This Custom Harley-Davidson Street 500 Bobber Proves That Less Is More

Oh, and of course, it didn’t take long for the XG500 to become the favorite punching bag of gatekeepers and purists. Things stayed that way up until 2021, when both variants of the Street nameplate (500 and 750) were unceremoniously discontinued to no one’s surprise. Despite all the criticism thrown at them, Harley’s entry-level offerings did establish something of a foothold in the custom bike world.

They’re cheap and easy to come by on the second-hand market, which makes them quite appealing when it comes to one-off builds with V-twin power. For the project we’re about to look at, the starting point was a Street 500 from the model-year 2015, featuring Harley-Davidson's liquid-cooled 494cc Revolution X mill. With just under 30 pound-feet (40 Nm) of torque on tap, this thing is nothing to write home about in terms of power output.

Nonetheless, the bespoke bobber shown above makes up for that with heaps of tasty eye candy, courtesy of Augment Motorworks over in Toronto. More specifically, the motorcycle was put together by shop boss Nick Acosta, who started with a very clear aim on this particular build. He wanted to prove that even the unassuming XG500 can become truly outstanding in the right hands, without requiring any major performance upgrades or structural changes.

As such, restraint was the name of the game here, and we can probably all agree that Nick achieved his goal. He did so without breaking the bank at any stage, kicking things off with some clever tweaks to the motorcycle’s rear end. That’s where this bobbed Street 500 would see the most radical alterations, the coolest of which is the new solo seat fabricated in-house.

It was fashioned using generous padding, blue suede upholstery, and contrasting yellow stitching done in a diamond pattern. Nick came up with a custom rear fender, too, attaching it to the XG500’s revised subframe via tailor-made mounting hardware. Flanked by bullet-style aftermarket turn signals, the replacement mudguard is more compact than the stock unit, so it plays a significant role in reducing visual heft at the back.

Up top, Augment’s lead mastermind added a pair of leather straps, used for carrying what looks like a beach towel in this case. He also ditched the OEM shocks in favor of shorter alternatives, which make the creature’s rear end sit slightly lower in order to achieve the desired stance. Attached to the bottom shock mount on the left-hand side, we see a bespoke license plate bracket complete with a Bates-style taillight.

Moving on to the front end, we still find the stock fender and forks on this machine, but much of its cockpit equipment is new. Nick made use of custom-built risers to install a fresh handlebar, then he topped it off with blue fish scale grips from Lowbrow Customs. Although it’s still in play, the Street 500’s factory speedo got relocated to keep the cockpit as clean as possible.

It now lives on the left side of the fuel tank, held in place by a handmade bracket. Front-end lighting is provided by a retro-looking headlamp and LED blinkers similar to those found at the rear. The bike’s wheels and brakes are completely stock fore and aft, but the rims wear a fresh set of Scorcher 11 tires from Michelin. When it came to the powertrain, the project’s author decided to leave the engine’s internal workings unchanged.

He did give the XG500 bobber some youthful breathing equipment, though. On the intake side of things, we’re now greeted by a Kuryakyn Velociraptor air cleaner that looks a lot better than the stock part. It is complemented by a much shorter exhaust muffler from Vance & Hines, which is responsible for freeing up airflow and trimming the motorcycle’s lower proportions.

All the mods we’ve talked about thus far were performed in-house, but the paint job was executed by Amanda Brisebois of Black Widow Custom Paint. She used a flaky coat of gunmetal grey on the bodywork, as well as groovy flame graphics outlined with gold pinstripes. Aside from the fenders, gas tank, and side panels, this reworked Street 500 is still a murdered-out affair like it came from the factory.

Without experiencing any crazy upgrades, Augment’s bobbed Harley Street manages to be infinitely more appealing than its stock iteration. It’s a testament to how effective a simple transformation can be when executed well, and we’d choose it over the standard XG500 any day! Even when he’s at it solo without any help from the rest of Augment Motorworks’ pros, Nick Acosta is clearly at the top of his game.