last meet I saw David at he walked away with three springer front ends, and one was chrome if I recall correctly, so that was an easy addition. A cut down seat, stock air cleaner and a wonderful horn complete the design. Except for the speedo. “I doubt I’ll ever restore a Harley Police Special so I decided, what the heck, maybe that will lend a bit of attitude; the appearance of a police bike with a split personality.” Looking for all the world like it was built 40 years ago, you can see Ohrt’s creation “Good Cop Gone Bad” when you visit the National Motorcycle Museum along with over 65 other Harley-Davidsons, stock, custom, competition, including Board Track racers, more than 400 bikes in total from around the globe.

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