Custom Sportster Nighster Trike

Not often that you see a Sportster trike as cool as this one. I find this conversion not only visually appealing but interesting in the sense that the conversion was done without doing any cutting, welding or even drilling on the stock Harley frame. The one-off trike kit is the work of a builder named Norm Wilding of Trike Works . It was fabricated using a modified DNA housing with one-off axles, hubs etc, to enable the use of stock Harley Forty Eight wheels in the rear. A couple of ladies around me told me they would love to ride one . Another reason to publish it. (picture courtesy Onno Wieringa  courtesy of AMD Championship)

18 Responses to “Custom Sportster Nighster Trike”


  1. 1 alan Dec 1st, 2011 at 4:43 pm

    nice trike with a DNA trike axle this trike axle DNA stole it from us when i ask them to make them for santiago chopper only because this was my design with my friend guss from the netherland
    DNA promess to make them just for us and now everybody have some how to stole a products
    we design and start to built some trike in 1998 with this axle nothing here just piss me off to see my work every where

    alan from santiago chopper

  2. 2 Seymour Dec 1st, 2011 at 6:33 pm

    no but I kinda dig this style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siPIeRdwGUc

  3. 3 Seymour Dec 1st, 2011 at 6:36 pm
  4. 4 steveb Dec 1st, 2011 at 8:33 pm

    this design just doesn’t do it for me appearance wise, the proportions aren’t right:
    bars too big, tank too small, too much tire for the size of the machine

  5. 5 Steve Carr Dec 1st, 2011 at 8:55 pm

    I agree with Alan, I know for a fact this is his design for this trike setup. I have seen many builds from his shop that have been around for years.

    Keep moving forward Alan. Next thing you know, someone will steal your woman from you too!

    The world is full of people that want what you have because they some way can’t do it on their own!

    Stevo

  6. 6 Doc Robinson Dec 2nd, 2011 at 7:00 am

    I’m with Steve and Alan.

  7. 7 skulltrain Dec 2nd, 2011 at 10:48 am

    I will post this again who knows where the first response went ??? ….. it looks like a handicap bike for adults …. dont like it !

  8. 8 norm wilding Dec 2nd, 2011 at 12:31 pm

    Alan, I’ve seen many times Santiago complaining about DNA ripping them off on their rear axle design. I understand that DNA had an agreement with you about manufacturing your design, and didn’t stick to it. But basically, there is nothing special about the design, it’s just a copy of what Harley produced in 1935 for their servi car. I’ve coppied the Harley design myself, and reproduced it in billet (as you can see in many pictures on my site trikeworks.com) but this is expensive, so for a cheaper alternative, I’ll sometimes buy a DNA unit, and with a lot of modification ( including making my own one-off axles) I end up with a unit I can use to mount motorcycle wheels. Santiago build some nice trikes, I just like to build them slightly different (without car wheels). To be polite, I’ve tried to buy the rear ends from Santiago, but Christine told me the best price she can do was $2400, as opposed to $1400 from DNA. (in all fairness, that was a few years ago). DNA are cheaper because they get them manufactured in China. But what can you do ? We’ve both tried to make them in the USA, and we just end up with a “too expensive to use” unit ! I’ve seen some pic’s of your new unit (with the strengthening ribs) LOVE it ! Sell it to me at a price I can use it at……..
    As for Steves comment, “that’s why there’s wallpaper !”

  9. 9 Old Man Young Dec 2nd, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    I can guarantee you Norm is stealing from no one. His work is top notch, and exceeded only by his integrity. He has been building top notch bikes and cars for many years.

  10. 10 Steve Carr Dec 2nd, 2011 at 4:45 pm

    “that’s why there’s wallpaper”

    Call me slow and stupid…..but what the heck does that mean?

    Alan is a friend of mine, he is a professional and very respected through out the country and the world. I know what Alan has built and how long he has been building.

    What does that have to do with wallpaper?

    Stevo

  11. 11 road rash Dec 2nd, 2011 at 7:51 pm

    Let me get in on this one, First of all to NORM and OLD MAN YOUNG, Alan is not making a comment on your build or accusing you of stealing his design as OLD MAN YOUNG emplyed, or how it turned out, he puts out trikes like you have built on a daily basis with his eyes closed, and if there was nothing special about this rear end, then why did you go with this specific rear end ? and back when Harley was producing these trikes they had no slip differential like Alan designed. As far as building new axels to accept motorcycle wheels thats about all the modification you could possibly do everything else was bullet proof, well maybe not now that they are manufacturing them in China because DNA stole his design, the point is this, why would anyone want to buy anything from a company that steels everyone eles design, ALAN PUT HIS CONFIDENCE AND TRUST IN THIS COMPANY AND HAD AN AGREEMENT AND ENDED UP GETTING SCREWED BECAUSE OF ONE SELFESH LOW LIFE WHO THOUGHT $ WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS WORD, I WOULD NOT NOW OR EVER PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM DNA. IF YOU CHOOSE TO BUY AND SUPPORT DNA AFTER KNOWING WHAT THEY DID TO ALAN AS YOU SAID, THEN YOUR A LOW LIFE AS WELL, That would be like me being your best friend, and you and your wife get divorced and me going out with her after.. DO YOU GET MY DRIFT, Nuff Said

  12. 12 road rash Dec 2nd, 2011 at 8:33 pm

    To Old Man Young and Norm Wilding, first off and most important to Old Man Young, Alan isn’t accusing Norm of stealing anything, so go back to your recliner and eat some more potato chips, “always someone out there trying to turn shit around, “Now, to Norm, Yes this is true, Alan went to DNA (Alex Marquez) with confidence and trust, and had an agreement to have DNA manufacture his design for Alan only, and manufacture Alans design he did, not only did he do this, he started selling these rear ends to everyone once they were manufactured, and put them in his catalog as well. The point here is this…. Alex is not worth the toilet paper he wipes his ass with, (if he even wipes his ass), he is not a man of his word or for that matter not even a man to back stab a fellow bike builder who bought parts from him on a weekly basis, everyone should boycott his business after what he did to Alan, and for Old Man Young, let me put it in laymens terms for you sir, it would be like me being your best friend for years, you and your wife aren’t getting along, you get divorced and I start dating and sleeping with your X………Nuff said now go and eat some more potato chips.

  13. 13 road rash Dec 2nd, 2011 at 8:37 pm

    Hey Steve.. maybe this guy does home decorating when he’s not building trikes or cars. Don’t know about you but I wouldn’t buy a thing from someone who steels other peoples designs

  14. 14 Steve Carr Dec 3rd, 2011 at 12:42 pm

    Well darn……..seems like the wallpaper I just installed, is falling off the wall. Anyone know a good wallpaper guy?

    Stevo

  15. 15 Old Man Young Dec 3rd, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    Hey road rash,
    I’m not trying to “emply” anything, nor am I trying to turn any shit around. I simply made a statement that I know is true.
    If you were my best friend, by the way, you would know that I do not own a recliner, and I do not like potato chips. What the hell is that all about!?
    As far a Alan and DNA, SORRY, this is the first I’ve heard of it. If they screwed him over, well, shame on them. Might want to check the yellow pages for a patent attorney and avoid this in the future.
    Wallpaper?? I don’t get it. I’m out….bash away.

  16. 16 road rash Dec 3rd, 2011 at 10:51 pm

    Hey Old Man Young ,
    You said in your reply and I quote,” I can guarantee you Norm is not stealing from anyone” and this was a statment according to you, sounded more like it was directed twords Alan. And as far as the chips and recliner, “forget about it” badabing…. This whole thing has nothing to do with the trike Norm built, or how it looks, or how cool it is, or how honest he is, this is about DNA and Norm knowing what happened to Alan, this is a fine example of our what our society has boiled down to, it’s all about the money, well i’ve only got this to say if we all stuck together like the old skool days we wouldn’t have low life people like Alex from DNA running all over the little guys because back in the day no one would buy shit from him in order to shut him down, Alan worked not for days on this design were talking years and lots of $ and yes although he should have pattened this item he was a 2 man shop operation with little cash flow trying to make it with the best he knew how and one of those things was with friends, and Alex from DNA was one of them friends, they had a verbal agreement and put there trust in each other as FRIENDS and Alex took his design with the agreement that these rear ends would be made for alan and only alan, but as you can see now or days the all mighty $ is worth more than friends or friendship, Piss on Alex and DNA he should go back to CUBA or what ever he came over with, a fuckin raft, whatever….Nuff Said

  17. 17 live2rideaglide Dec 5th, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    Cool , Id like some retro car wheels on back with baby moons..

  18. 18 Industry guy Dec 6th, 2011 at 1:28 am

    IMO , DNA stuff is cheap Chinese junk. Their metals are so soft i would not recommend using their stuff if you actually ride your bike. A very weak link between you and the asphalt .

    Exile cycles makes one out of American forged metals and manufactures and assembles it right in Los Angeles Ca, USA. Much better.

    Strengthen your economy… Make a brighter future.. Buy American!!!

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Cyril Huze