Harley-Davidson is an icon of American culture and the most popular marque for custom builders. Shortly after the company was founded in 1903 in Milwaukee, customizers started bobbing, chopping and dirt tracking the famous V-twins.
After WW2 Harley motorcycles were at the center of the bobber craze, and kept their lead as Californian bikers turned to choppers in the late 1950s. The 45-degree engines have their own nicknames and folklore: from flatheads, knuckleheads, panheads and shovelheads to today’s Evolution and Milwaukee-Eight motors.
The Sportster is the basis for more Harley-Davidson customs than any other model. Originally fitted with an ‘Ironhead’ motor, it turned 60 years old in 2017. It’s probably the single most customized motorcycle on the planet, and certainly has the largest supply of aftermarket parts.
Toshiyuki ‘Cheetah’ Osawa has had a busy year. Hot on the heels of a collaboration with Indian Motorcycle and Sideburn Magazine that debuted at the Bike Shed Show, he already had another deadline looming; Born Free 14. Osawa-san was on the prestigious invited builders list for the fourth time, and wanted to bring a bike…
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Warning: Pot-stirring chopper inbound, avert your eyes now. If I asked you to name a chopper film, 99% of those polled would respond with Easy Rider—a fitting response for the genre-defining cult classic. But the iconic trio of Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson had all starred in their own chopper films before Columbia…
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Watching thousands of people flood into London’s Tobacco Docks for the Bike Shed Show, it’s amazing to see what can grow from a mere love and admiration for custom motorcycles. The Bike Shed started as a custom motorcycle blog in 2011, but eventually grew into a restaurant, retail space and gear brand. It first opened…
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It’s not everyday that you can bid on museum-caliber bikes, and Mecum’s upcoming auction at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, is full of heavy hitters. The collection hits the market from the estate of John Parham, who founded J&P Cycles with his wife Jill in 1979. Having amassing one of the best private…
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What makes a brand new motorcycle a worthy investment? If you’re buying off the showroom floor, you’re definitely playing the long game,…
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You or someone you know is certainly guilty of tossing shade at baggers. Admittedly, they’ve been an easy target for years, with…
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With a name like Colt Wrangler, it’s safe to assume that the man is from Texas and probably a bit of a…
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When’s a modified bicentennial Harley FLH worth more than an original? Documented ownership by the King’s probably a good start. Encapsulating a…
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Bringing a truly unique style to the scene is not an easy task, and it’s even more impressive if you can make…
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There’s a new tradition at Harley-Davidson. Each year, The Motor Co. dives deep into their archives, finds a bike that set hearts…
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$20 grand, winner takes all—that’s the philosophy behind the Lightning Bolt custom motorcycle build-off. The regional, invitation-only event attracts bike builders from…
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“All motorcycles are adventure bikes,” the intro of Biltwell’s Operation Numbnuts blog reads, and it takes no more than a second to…
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