5 Extreme Custom Harley-Davidsons to Make You Sorry You're Not a Biker

We've had a pretty busy week in terms of custom Harley-Davidsons, with several fine examples making it under the spotlight on account of their viciousness, badassery, or style. In case you missed them, we're bringing the five best bikes of last week before you once again in this rundown of amazing two-wheeled machines.

And it's the most diverse collection of custom Harleys we've featured recently, going from a full custom with just a touch of Harley bits, to a Pan America, a Street Glide, a Sportster, and a Night Rod.

5. The extreme full-custom with a Harley V-quad heart

In mid-August auction house Mecum had its major event in Monterey, California. Lost in the sea of incredible cars shown there were two full custom bikes put together by Carl Brouhard. The orange beauty we have here is one of them.

Technically this one is not a Harley-Davidson, but it does embrace a Softail style, and most importantly it rocks a 250 horsepower V-quad engine rocking Harley bits and pieces, so I figure you won't mind if it's on the list.

Incredible as it feels, both visually and mechanically, the orange monster did not impress the Monterey crowds enough to sell, and the highest bid of $40,000 was rejected by the bike's owner.

4. The perfect Pan America setup

The Harley-Davidson Pan America is a relatively new addition to the bike maker's lineup. Built from the ground up to be a major player in the adventure segment, it's from the get-go a highly customizable machine.

Thing is, most people choose to upgrade their Pan Americas with factory gear, of which Harley offers plenty. That's why there aren't that many two-wheelers of this kind handled by independent garages.

At the top of the still short list of such bikes is the red-accented one we have here. It was put together by French garage Melk as a sort of demo of how the bike can be upgraded to not only look capable, but also good.

Sporting the usual adventure gear, meaning stuff like the bags and top case at the rear, all-terrain-ready tires, and crash bars, this example stands out through styling. Several of the machine's elements have been painted in Candy Red, which combined with the black and gray used elsewhere has a very soothing effect on the eye.

3. The unforgettable Street Glide

Street Glides are a solid presence in the Harley-Davidson lineup, and one of the favorite base bikes for custom shops. This one is however one of the cleanest, unforgettable rides of this kind we've seen in a long time.

The bike is the work of Swiss shop Bundnerbike, and blends a cool shade of gray with a gold upside-down fork, braking hardware, and handlebar accents to result into a very alluring machine.

The cost of the bike in this form is not known, but you can bet the Street Glide looking like this goes for much more than the $21,999 starting price over at Harley. That's first because it was made by the guys behind the most expensive Harley in the world, the Bucherer Blue, and secondly because we all know anything with gold accents on it must not come cheap.

2. The Sportster billboard

Most of the time the custom bikes we discuss here are made at the request of this or that customer. Some though get made with a single purpose in mind: to showcase the talent of a custom shop, or the parts it makes for a particular ride.

When the Sportster S was announced back in 2021, privateers around the world went into overdrive trying to envision mods for the ride. The Germans from Kodlin were among them, and first on their agenda was to develop custom lights for the then-new Harley model.

The Sportster you're looking at here is a sort of billboard on wheels, meant to advertise said lighting parts. It's got white running and amber turn bolt-on turn signals, white running lights at the front to enhance the headlight, and a 3-in-1 light bar at the rear.

Given how all that was not enough for a bike that was to be shown at the 2022 Born Free Show, a special paint job has also been devised for this short and stubby looker.

1. The Night Rod turned Jackal

Japanese custom crew Bad Land has gotten us used to over the years with projects so extreme they redefine what's possible in the world of modified motorcycles. And the dark Night Rod here continues that tradition.

Called Jackal, the bike was at the receiving end of a long list of custom bits and pieces, from the new wheels held in place by a girder and swingarm, to the chain conversion.

All black with enough shiny metal bits on it to make it an even colder presence on the road, the Jackal kind of makes us wish Harley would bring back the V-Rod family, just to see what others are capable of doing with it.