Harley-Davidson 48 Bobber Is How They Like Their Sportsters Over in Flamenco Land

Harley’s American business no longer offers the bike with “heavy-hitting fat tire style” and ”an iconic peanut tank,” but over on its European website it’s still listed, as a 2022 model year, wearing a price tag (in dollars of all currencies) of $12,299. That makes it one of the most affordable Harleys out there, and the perfect entry point into the world of the American bike maker.

You’d think people who are just getting accustomed to the way a Harley feels and behaves would like to keep their rides stock while learning the ins and outs. But that rarely happens, and the converted Forty-Eight we have here is yet another proof of that.

The bike belongs to some guy over in Spain, and was transformed from a stock machine with a bulldog stance into a proper bobber, meaning it’s stripped of unimportant elements and only shows the bare essentials.

The bike was originally a 2014 Forty-Eight, but four years after it was assembled in Milwaukee it fell into the hands of the Spanish custom garage that turned it into this. Lord Drake is the shop’s name, and bobbers and café racers are their game.

For the purposes of this particular build, simply called post-conversion Sportster 48 Bobber, not only were unnecessary parts left out, but the paint job is as simple as they get as well, with black pretty much everywhere and the fuel tank left unpainted, glittering its cold bare metal presence away.

Most of the changes compared to stock can be seen at the rear, where the wheel was replaced with a custom one in 16 spokes, and capable of holding a decently-sized 200 mm wide tire on its rim.

Also at the back, a set of custom-made exhaust pipes with ceramic coating snake their way over the engine, pointing the ends where all the fumes come out down. Above them, supported by the frame, the remade seat of the bike can be seen.

At the opposite end, the first thing that strikes you is the bare metal fuel tank, now also sitting at a different height than stock. Beneath it a Rough Crafts air filter can be spotted, while leading the way into the night is a LED headlight mounted on the front fork, which is the original one, only with modified top covers.

A number of elements on the Sportster 48 Bobber were made by hand by Lord Drake, including the fenders that go over the two wheels, and the license plate holder. When all was done with, the bike was propped on shock absorbers of the Burly make.

It’s unclear how much the modifications made to the Harley-Davidson Sportster 48 Bobber cost, but Lord Drake says it can do it again, including for the Sportster 883 or 1200.