“Who wouldn’t want to build a two-stroke Italian Harley?” asks Chris Tope, almost irreverently. “It’s the original Harley-Davidson Pan America!”
As the ‘Tope’ in Utopeia Moto Company in Texas, Chris is known for building offbeat scramblers stacked with quirky details. His signature style is easy to spot and hard to replicate—so when his latest customer came to him seeking a typical Utopeia machine, Chris had carte blanche.
Right off the bat, Chris knew what donor bike he wanted for the project. “I’m a sucker for two-stroke motors,” he tells us. “I’ve also never built a custom Harley-Davidson in my style, only repaired them.”
“So I told him I’d been wanting to build a Harley-Davidson Baja 100 for many years—and if he was alright with it, then that was the bike. My design concept was to make what I think would be the original H-D Pan America of its time. I wanted to add some retro natural colors and incorporate a desert feel.”
For the uninitiated, the Harley-Davidson Baja 100 was a 98 cc two-stroke off-roader, built by Aermacchi back when Harley owned half of the Italian company. Produced from 1969 until 1972, it was designed to help Harley break into the small displacement off-road market. The Motor Co. hasn’t built anything quite like it since.
The Baja 100 that Chris sourced for this build was registered as a 1973 model, and was fitted with a rare 125 cc kit that Harley sold back in the day. The motor and OEM five-speed transmission were rebuilt, the head’s fins were drilled to help with cooling and weight, and the engine covers were polished. Other upgrades include a high-performance ignition, Dell’Orto carb, modified K&N filter, and handmade expansion chamber from Jemco Exhaust Systems.
Chris de-tabbed the Baja 100’s frame, before cleaning up and reinforcing its factory welds. He also welded on a luggage rack and extended the swingarm, before finishing everything in prismatic whiskey bronze powder-coating. An original Webco spark plug holder, done in the same color, carries a spare set of plugs.
Restored Ceriani forks sit up front, with a pair of new Hagon shocks propping up the rear. The Baja 100’s 21F/18R wheels were powder-coated, and re-laced to the original drum brake hubs with shiny new Buchanan’s spokes. They’re wrapped in fresh Maxxis rubber.
It’s the details that really set this pint-sized Harley shredder apart—starting with its multi-faceted tank livery. “The tank still pays homage to the original Aermacchi Harley-Davidson Baja 100, but with a Utopeia Moto Company twist on a boho 70s Toyota style,” says Chris.
Executed by Kacey Elkins at Krossover Customs, the paint features a sandy texture under a perfectly smooth gloss clear coat. Look closer, and you’ll also notice a shimmering mirage effect within the stripes. Further back, a slim custom saddle sports a memory foam pad, with brown suede upholstery by Dane Utech at Plzbeseated.
Chris loves to incorporate earthy materials into his builds—and he’s outdone himself on this one. The front number board is a handmade olive wood piece that he spent hours stabilizing so that it wouldn’t warp or crack over time. Copper epoxy resin was used to inlay the client’s favorite number.
There’s more olive wood out back, laid into the gaps of the luggage rack. A leather bag sits below it, dubbed the “tool taco” by Chris.
Classic Webco handlebars adorn the cockpit, fitted with Joker Machine controls, and CNC-machined throttle and clutch tubes from the late Mark Atkinson. The alluring grips were lathed from Australian banksia pods, inlaid with copper by Greg Madrigal. CNC-machined bar-ends wear antique engraved copper pennies.
“There’s also a 1921 Liberty Dollar that has been engraved as a rattlesnake coiled around a skull, since this is a desert-style build,” Chris adds. “I’ve also incorporated custom valve stems with real rattlesnake rattles set in resin.”
Chris has nicknamed the two-stroke Harley ‘The Mojavian,’ and confirms that it “rides like a dream.”
“The 125 cc H-D hop-up kit brings unimaginable power to this lightweight 198-pound two-stroke. If the motor doesn’t knock you off, the exhaust will either burn the shit out of you or blow out your ear drums.”
Utopeia Moto Company Instagram | Images by David Carlo
