Photo: Nine Hills
The name Raptor is the talk of the moment these days, seeing how recently things kind of exploded in SpaceX’s backyard. It’s the name Elon Musk’s space company gave the engines that power its rockets, and problems in their development are threatening the readiness of the Starship, and the financial well-being of the company as a whole.
Maybe having recently discussed this issue was enough of an incentive for my brain to look specifically for similar things in unrelated areas and voila, here comes a customized Harley-Davidson that was baptized by its maker… Raptor.
That shop would be Poland-based Nine Hills Motorcycles, a crew we’ve talked about before when we covered other builds they’re responsible for, like the Destroyer, Brutal or Lucifer.
The Raptor follows the same aggressive naming scheme, because what’s a custom build without a name to match? It started life as a stock and boring Breakout, born in the Milwaukee stables in 2014, and got transformed into something the Poles now call a “real modernist and uncompromising bomb.”
The stated goal of the custom work was to come up with a bike that combines “bold, straightforward lines from the future - with pure, pure sport.” Since that’s mostly empty talk, we can’t say if Nine Hills achieved its goal, but, having witnessed tons of modified Breakouts over the years, we do like what our eyes are seeing.
One of the first things that stand out is the wheel conversion, with the rear end of the bike modified to accommodate a 280 mm wheel. At the opposite end, we get a clip-on handlebar that helps give the motorcycle a lower and more aggressive stance.
The body that rests in between the two wheels has been massaged with hand-made custom bits, but also aftermarket parts. The list of added hardware includes stuff like a new air filter, motogadget instruments, a Legend Suspensions system, and of course, a new exhaust, which we are told was made in-house.
We are not told if the engine of the two-wheeler was modified more than by just being fitted with the new exhaust and air filter, but even in its stock form, it is more than enough to send the right message of raw power across.
A message that is further emphasized by the graphics that is featured on the two fenders, headlight fairing and the fuel tank, a design that when looked at from the right angle, gives the impression of being some kind of reptile skin.
Nine Hills does not say how much the build cost to put together and admits that “this project is not for everyone” but, just like us, it remains confident the Raptor will turn quite the number of heads everywhere it goes.
That shop would be Poland-based Nine Hills Motorcycles, a crew we’ve talked about before when we covered other builds they’re responsible for, like the Destroyer, Brutal or Lucifer.
The Raptor follows the same aggressive naming scheme, because what’s a custom build without a name to match? It started life as a stock and boring Breakout, born in the Milwaukee stables in 2014, and got transformed into something the Poles now call a “real modernist and uncompromising bomb.”
The stated goal of the custom work was to come up with a bike that combines “bold, straightforward lines from the future - with pure, pure sport.” Since that’s mostly empty talk, we can’t say if Nine Hills achieved its goal, but, having witnessed tons of modified Breakouts over the years, we do like what our eyes are seeing.
One of the first things that stand out is the wheel conversion, with the rear end of the bike modified to accommodate a 280 mm wheel. At the opposite end, we get a clip-on handlebar that helps give the motorcycle a lower and more aggressive stance.
The body that rests in between the two wheels has been massaged with hand-made custom bits, but also aftermarket parts. The list of added hardware includes stuff like a new air filter, motogadget instruments, a Legend Suspensions system, and of course, a new exhaust, which we are told was made in-house.
We are not told if the engine of the two-wheeler was modified more than by just being fitted with the new exhaust and air filter, but even in its stock form, it is more than enough to send the right message of raw power across.
A message that is further emphasized by the graphics that is featured on the two fenders, headlight fairing and the fuel tank, a design that when looked at from the right angle, gives the impression of being some kind of reptile skin.
Nine Hills does not say how much the build cost to put together and admits that “this project is not for everyone” but, just like us, it remains confident the Raptor will turn quite the number of heads everywhere it goes.
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