Photo: Nine Hills
If you've been watching our coverage of custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles these past few years, then you know the Heritage model occupies a very special place in this industry. Not only because it's rarer to come across than say the overwhelming Breakouts and Fat Boys, but also because shops can really get creative with these things.
Born as part of the Softail family in the late 1980s, the Heritage soldiers on in stock form even today, and is described by its maker as the "quintessential American cruiser." But impressive as it is leaving the factory doors, the bike can always be bettered, and that's how great projects are born.
If there's one thing I've learned with these shops is that when it comes to the Heritage they almost always choose to go, fueled by the desires of their customers, for chicano-style builds. You know, those low-riding bikes boasting flamboyant body parts and colors, and almost always rocking fishtail exhausts.
Yet somehow we've stumbled upon a custom Heritage that instead of going chicano tries to retain and enhance as much as possible of the bike's original traits. The custom is called Eldorado (a name we've seen before, even on chicanos), and was put together by Polish garage Nine Hills starting from a 2018 Heritage.
A quick look at the bike will make it instantly clear the overall lines have remained the same, as did many of the original body parts. In fact, if one wasn't really looking they could be tricked into believing only the paint job is different from the seven color combinations Harley now offers for the model.
But one would be wrong. Aside from the (admittedly) great paint job in black, red, and white, the Eldorado received several effective upgrades.
First up, the handlebar up front has been replaced with a lower one, now equipped with Avon grips. Thick crash bars have been installed behind the front wheel for safety reasons, while a new set of LED lights has been included for the proper visual effect.
The seat of the bike now comes with a backrest, behind which a very large bag hangs, complementing the two side ones of the Heritage. Both on the bags and elsewhere leather has been abundantly used.
The wheels of the ride are the original ones, only they've been dressed in whitewall tires, and that has a great effect on how the custom looks now.
No change has been performed on the powertrain, and the exhaust system seems to be the original one as well. What that means is the conversion is probably on the low side of things when it comes to cost – sadly, we don't have an exact picture of what that means.
If there's one thing I've learned with these shops is that when it comes to the Heritage they almost always choose to go, fueled by the desires of their customers, for chicano-style builds. You know, those low-riding bikes boasting flamboyant body parts and colors, and almost always rocking fishtail exhausts.
Yet somehow we've stumbled upon a custom Heritage that instead of going chicano tries to retain and enhance as much as possible of the bike's original traits. The custom is called Eldorado (a name we've seen before, even on chicanos), and was put together by Polish garage Nine Hills starting from a 2018 Heritage.
A quick look at the bike will make it instantly clear the overall lines have remained the same, as did many of the original body parts. In fact, if one wasn't really looking they could be tricked into believing only the paint job is different from the seven color combinations Harley now offers for the model.
But one would be wrong. Aside from the (admittedly) great paint job in black, red, and white, the Eldorado received several effective upgrades.
First up, the handlebar up front has been replaced with a lower one, now equipped with Avon grips. Thick crash bars have been installed behind the front wheel for safety reasons, while a new set of LED lights has been included for the proper visual effect.
The seat of the bike now comes with a backrest, behind which a very large bag hangs, complementing the two side ones of the Heritage. Both on the bags and elsewhere leather has been abundantly used.
The wheels of the ride are the original ones, only they've been dressed in whitewall tires, and that has a great effect on how the custom looks now.
No change has been performed on the powertrain, and the exhaust system seems to be the original one as well. What that means is the conversion is probably on the low side of things when it comes to cost – sadly, we don't have an exact picture of what that means.
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