Photo: Bad Land
No matter how creative a custom shop is, the designs they make will eventually end up looking anything but unique, simple reinterpretations of what other crews out there are doing. That's because, most of the time, the same base bike is used to give birth to a custom two-wheeler, and we all know there are just a limited number of things that can be done to make it stand out.
Take Harley's long line of Softail motorcycles. Around since the 1980s, it has been reimagined by global garages so many times that it is only natural for us to see variations of the same theme on pretty much all builds of this kind. Appealing, each of them, but not spectacular in the truest sense of the word.
The Hardcore might be the exception, though. Based on a Softail of undisclosed lineage, the bike was assembled over in Japan by a crew called Bad Land, and it's so extreme there is a chance people will mistake it a bit for a full custom, built from the ground up.
The bike is so insane Bad Land itself calls it a Super Spec. True, it doesn't feature hardware we've never seen before, but all of it is of a variety and used in such a way that the Hardcore certainly becomes a Softail unlike anything we've seen before.
The lines of the ride certainly contribute to that. The front wheel, just 18 inches in size and made by Rick's Motorcycles, was pushed as far away as possible from the main body, supported by a Goldammer fork. The one at the back, of the same make and size, is where it's supposed to be, held in place by a Rebuffini swingarm. Both are shielded by visually inspiring pieces of metal that play the role of fenders.
In between the two, a slim and long fuel tank snakes down to the very low seat to create the impression the bike has a broken back.
Other pieces of the ride have been replaced by aftermarket ones as well, starting with the Bad Land handlebar and ending with the Speed Point headlight.
We get absolutely no info regarding any change in engine performance, but as usual the unit has been enhanced by means of a custom air cleaner and exhaust system.
Last but not least the paintwork chosen for the ride more than plays its part in sending across the message of a bike unlike any other.
The last reference to the Harley-Davidson Hardcore dates back to 2019, and the current whereabouts of the bike are not known. Also a mystery is the total cost of the build – we'll keep an eye out for it in case it shows up for sale somewhere, and then we'll get an idea of that.
The Hardcore might be the exception, though. Based on a Softail of undisclosed lineage, the bike was assembled over in Japan by a crew called Bad Land, and it's so extreme there is a chance people will mistake it a bit for a full custom, built from the ground up.
The bike is so insane Bad Land itself calls it a Super Spec. True, it doesn't feature hardware we've never seen before, but all of it is of a variety and used in such a way that the Hardcore certainly becomes a Softail unlike anything we've seen before.
The lines of the ride certainly contribute to that. The front wheel, just 18 inches in size and made by Rick's Motorcycles, was pushed as far away as possible from the main body, supported by a Goldammer fork. The one at the back, of the same make and size, is where it's supposed to be, held in place by a Rebuffini swingarm. Both are shielded by visually inspiring pieces of metal that play the role of fenders.
In between the two, a slim and long fuel tank snakes down to the very low seat to create the impression the bike has a broken back.
Other pieces of the ride have been replaced by aftermarket ones as well, starting with the Bad Land handlebar and ending with the Speed Point headlight.
We get absolutely no info regarding any change in engine performance, but as usual the unit has been enhanced by means of a custom air cleaner and exhaust system.
Last but not least the paintwork chosen for the ride more than plays its part in sending across the message of a bike unlike any other.
The last reference to the Harley-Davidson Hardcore dates back to 2019, and the current whereabouts of the bike are not known. Also a mystery is the total cost of the build – we'll keep an eye out for it in case it shows up for sale somewhere, and then we'll get an idea of that.
Google News