HARLEY-DAVIDSON is well known for big, bruising cruisers & flat track racers - so when Lord Drake Kustoms got their hands on an 883 they decided to go cafe racer. We’re glad they did, it’s a beauty!
This Martini Racing cafe racer started life as a Harley-Davidson Sportster XL 883 Low from 2005 and was created in Malaga, Spain. It was initially intended to be shown at the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building in 2020 before coronavirus had other plans for us all. Lord Drake Kustoms boss Fran Manen then decided to produce a small run of 10 copies for sale.
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To get the V-twin Sportster Seventy up and running, a 2-into-1 Vance & Hines exhaust system and K&N air filter were fitted, but otherwise, the motor stays standard - so the carburettors remain.
Major changes made to this custom racer were the changes to the frame, with a new rear frame added along with a new single-seat, new tank, and minimalistic front-fender. Completing the look are a pair of wire-spoke rims and Conti knobblies.
Harley-Davidson Custom Sportster 883 in Martini Racing colours
For the finishing details, Fran Manen of Lord Drake Kustoms is a stickler for the fine details, and he gave the control panel a full revamp: with a transparent start-number plate front board and twin headlights (there's LED lights all around), a new handlebar with custom levers, gold-switchgear and custom-metal grips all fitted and taking the look up a few gears.
Plus the gauges are repositioned to the left of the tank, next to the V-Twin, and the number 70 is placed on custom metal side number plates - features that really do look incredible.
Of course, the iconic Martini Racing design brings it all together in a pretty package, with the signature lines running along the front start-number plate, tank and towards rear.
I’d happily wager that even if you’re not typically a fan of custom cafe racers & flat-trackers (or even Harley-Davidsons) you’ll appreciate this one.
