The 'old' Sportster might be closing in on retirement but its popularity shows no sign of fading. In fact, in the hands of customizers employing new technology and mechanical advancements, the XL platform is being pushed into the future. Chet Perez, the owner of Florida-based Cohn Racers, is one such visionary builder who is taking things to a whole new level.

Perez calls his concept 'Muscle R2.' The build has all the basic trappings of the waning Sportster Scrambler fad, but there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. It begins with a philosophy. At the core of the project is an approach wrapped around the company's guiding tenets that include timeless design, performance, and exclusivity.

Originally from Spain, Perez was born into a motorcycle family. He started racing bikes at an early age, but career aspirations eventually led him to California, where he went to work at Apple Inc. Like many enthusiasts, riding was always on his mind. So much so that he left his job in 2017 to pursue his passion and start a motorcycle garage.

Perez reflected on the early days of Cohn Racers in a 2022 Bike EXIF interview. He equated starting a bike shop to “jumping into the deep end,” and emphasized, “You don’t know how hard it is to start a motorcycle shop until you actually do it.” His turning point arrived in 2019, with an XR1200 build—the first in the Muscle R series.

Muscle R2 pulls heavily from the project's first iteration. Perez may have left the tech world behind, but kept virtual processes as a central pillar. The Muscle R2 chassis is a proprietary mix of an XR and rubber-mounted XL frame. Using a 3D scanner, both frames were digitally captured, combined, and then 3D printed so a jig could be built.

The proprietary frames are produced in titanium alloy. Along with the swingarm, the chassis can be tweaked to the requirements of individual clients. The one-off frame cradles an XL1200 Evolution-based motor that has been groomed to produce 100 horsepower. A downdraft intake system was designed and CNC-milled from aluminum, while spent gasses exit via Akrapovič titanium mufflers.

Öhlins suspension was used on both ends of the build. Brembo brakes supply the necessary stopping power. The triple clamps were designed to perfectly house the speedometer and headlight, then CNC-machined in-house out of billet aluminum. Emphasizing the importance of technology in his build process, Perez noted, “Being able to model things on CAD lets you work ahead.”

The gas tank was laser cut from an aluminum sheet and welded together. Carbon weave was used on numerous composite parts for both practical and aesthetic reasons. A choice of paint and seat leather is offered to prospective clients. This attention to detail is followed by exclusivity. Production of the custom-framed Sportster is limited to ninety-nine examples. Pricing starts at $45,100.

Credit: hdforums, Photos courtesy of Cohn Racers

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