Photo: Bad Land
It was back in 1984 when American bike maker Harley-Davidson decided to replace the mighty Shovelhead engine with something more modern. That something was the Evolution engine.
At a corporate level, the new powerplant is considered the main responsible for saving the Milwaukee bike maker from going under due to the problems it had at the time. That's because people liked it, and bought the motorcycles it was installed on with great appetite.
Some giants of the custom motorcycle industry considered it somewhat of a sacrilege, and stayed clear of it and faithful to the Shovelhead for a long time still. Others, like the Japanese from Bad Land, embraced it and started rolling out incredible machines based on it.
A project that surely fits that category is the EVO GP, a contraption put together by a Japanese garage we know as Bad Land. The bike is based on a 1994 Evo, but was modified to such an extent that it looks positively modern and mean.
Recently shown by Bad Land, the EVO GP impresses first and foremost through the bodywork, with elements so extensive and elaborate in design and painting they immediately catch the eye.
It all starts at the front, where a Thunderbike-sourced fender was fitted, floating over a 23-inch front tire supplied by the same German custom giant and wearing an Avon Cobra tire. A radiator shroud in matching color and decorations can be seen behind the Thunderbike fork, connecting from a visual standpoint the underside of the bike with the one-off fuel tank, made by Bad Land and fitted up on the frame.
Speaking of which, the frame is still the original one, but modified to accommodate some of the changes envisioned by the custom garage.
Panels and covers can be seen on both sides of the bike, visually tying the entire project together. The rear wheel, supported by a custom single-side swingarm, completes the look with a 21-inch wheel also supplied by Thunderbike and wrapped, unlike the one at the front, in Metzeler rubber. The massive fender slapped on top of it is of Bad Land design as well.
Bad Land does not reveal if many of changes made to the bike's engine, aside from the fact it was fitted with a Mikuni carburetor. As usual, a custom exhaust system, made in-house by the Japanese, was slapped onto its left side. It's unclear if or how the engine's performance changed as a result of the changes.
When all was said and done, Bad Land drowned the Evo in a color scheme one rarely gets to see on an EVO, but more than worthy of the GP style the bike tries to adopt.
The cost of the build was not disclosed by Bad Land, but we reckon the combination of a bike from the past with modern-day elements does not come cheap.
Some giants of the custom motorcycle industry considered it somewhat of a sacrilege, and stayed clear of it and faithful to the Shovelhead for a long time still. Others, like the Japanese from Bad Land, embraced it and started rolling out incredible machines based on it.
A project that surely fits that category is the EVO GP, a contraption put together by a Japanese garage we know as Bad Land. The bike is based on a 1994 Evo, but was modified to such an extent that it looks positively modern and mean.
Recently shown by Bad Land, the EVO GP impresses first and foremost through the bodywork, with elements so extensive and elaborate in design and painting they immediately catch the eye.
It all starts at the front, where a Thunderbike-sourced fender was fitted, floating over a 23-inch front tire supplied by the same German custom giant and wearing an Avon Cobra tire. A radiator shroud in matching color and decorations can be seen behind the Thunderbike fork, connecting from a visual standpoint the underside of the bike with the one-off fuel tank, made by Bad Land and fitted up on the frame.
Speaking of which, the frame is still the original one, but modified to accommodate some of the changes envisioned by the custom garage.
Panels and covers can be seen on both sides of the bike, visually tying the entire project together. The rear wheel, supported by a custom single-side swingarm, completes the look with a 21-inch wheel also supplied by Thunderbike and wrapped, unlike the one at the front, in Metzeler rubber. The massive fender slapped on top of it is of Bad Land design as well.
Bad Land does not reveal if many of changes made to the bike's engine, aside from the fact it was fitted with a Mikuni carburetor. As usual, a custom exhaust system, made in-house by the Japanese, was slapped onto its left side. It's unclear if or how the engine's performance changed as a result of the changes.
When all was said and done, Bad Land drowned the Evo in a color scheme one rarely gets to see on an EVO, but more than worthy of the GP style the bike tries to adopt.
The cost of the build was not disclosed by Bad Land, but we reckon the combination of a bike from the past with modern-day elements does not come cheap.
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