Spotlight: James "FishTank" Berry's 1989 HD 883 Sportster

Known to his friends as Fish Tank, James Berry, 37, credits working on his 1970 Triumph Chopper back in 2011 as the source of his addiction to choppers and custom bikes. The Merrimack, NH resident thoroughly enjoys the mock-up assembly after hard-tailing, as he begins to see the possibilities of what his bike will be — or could be.

Berry certainly saw endless possibilities while he was working on his 1989 HD 883 Sportster. Check out the video interview we did with Fishtank:

"A big upgrade was swapping the '89 motor out for a '94 with a 5-speed," Berry recalls of the performance upgrades he made. "Better charging system and transmission."

Fishtank used the following aftermarket parts on the build: +4 fork tubes from TC Bros; 4 bend Rabbit Handlebars built by Zombie Performance; a Twisted shift peg by Steel City Blacksmithing; a custom made "shield" bird deflector by Speed Trap Choppers; TC Bros chain conversion, Mid-USA 4 piston caliper, and a Throttle Addiction Hardtail Kit.

"Fatman Custom Motors helped me with wiring and timing the last couple days of the build," Berry explains. "The tank was painted by No Luck Paintworks of Manchester, NH. Frame and wheels were powder-coated by Goodhues in Derry, NH."

James adds some of the custom fabrication on the bike includes a chopped frame with a weld-on hardtail, frisco-style tank mounts and the stock front tank mount was filled and smoothed out.

James had his share of ups and downs during the build process, but the ups outnumbered the downs by the time the bike was finished.

"I'll never forget that heart-sinking feeling when I came out to the garage to find it had fallen off my lift overnight," James reminisces. "That was a bummer. But a good memory close to the end was getting my acceptance e-mail from the Glory Daze Moto Show as an invited builder. That was exciting and humbling."

Compared to the other bikes he has written, James says this bike is fast for an 883 and is much faster than his other bikes.

There's nothing more gratifying than riding down the road on a bike you had stripped down to the frame," exclaims James. "The four over tubes give it that nice stance I like while keeping it very nimble. It's the best performing chopper I've built so far."