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.
“Fender and Firestone police, here I come,” Winston Yeh quips, as we discuss the latest custom motorcycle to roll out of the house of Rough Crafts. Based on a 2020 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob 107, it’s a stripped-down, low-slung bobber, swathed in typical Rough Crafts finishes. And yes, it has no front fender and it wears…
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A Harley-Davidson with sport bike goodies either trips your trigger or crosses your wires, but in our case, it’s almost always the former. If it’s done right, there’s something plain badass about a Milwaukee missile that looks like 100 mph standing still, all without losing its leaky old iron character. In terms of doing it…
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If you’re a classic watercraft aficionado, this custom Harley-Davidson Sportster should feel familiar to you. That’s because it’s modeled after one of the most exquisite and unique boats ever built: the Lamborghini Riva Aquarama. The storied Italian boat maker Riva started out building ferries, and has since graduated to super yachts. But they’re best known…
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Big auto auctions are good at a few things, namely presentation and drumming up some serious dream machines. But in the case of the upcoming Mecum Glendale, Arizona, auction (March 28 to April 1), we felt there were a few fantastic bikes that didn’t receive due credit. Either underrepresented, or a bit inaccurate, it was…
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Classic silhouettes are the theme of this week’s Speed Read. From Unikat’s Harley-Davidson’s Sportster 883, to RF-Biketech’s Kawasaki Z1000R and a beautiful…
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If you’ve ever fantasized about building a Harley-Davidson Sportster flat tracker, there’s a good chance that you’ve pinned a couple of Richard…
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There’s not much reality in reality TV these days. But there are still shows out there that are more interested in their…
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Yuichi Yoshizawa is a rare custom builder that can conquer multiple styles, while still giving each build an organic and immediately recognizable…
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WE LOVE CAFÉ racers, we love bobbers, and we love a killer scrambler. But we also love great classics, and sometimes they…
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A stunning Moto Martin restoration headlines this weekend’s round-up. It’s followed by a pair of lightly modded modern Triumph twins, a look…
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THESE ARE NOT BIKES for sensible people. Sensible people don’t want a vintage, rusting, non-running motorcycle in their garage. Alas, we are…
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On November 18, 2022, Harley-Davidson rolled the last air-cooled Sportster ever to be built off their assembly line in York, Pennsylvania. The…
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