Photo: A.C Calella Custom
Last year, American bike maker Harley-Davidson brought back the Sportster family, and it now offers interested riders a choice between the Sportster S and Nightster. Exciting as they may be in their stock form, these new models have not gained enough traction yet in the custom industry to see scores of modified ones coming into the spotlight.
Older Sportsters, on the other hand, are a dime a dozen in customized form. The trick is finding the one that is so unique that it deserves its 15 minutes of fame here on autoevolution. And we believe the one we have here, put together by a Spanish crew called A.C Calella Custom, fits the bill the quite nicely.
Called in the shop’s speak Gladiator, the bike was built with “bikes that compete in the different races in the African desert” in mind. That’s why it is also called Africa Desert, and why it looks the way it does.
The bike started life as a 2007 Sportster 1200R and got transformed into a scrambler-like build through the carefully removal of stock parts, their replacement with custom ones, and some other tricks here and there.
Wearing color schemes meant to make it blend in a desert environment, the Harley stocks 60-spoke chrome wheels wrapped in capable-looking Avon tires, backed in their mission by custom-made adjustable suspension.
The bodywork, different from stock all over, is in aluminum, while the frame, the stock one, holds the bikes original engine, empowered with the addition of an BSL exhaust system, a Cultwerk master cylinder, and a new air filter.
Elsewhere, Kellerman contributed the mini indicators, Kuryakyn the mirrors, and FreeSpirits the levers. The seat was handled by Senen Leather Works, and the paint job was signed by Bip Bip Reparaciones.
The Africa Desert was shown by Calella a while back, with no mention on how much it cost to put together.
Called in the shop’s speak Gladiator, the bike was built with “bikes that compete in the different races in the African desert” in mind. That’s why it is also called Africa Desert, and why it looks the way it does.
The bike started life as a 2007 Sportster 1200R and got transformed into a scrambler-like build through the carefully removal of stock parts, their replacement with custom ones, and some other tricks here and there.
Wearing color schemes meant to make it blend in a desert environment, the Harley stocks 60-spoke chrome wheels wrapped in capable-looking Avon tires, backed in their mission by custom-made adjustable suspension.
The bodywork, different from stock all over, is in aluminum, while the frame, the stock one, holds the bikes original engine, empowered with the addition of an BSL exhaust system, a Cultwerk master cylinder, and a new air filter.
Elsewhere, Kellerman contributed the mini indicators, Kuryakyn the mirrors, and FreeSpirits the levers. The seat was handled by Senen Leather Works, and the paint job was signed by Bip Bip Reparaciones.
The Africa Desert was shown by Calella a while back, with no mention on how much it cost to put together.
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