What does it take to rack up two wins and four podiums, in the Modified Harley-Davidson class at the AMD World Championships? Whatever it is, the German builder Julian von Oheimb has got it in spades.
Julian operates as One Way Machine out of his workshop in Staufenberg, north of Frankfurt. And this is the machine that bagged him his second gold. Called ‘Silver Storm,’ it’s a custom Softail Deuce built with the sole purpose of competing at AMD.
The search for an AMD win started with a search for a suitable donor. Julian managed to find an extremely clean 2001 Softail Deuce FXSTD in a backyard garage, with roughly 2,000 miles on the clock. Bingo.
The Softail went onto the One Way Machine bench, and was promptly stripped down to its bare bones. Julian worked his way through the frame and swing arm—cleaning them up and shaving off any tabs, struts and mounts that didn’t need to be there any more.
To massage the Softail’s stance, Julian installed an Arlen Ness lowering kit at the rear. He kept the OEM front forks, but swapped the yokes for a set of Harley Sportster Forty-Eight units.
A new 21F/18R wheel set was laced up using H-D hubs, W&W rims and TTS spokes, with a vintage Firestone tire up front, and a new Shinko out back. Other tweaks include a full Beringer brake set, and a One Way Machine chain drive conversion.
Moving to the 1450cc Twin Cam motor, Julian treated the primary cover to an extremely cool cutaway mod. Then he added a set of RSD covers, complete with windows that show off all the working bits.
A new Paugho air cleaner went on too, with a custom ignition coil cover adorning the opposite side of the engine. The two-into-one stainless steel exhaust system is a one-off, and terminates in a sportbike muffler that Julian sourced specifically for the project.
The bodywork’s a mixed bag of new and old. While rummaging through his storage, Julian found a 1950s Hercules fuel tank that suited the concept he had in his head perfectly. So he cleaned it up, and modified it to fit the bike by hand-shaping a new tunnel and fabricating new tank mounts.
He added a new filler mouth too, finishing it off with a hood ornament-style cap that he procured from a Polish metal sculptor. And he fitted custom-made ‘OWM’ badges to the sides.
Spirit Leather supplied the seat, custom made to Julian’s design. It features subtle blue contrast stitching, and an ‘OWM’ logo under the back section. It’s also lined with a set of holes—a design that Julian’s echoed on other pieces, like the custom made battery cover and modified oil tank.
The rear fender’s an edited aftermarket unit. It’s held up by an elaborate, yet elegant, single-sided bracket system that’s been built from scratch.
The Softail Deuce now wears a set of LSL handlebars, with grips and foot pegs from Rough Crafts and controls from Beringer. There’s also a small, vintage-style headlight up front, and a neat analog speedo from Motogadget nestled where the stock top bar riser has been cut away.
There are a whole lot of smaller hand-made parts too, but they’re hard to spot. Take a closer look at the side stand, the fuel tap and those little wheel axle finishing bits. Flawless, all of them.
But where Silver Storm really shines, is in her finishes. The bodywork hasn’t been polished, but rather painted in a special mirror chrome paint. There’s grey paint on the frame, and a mix of matte and polished bits throughout the build. Add it all up, and you end with a monochromatic vision that your eyes can get lost in.
It’s clear that Julian pulled no punches here, going all-in to deliver a stunning contender. He’s told us as much, confessing that he’s probably poured more time and money into this custom Softail than any of his older builds.
It’s little wonder that he took home the crown again.
One Way Machine | Facebook | Images by Clave Rodriguez
