Harley XR 1000 Custom

Fred Whitehead likes to go fast, and that's a gross understatement. He remembers people refusing to ride with him in his car because of the speed-crazed driving habits of his younger years. For his birthday in 1977, his wife gave him a certificate to the Jim Russell Driving School to get him off the street and on the track where he belonged; that began a successful automotive racing career in southern California. During all this, Fred nursed his interest in motorcycles, riding big-bore Japanese bikes and enjoying all they had to offer.

"I've always liked Harley-Davidsons, but I never found one that could satisfy my urge for high performance. When the XR1000 came out, I bought one and put a set of pipes on it and rode it around for a while. It wasn't enough." Fred told us this as we eyed the blazing orange, highly modified XR1000 that finally satisfied his urge for performance. The orange paint, shot on the stock bodywork by Ken Arno of Blue Silver in Los Angeles, adds a whole different dimension to the Harley, a bike we usually see in subdued blacks or grays. We like it—and so does Fred. The orange adds a brightness that Harleys lack; the Harley racing orange is upbeat and sets the bike apart from the crowd.

Under the vibrant tank lies a potent V-twin built by Bar-tels Harley-Davidson of Culver City, California, and Storz Performance from nearby Ventura. Heads with oversized valves from Branch Flowmetrics are fed by a pair of 39.5mm Mikuni flat-slides that Whitehead absolutely loves. "Storz Performance set up the carbs, and they work well. The bike pulls the wheel off the ground effortlessly in first, and the midrange is tremendous. With this broad powerband the bike is fun to ride."

Whitehead runs his own television and movie production company called Asher-Whitehead Productions, but he originally wanted to race cars for a living. "I never really got it together enough to
make a serious racing effort when I was younger, and then I got married and was forced to get a real job," Whitehead said. "Steve McQueen was my idol, and it's ironic that I later became his agent." Fred's job as an agent eventually led into production and finally to his own production studio with William Asher.

Whitehead's slow metamorphosis in the television production business matches the growth of his involvement in street bikes. "Though I've always had a street bike kicking around my life, I really got interested in these things about a year ago. I got my eyes opened when I took the
advanced session at Keith Code's California Superbike School last year. Getting on the track with a motorcycle was really different for me, and it took me all day to get comfortable and up to speed. I learned so much about countersteering that day; I realized a tremendous improvement in my riding, even though I'd been riding for a lot of years."

While his business and riding career evolved over a period of years, the completion of his XR1000 seemed lightning quick in comparison. After he decided the stocker wasn't enough, it was full-tilt go to build it the way he wanted. Television producers do things on a grand scale. That accounts for Fred's excellent choice of color and top-of-the-line componentry.
Pretty pieces abound on this XR, and the SuperTrapp stainless steel upswept pipes are among the prettiest; Storz fashioned a heat guard that puts the finishing touch on what SuperTrapp created. The eye is also drawn to the black Mitchell wheels, both 18-inchers.

They don't just look good; they reduce unsprung weight drastically and, along with the Dunlop Sport Elites, help out the XR's handling. Storz fit a Ceriani front fork and installed a steering damper to further improve the bike's cornering manners, and Works Performance rear shocks take over from the marginal stockers. This combination brings the 1000's handling manners on par with the engine's output.
Whitehead likes the look of the XR750 flattracker, so his 1000 got a wide handlebar and retained the single stock seat. Storz removed the one-inch Harley bar and replaced it with a conventional Va-inch bar to accommodate the Grimeca master cylinder powering the twin Grimeca calipers that act on Storz cast-iron rotors.

While Whitehead retained the original seat, he wanted to revise the riding position somewhat. Storz Performance accommodated by fitting a set of rearsets originally designed for Motorcyclist's Evolution Cafe project. Whitehead told us: "It took a while to get used to the rearset pegs and the reverse shifting pattern, but it feels much better than where the stock pegs were. The reverse pattern adds a degree of exoticness
to the bike."

Though this Harley isn't as exotic as some bikes that have marched through this magazine, it's a strong combination that doesn't show a weak spot. Whitehead believes it isn't enough to simply look fast, you must be fast. The Harley isn't a poser, nor is Whitehead; on weekends he and a few friends roam the mountains of southern California on their Harleys. This man enjoys high-performance machinery, and his Harley-Davidson XR1000 makes a statement that few other motorcycles could make with such authority.

 Nick lenats

Source Motorcyclist 1987