These 5 Stunning Harley-Davidsons Show Europe Is a Custom Powerhouse

Of the seven custom Harleys we discussed last week, we chose the five most impressive ones to include in this best-of list. They are two-wheeled machines playing in different segments of the moto industry and re-made with new looks and at times with enhanced mechanical bits by some of the world's most impressive custom garages: Lord Drake, Melk, No Limit Custom, and Thunderbike.

An important thing to note is that all of the custom shops listed above are based in Europe, and the bikes to follow are nothing more than a true testimony to how talented the guys there are at modifying these American-made machines.

5. Harley-Davidson Bultracker 57

The Spanish shop that goes by the name Lord Drake is one of Europe's most active such businesses. No less than four of its motorcycles made it on autoevolution last week, two of which are included in this list.

Something called the Bultracker 57 is the first one, but ranks fifth in our list. We gave it this spot because, like many of the bikes Lord Drake modifies, it doesn't exactly adopt a style to the liking of the American public: scramblers with a touch of street tracker.

The Spanish have a long series of custom bikes named Bultracker, and the 57 is, like most of the others in this family, a modified Sportster of an older generation.

Just like the others in the series, this one too suffered extensive modifications, especially to the rear, which had to be made in the scrambler style. There an 18-inch wheel was fitted, backed by Ohlins shocks and shielded from the elements by a high-floating fender.

The front end was at the receiving end of changes as well, with a much larger wheel, sized 21 inches, fitted there. It is held in place by a modified fork, with a BMX handlebar floating up top.

Lord Drake made no mention of how much the Bultracker 57 is worth in this guise.

4. Harley-Davidson Pan America by Melk

Melk is a French crew with a much smaller portfolio than that of Lord Drake. Yet the builds they're responsible for are perhaps even more impressive. And they now also include much newer Harley models.

Melk's bike no. 39 is one of its most recent projects, and is based on one the youngest Harley models on the market: the Pan America. Not many of them are around in altered guise, given their age and all (the family was introduced in 2020), so every time we see one we immediately get all worked up.

Melk is primarily a paint shop, but it does venture to perform visual and at times even mechanical changes. The Pan America follows the same trend.

The French shop kept many of the original bits and pieces installed by the American bike maker, including the wheels, elements that are almost always the first to go. An aftermarket adaptive suspension system made by ARH backs them, and altered fenders have been installed above.

The highlights of the build are the many protective elements installed on the ride. The most obvious are the guards for the radiator and engine, but also the headlight protection grid. Crash bars are visible on either side.

I said Melk is primarily a paint shop, and that's obvious in the way this bike presents itself. Mostly black, it's a noticeable presence thanks to the Candy Gold lines that decorate the bike's edges, wheels rims, and crash bars.

The price of a Pan America in this configuration is 26,990 euros ($29,470), base bike included.

3. Harley-Davidson Om Tibetan

The second Lord Drake custom build to make it in our week's list is the Om Tibetan. Originally a Softail Deluxe, the bike was brought to a new level of cool that shows the Spanish can make a lot more than Sportster-based scramblers and trackers.

The name of the ride is meant to be a nod to Om, one of the most powerful symbols in Hinduism and Buddhism. You can see it inscribed on the bike's extended fuel tank.

The Om Tibetan rides on custom wheels (the one at the rear is 240 mm wide) and it's held upright by a Legend air suspension system. They spin under the power of the stock Harley engine that now breathes through an aftermarket Harley air filter and a Vance & Hines exhaust.

The price of the Om Tibetan is not known.

2. Harley-Davidson Fighter

The Breakout is one of the favorite Harley-Davidson base motorcycles for customization work, and this means two things. First, there are many of them out there to choose your favorite from. And second, that also makes it difficult to find one that really stands out.

The Fighter is a Breakout assembled in Germany at the hands of local crew Nine Hills. It doesn't stand out through some impressive mechanical solution or some impressive design idea, but thanks to how little it cost to put together.

There's a big chance Nine Hills does not share info on all the parts that were added, as they mostly advertise only the parts made in-house, but they're still enough for us to get a better idea of what to expect financially.

The shop used only four parts from its inventory for this build, namely the two fenders, the engine spoiler, and the side license plate holder. Combined, these bits cost only 1,400 euros ($1,500). And they're so effective in making the otherwise stock Breakout stand apart that we placed it near the top of our list.

1. Harley-Davidson Radical Queen

It's only natural for a custom bike named Queen to be at the top of any list, isn't it? But that's not the only reason why this Street Bob modified by the Germans from Thunderbike made it so high.

Thunderbike is arguably the Old Continent's most prolific custom shops. In the 30 or so years they've been on the market they rolled out literally hundreds of reinterpreted Harleys, and some bikes made in-house from the ground up as well.

The Radical Queen is one of their most recent builds, having been shown earlier this year. It is also one of their most expensive ever, with the price tag for the parts used alone reaching the staggering sum of 20,000 euros ($22,000).

What does one get for that? A stunning Street Bob riding on in-house made wheels, with the rear one measuring a flimsy 180 mm wide and looking anything but out of place. A custom fuel tank, many covers in all the right places, modified fenders, and a custom exhaust are only the highlights of this insane ride.

The week is young and we'll start looking at more custom Harleys in detail this week, so stay tuned for more of the same.