Harley-Davidson Goodfella Invites Brand-New Softail Standard to the Custom Side

He dedicates up to 1,000 hours of hard labor to each project, dealing with Harley-Davidson motorcycles exclusively. This affinity for Milwaukee-bred machinery has been with Julian ever since childhood, as his father Claudius had owned and ridden several old-school models from The Motor Company. Panheads, Flatheads, and Knuckleheads are all part of Herr Julian’s fondest memories from his youth.

Well-versed in both engineering and metal fabrication after his studies, he eventually went on to establish One Way Machine (OWM) in Staufenberg, Germany. Classic hogs were the only bikes this guy worked with at first, but he bucked that trend a few years ago and familiarized himself with modern variants of Harley’s lineup, as well. For the build we’re about to look at, OWM used a brand-new Softail Standard from the model-year 2021.

Thanks to its 107-cubic-inch (1,746cc) Milwaukee-Eight powerhouse, this bad boy benefits from a very healthy 110 pound-feet (149 Nm) of torque at 3,000 rpm. Basing the project on a zero-mile Softail Standard was one of the only requests put forward by von Oheimb’s customer, who’d previously commissioned three other builds to his workshop.

He had full confidence in Julian’s abilities, happily giving him carte blanche for the most part. One Way Machine had a long way to go from a stock Softail to the motorcycle he now refers to as Goodfella, but it certainly helped that the donor was new and thus mechanically sound. First things first, it needed to gain a slammed posture to better suit the look that Julian was after.

Once the Softail had been taken apart, its front and rear suspension modules were lowered with the aim of bringing the whole thing closer to the ground. Then, the upper forks got treated to a pair of beefy steel covers made from scratch, while the OEM rims were deleted altogether. With the help of TTS Motorcycle, OWM fitted laced aftermarket substitutes in their stead, and these new shoes came from HD Wheels.

They measure 21 inches up north and 18 inches down south, with Bates Baja rubber making an appearance at both poles. Furthermore, unsprung territory is also home to upgraded brakes, featuring Zodiac discs and premium Beringer calipers. The rear setup is particularly intriguing, because the brake rotor was cleverly hidden behind the sprocket for an ultra-clean look.

As for the rear sprocket itself, Julian had it machined to give the impression of a traditional drum brake and, of course, he swapped the standard belt drive mechanism with a chain. Further up the powertrain, you’ll come across a hydraulic Rebuffini clutch encased inside a Fat Bob’s finned cover. Several aftermarket engine cases are present, as well, and the V-twin mill breathes more freely thanks to an S&S Cycle air intake.

On the opposite end of its respiratory system, the Goodfella carries a fresh exhaust combining Vance & Hines headers and a Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde silencer. No matter how cool these mods might be, the thing that really makes this Harley stand out is the custom bodywork. Sitting center-stage is a handmade fuel tank shaped out of steel, and Julian used the hood ornament from a vintage car to build the filler cap.

There’s no fender to speak of at the front, but the rear end features a tailor-made unit mounted nice and low on stainless-steel brackets. In between the fuel tank and fender lies a stunning black leather saddle, which was upholstered by Spirit Leather and secured in place via Thunderbike mounting hardware.

Dual-function LEDs from Kellermann finish things off at the back, joined by a swingarm-mounted license plate holder on the left-hand side. At twelve o’clock, we spot a unique headlight housing complete with LED componentry and a CNC-machined grill. The creature’s cockpit area is outfitted with a new handlebar, Rough Crafts risers, and Rebuffini switches, but the Softail’s stock instrumentation remains in place.

Aftermarket grips also make an appearance, along with an underslung bar-end mirror installed on the left. Kellermann was once again the brand of choice for the blinkers at the front, and you’ll have a tough time trying to find them until they’re switched on. With the lighting, bodywork, and mechanical aspects taken care of, One Way Machine tackled the final touches.

Forward-mounted Thunderbike foot controls and Rough Crafts foot pegs complete the ergonomics, while the custom-made gas tank received a pair of OWM badges. The Goodfella’s black-and-white color scheme was executed by BK-Lack GmbH in collaboration with Chikos Pinstriping, and various metal parts were polished by the guys at Schwartz Optical Tuning.