Harley-Davidson Emperor Hits the Beach in Saint Tropez, Custom Bike Shows Its Fun Side

You see, if there is one reality that surrounds almost all custom motorcycle builds, it's the fact that after they’re made and presented, they sink to the bottom of public conscience, and are rarely spoken of again.

The customers who have been made are partially to blame for that, as we can tell for a fact few of them brag about their unique rides once the shop is done advertising their prowess.

The Germans from Thunderbike are one notable exception. They do come back on their projects from time to time, showing us what has become of this or that build, or what adventures it encountered over the years.

Most recently, Thunderbike brought back into focus the Emperor. That would be a chopperized 1995 Sportster we presented back in 2020, after the shop entered it in the Harley-Davidson King of Kings competition.

Like most other builds of its kind, the Emperor sank into oblivion for a couple of years, but was resurrected by the shop behind it this month. And what a resurrection it is, with the incredible two-wheeler shining magnificently under the setting sun of Saint Tropez.

You can enjoy the bike’s outing both in the attached photo gallery, and in the video below, but before you do, here’s a quick recap of what you’re about to look at.

The Emperor is a stripped-down, heavily modified Sportster that boasts a long list of custom parts, including the fork, handlebar, tank, seat, rear fender, struts, exhaust and shifter. The engine is still the stock one, although it was completely disassembled, cleaned and put back together with new parts where new parts were needed.

One important aspect you have to take into account is that all of the changes made had to be within a budget, as per the Harley competition’s requirements, and, in this case, the spending was capped at €6,000 ($6,800 give or take).