There are only a handful of parts custom garages that usually need to change on stock Harley-Davidson motorcycles to make them look apart and stand out as true customs. The most important changes on this rather short list include things like the wheels, fuel tank, fenders, exhaust system, and, of course, the paint job.
Most shops out there go for a combo of changes comprising several or all of the elements mentioned above (and occasionally a bunch of others on top of them), but, as we've seen time and again, almost always just one of the modifications made stands out more than the others.
Usually, that would be the pair of wheels, or the fuel tank, or, as is the case with the builds of a French crew called Melk, the paint job. Although an important and common change on custom Harleys, the exhaust system is rarely the one that attracts the eyes the most.
Yet this is exactly what’s happening with the custom Harley-Davidson we have here, a 2019 Breakout transformed into a more extreme version of itself by the garage we mentioned above.
A paint shop by trade, Melk worked its usual visual magic on this build as well, mixing in new and intriguing patterns of shiny and black chrome with Harley’s own Vivid Black. And then they started slapping on custom bits.
The wheels on the ride are no longer 2019 Breakout-specific, but pieces taken from an earlier iteration of the same model (2013). Both are fitted under custom fenders, with the wheel at the rear wrapped in a 260 mm wide tire.
Photo: Melk
A number of aftermarket covers, most of them supplied by Harley-Davidson itself, have made their way onto the build. And so did parts sourced from third parties, like the mirrors from Rizoma, the turn signals signed by Thunderbike or Kellerman, and the Legend air suspension system.
The engine fitted on the Breakout remains the same that left the bike makers' assembly lines, but it does boast the usual enhancements we so often see on custom two-wheelers. That would be the fitting of a new air filter and exhaust system to help the bike with both breathing and growling.
The air filter is of Arlen Ness make, and is not impressive in any particular way. The exhaust on the other hand, supplied by KessTech, is, at least to these eyes, the centerpiece of the build. Massive enough to stand out like a sore thumb and polished to an incredible shine, it snaps on just perfectly on the dark background of the engine and frame.
The thing looks so bad a** you almost expect the pipes to spit out flames when running at full throttle, and this is why we chose the Smaug moniker for this nameless build (Melk only lists it as bike number 21).
If such a Breakout conversion is something you too fancy, you should know it doesn’t come cheap. Whereas a brand new Breakout with the 117 engine in its frame starts in stock form from $20,999, this one goes off the Melk shelf for 35,000 euros, which is about $37,000 in American money.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News