If there is one the man who knows how to get every last bit of performance out of a flat tracker, is Richard Pollock. The man known as mule has been building (and racing) them since long before Bike EXIF was even conceived, and has built some of the most luxury-worthy trackers ever to grace these pages. So it’s no wonder that his latest creation – a full-throttle Hooligan flat track racer-is such a tour de force.
If you’re not familiar with the American Grand National Hooligan Championship, it’s a flat track series aimed at enthusiasts who race high jump road bikes. The rules are straightforward; you can run any road legal production bike over 649cc, with an open book on engine, suspension and wheel mods. But you can’t cut and weld the steering neck to change the geometry, and you can’t change the shock mounts on the side of the frame unless they’re bolt-ons.
There is also a minimum weight limit of 370 lbs, and each bike needs a wheelbase of at least 56 inches. From there, it’s up to each racer to find creative ways to make their bike go faster and turn harder left. Fortunately for Mule, he’s been around long enough to know all the solutions.
“Having raced the Hooligan class every year since 2018 on a Sportster-based bike, I decided to build the ultimate class-legal bike for this year,” he tells us. “Given the limitations, my goal was to break the minimum weight rule and get to the point of having to add weight.”
Mule started by sourcing a Buell X-1 Lightning from eBay, specially chosen for its main frame cycle. “It’s 10 lbs lighter than the lightest Sportster frame,” he explains, “and has a removable cast aluminum subframe, which I’m not going to use anyway.”
With the Buell stripped down to the bare bones, Mule began to work its magic. First, he fabricated a lightweight chromoly swingarm and subframe, along with a bolt-on upper shock mount. A friend and former colleague from his days in the aerospace industry helped, by printing 3D prototype shock mounts until the design was perfect.
The mounting system uses titanium plates, bolted to the top end of a custom Penske shock. It’s a trick setup, but it distracts from an even trickier modification that’s further down the line.
“On the original Buell road bike, the motor and aluminum swingarm pivot shafts were rubber mounted,” explains Mule. “Now the engine is rigidly mounted, incorporating a billet swingarm and rear engine mount that allows full adjustability of the engine’s position in the frame. Forward, aft, up, down and axial rotation; bam, how do you like me now?
At the opposite end of the bike, a set of Mule Motorcycles yokes attach Yamaha R6 forks, fitted with steel plug extensions from JJ Flairty. The wheels use Durelle Racing hubs, Sun rims, stainless steel spokes, and Dunlop DT4 tires. The rear brake uses a Beringer caliper and rotor, with the former mounted on a Mule caliper mount.
The rear wheel hub also has a custom internal spud that not only allows for easy gear changes, but also allows Mule to “flip” the rear wheel between races. The idea is to ensure uniform wear on the tread of the tire, since flat trackers are always torching the left side of the tire.
Mule has a list of engine mods that balance power and reliability, so he threw the book at the V-twin mill. The crankcases and crankshaft went to Dark Horse Crankworks for heavy rods, fresh bearings, balancing and assembly. The top end was sent to Branch & O’Keefe in California for extensive head mods, proprietary pistons and boring.
Displacement is still 1,200cc, but the engine now has Red Shift cams, Jim’s Machining roller rockers, and a Dyna ignition. The stock carb was rebuilt and modified by Randy Troy Carburetion Specialties. It is fed air by a ForceWinder intake and K&N filter, which offers much more right knee room than the OEM air cleaner.
Since hooligan tracks are usually short, Mule never goes beyond second gear. So this race bike uses a two-speed transmission with a Barnett Scorpion clutch, shaving another 12 lbs. “The engine has a lot of torque and great pulling power, so it can easily pull much higher final gears if needed,” he adds.
Careful eyes will notice that the primary stage of the bike is not quite original. The OEM clutch cable attachment sits really low and has a habit of snapping in the event of a low. So Mule cut off the cover, turned it about 45 degrees, and then soldered it back on, effectively keeping the cable attachment point out of harm’s way.
The modification required fine work, so Mule used a wire EDM cutter to split the primary cover. It is a machine commonly used in aerospace manufacturing as it removes only about 0.01″ of material. The front half of the case has also been cut and closed, and fitted with a custom cover.
“The cover facilitates precision ignition timing as opposed to the ‘factory cave’ way of putting the bike in gear and rocking the wheel back and forth while tapping into a small inspection hole,” he tells us mule “It still takes two people, but it works like a charm. Yes, there are other ways to do it… but this is my way.”
Notably, this flat tracker sports the smallest bodywork we’ve ever seen on a Mule build. A thin aluminum fuel tank sits on top of the frame, made up of several parts, including a couple of radial sections from a vintage Husqvarna fuel tank. Built by Mule’s friend Chuck Connell, it holds just 1.3 liters of fuel – enough for the short, but furious, races the bike will undertake.
A custom oil tank sits further back, with its filler cap located at the front, mounted on a long hose. The spigot that connects the hose to the reservoir, and the oil tank breather, are both placed inside the frame – so there is nothing that can get into the rider’s leg.
Finishing touches include a two-into-one exhaust body, a Fiberglass tail section from Competition Sheet Metal, and a Corbin hand-made pillow. The cockpit is a typical Mule affair – packed with only the essentials and super-duper tidy.
But the best aspect of this build is the way the minimalist bodywork adds just a dash of zest to a beast that unapologetically puts its mechanical nature on display. Arranged by SBK Paint, it’s a no-nonsense delivery for a no-nonsense machine.
Mule Motorcycles | Instagram | Images from Bart Cepek
