THE Custombike Show in Bad Salzuflen, Germany, ended last week with Indian scooping the top spot in the coveted European Biker Build-Off 2022. It took the win thanks to Bike-Farm Melle and their Indian Chief chopper that gain three times the votes of the other bike.
The final of the build-off was a bit of a ‘Derby’ match, with the two teams vying for the top spot being located just 30km from each other in Germany. Adding to the pressure was that while Bike-Farm Melle was built by an Indian, the other bike was created using Harley-Davidson hardware.
Once the votes had been collated though, it was the Indian machine that wooed the crowd, swooping in to take the win with 529 votes, compared to the other team’s 179. Guess we could call that a whitewash then?
The winning bike, named ‘Purple Haze’, might have been styled to look and feel like a classic chop’ from the 70s and 80s, beneath the metal flake paint and skinny tyres lies a completely modern machine. Instead of ditching the electronics, Bike-Farm Melle and team embraced them, retaining the machine ABS and GPS, even keeping the bike’s handy touchscreen TFT dash!
The frame of the bike was also changed with footrests altered and the brake system changed. The frame was set up with 48 degrees of rake and manufactured by Dutch specialists VG Motorcycle Specials. The Bike-Farm team undertook all sheet metal work, such as the tank cover with integrated gauge and GPS transmitter, to the fender, sissy bar, seat, wheels, handlebars, final drive, intake and exhaust system. Even the sealless, oil-free fork with its Teflon-lubricated sliding tubes were custom-made in-house.
Speaking of the bike, workshop manager, Tristan Frische, said:
“The entire bike was created within just eight weeks. With four men, we wrenched, shaped and turned day and night. All the more we are delighted with this title. Not only have all the electronic features been retained, but also the fully road legal, including remaining Euro 5. So, this dream bike will soon be seen quite regularly on public roads.”
